Tax Year Prior to 2020: Can I still file a w2 from a previous year if yes what's the longest you can wait?

[Klynae5]

Did everything work out for your brother? I literally just did the same thing 

[BillM223]

The post about a brother is over a year old, so you may not get a response.

What you hopefully did was:

1. amend your 2020 return to remove the wrong W-2.

2. amend your 2019 (or whichever) return to add the wrong W-2 to the right return.

To learn more information on how to amend your return, please see this TurboTax FAQ.

[Klynae5]

Nope, I was putting all my information in and then at the last page it asked to do a checker. It came back and asked for me to I put the information from a job I worked in 2018 so I added that information. 

[BillM223]

"It came back and asked for me to I put the information from a job I worked in 2018 so I added that information. "

OK, so you say that TurboTax asked you to enter a W-2 from 2018?

When you enter TurboTax for the first time for a given year, you are given the option to carry over tax information from the previous year, to save you some typing.

Generally, the text from W-2s and 1099s is carried over but the dollar amounts are not because these typically change each year.

If you have a W-2 that is carried over to your 2020 return that refers to a job that you did not have in 2020, then please delete that W-2.

To do that, please do a Search (upper right) for w-2 and click on the jump-to link (Mac users must find W-2 in the Topics List).

This should show you a table of W-2 entries. Look (edit) the various entries until you can identify the obsolete one. Then use the Back button to back up until you see the table again, and use the Delete button or the trash can icon to delete the W-2 that you no longer need.

And if you filed your 2020 return with this 2018 W-2 information, then you will need to amend your return.

[Klynae5]

So since I already filed when will I be able to amend? 

[DianeW777]

You will file a return for the year the W-2 reflects.  You cannot include a W-2 from a prior year on your current 2020, tax return.

TurboTax has exactly what you need to complete the prior year return.

• How do I prepare a return for 2019, 2018, etc?

The statute of limitations do not begin until a tax return is filed, meaning the IRS can review that tax year indefinitely and charge any tax due with interest and penalty, if applicable.  

However, a refund will not be issued beyond three years of the filing deadline, or April 15th of the year following the tax year in question. 

• Example: A tax return for 2017 needs to be filed by April 15, 2021 in order to receive any refund.

If you need to amend a tax return for a prior year use the link below.

• How do I amend a return I already filed?
• The deadline to receive a refund, if applicable, is three years after the due date of the original return, or two years after the tax was paid, whichever is later. Allow up to 16 weeks for the IRS to process an amended return.  It usually doesn't take that long, but it's their language.  IRS FAQ-Amendment

[Aj8881]

Did you get your refund