{"id":2626,"date":"2010-08-08T12:04:38","date_gmt":"2012-09-07T20:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"\/tips-for-getting-a-previous-year-tax-return"},"modified":"2025-02-11T12:04:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T20:04:52","slug":"tips-for-getting-a-previous-year-tax-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/tips-for-getting-a-previous-year-tax-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Getting a Previous Year Tax Return"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you need to get your hands on a copy of a past tax return<\/a>? No matter why you need a past tax return, it is important to know which steps to take and which mistakes to avoid.<\/p>\n

You may request an exact copy<\/em> of a past tax return, or just a transcript<\/em> of a previously filed return. Transcripts are generally easier to obtain and free of charge, but they provide less information about your tax return.<\/p>\n

Here are several tips for getting a copy (or transcript) of a past tax return:<\/p>\n

Contact your tax professional<\/strong><\/p>\n

Did you hire a professional to file your tax return<\/a>? If so, they should have a copy of your past tax return, including all attachments, in their records. Contact your tax professional to ask them to provide you with a copy of your past return.<\/p>\n

Get in touch with the IRS<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you need a copy of a previous year’s tax return, the IRS can probably help too. You may request an exact copy of your tax return<\/a> or a basic transcript<\/a>. With an exact copy you will receive all of the original information (and attachments) from your past tax return ? but there is a fee of $57 for each copy. On the other hand, a transcript includes just the basic information from your past tax return. For those who don’t need a full copy, a transcript is a better option because it’s also free.<\/p>\n

Make an official request to the IRS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Complete and submit the necessary request form to the IRS. For an exact copy of a past tax return, you will need to use Form 4506<\/strong> (Request for Copy of Tax Return). For a transcript, use Form 4506-T<\/strong> (Request for Transcript of Tax Return). Copies of these tax forms<\/a> are available online at the IRS website, or you may order forms for delivery by mail.<\/p>\n

Do not wait too long<\/strong><\/p>\n

If want to get an exact copy of a past tax return, the IRS can only provide you with copies for the last 6 years. Transcripts are only available for the current year and the previous 3 years. Waiting too long may result in missing these limited windows of opportunity.<\/p>\n

Be patient with the IRS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nothing is instantaneous when dealing with the IRS ? they are constantly processing thousands of requests. If you need a copy of a past tax return because you’re applying for a mortgage or other loan, make sure to leave yourself enough time. It can take up to 60 days to receive an exact copy of a past tax return, and up to 30 days for a transcript.<\/p>\n

These above tips should help you in requesting a copy of a previous year’s tax return. It’s up to you to make sure you follow the proper procedures and guidelines for obtaining a past tax return so that the IRS can send you the information you need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you need to get your hands on a copy of a past tax return? No matter why you need a past tax return, it is important to know which steps to take and which mistakes to avoid. You may request an exact copy of a past tax return, or just a transcript of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-past-tax-returns"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2626"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3244,"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626\/revisions\/3244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}