topic Amend old tax returns in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Amend old tax returns

yatoshura — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:09:42 GMT

I recently hired a pro CPA to check and review all my tax returns since 2015 and they were able to find several years where I overpaid taxes due to some mistakes and miscalculations. Is there any way to amend those returns older than 5 years? If not, will those excess taxes I paid be returned or counted toward a future year tax returns in any way?

Re: Amend old tax returns

MinhT1 — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:55:56 GMT

You cannot amend tax returns more than 3 years old.

This IRS says in this document:

The latest date, by law, you can claim a credit or federal income tax refund for a specific tax year is generally the later of these 2 dates:

3 years from the date you filed your federal income tax return, or
2 years from the date you paid the tax.

This time period is called the Refund Statute Expiration Date (RSED).

Re: Amend old tax returns

yatoshura — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:01:34 GMT

So there is no way to use those excess tax payments for any future tax returns? Not even as deductions or credits?

Re: Amend old tax returns

DaveF1006 — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:38:53 GMT

Yes, that is correct. As @MinhT1 says, you can only amend the prior three years returns to claim a refund. Beyond that, the excess tax payments cannot be claimed.