Details On Obtaining Prior Year Tax Information From The IRS

Obtaining Prior Year Tax Information

The ability to get prior year tax information from the IRS is virtually a guarantee due to the fact that the IRS is required to keep tax returns on file for seven years. As with most actions related to the IRS there is a form that is required to fill out in order to obtain prior tax information. This is Form 4506 that can be found by completing a simple form search on the IRS website. The IRS will not provide prior tax information without filling out a hard copy of Form 4506.

Seal of the United States Internal Revenue Ser...
Seal of the United States Internal Revenue Service. The design is the same as the Treasury seal with an IRS inscription. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The form is self explanatory and should be filled out to include the exact information from the tax return of the prior year. At the very least, the name and social security number should match as well as the spousal information if the return was filed jointly. Additional information should include the prior year tax form such as Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ. Form 4506 can be completed regardless of a recent divorce without spousal consent.  One of the final requests on the form is to fill out the prior year tax information being requested such as 12/31/2012.

The required fee for Form 4506 as of 2012 is $57 in the form of check or money order payable to the US Treasury that is required when mailing the form to the appropriate IRS office. However, tax filers that used Turbo Tax 2013 have the distinct advantage of obtaining prior year tax information at no cost. This free service is included with the use of Turbo Tax 2013 Basic, Deluxe, Premier, Home & Business, or Freedom Edition. Even greater is the use of the online edition of Turbo Tax 2013 that will automatically look up prior year tax information for a user to view or print.

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