The last chance to claim a 2009 Tax Refund Was April 15, 2013, but you can still file 2009 Taxes with RapidTax.
Yes, you can still file your 2009 taxes. However, the IRS has a statute of limitations that only allows you to get a refund for three years after the original due date of a return.
In other words, you can file your late 2009 tax return, but you won’t be able to claim your 2009 refund. The last day to file and get a 2009 refund was April 15, 2013. After this date, the government stopped issuing 2009 refunds, even though you’re technically still required to file a 2009 return.
If you weren’t expecting a 2009 refund and instead, have tax due, you’ll want to file your 2009 taxes as soon as possible.
IRS Statute Of Limitations
Unfortunately, though you only have three years to get a refund, the statute of limitations on the IRS collecting taxes due is ten years. So if you owe money, don’t think that you’ve successfully evaded the IRS. They still have 5 years to collect your tax due.
If you do owe the government money, you may have to pay a failure-to-file penalty, a failure-to-pay penalty, and interest. These penalties get larger for every day that your return is late, so it makes sense to file as soon as possible.
How To File 2009 Taxes Today
Many people who are late on their taxes automatically assume that they’ll be punished for it. However, if you were entitled to a refund, you won’t be facing penalties. After all, not being able to claim your refund is a punishment in itself. However, you should still file.
Unfortunately you won’t be able to e-file your 2009 return. E-file is only available between January and October for current year returns. This means that you’ll have to paper file your 2009 return.
You can still prepare your return online with RapidTax. To do so, create an account and enter your tax information. Then, we’ll do the hard work for you. After your return is prepared, you’ll simply print it out, sign, and mail it to the IRS yourself.
If you have any questions along the way, the RapidTax team is available via phone, chat and email!
Photo via Jérôme on Flickr.
I did the same thing., I bought half a house in 2009 and was told I could not get a homebuyer credit by a tax preparer. Then I was told I could and filed on April 15, 2013 and sent it by registered mail. I know they got in on April 18, 2013 but have heard nothing. I can find nothing on the WHER’s MY REFUND site. It has been over 90 days, shouldn’t they have at least told me if I would not be getting the tax refund/
Hi Wwndy,
You should try calling them because I’m pretty sure that the Where’s My Refund tool does not apply to prior year tax returns.
I filed amended tax returns for 2009, 2010 and 2011 all three years I was due a refund from. I sent all the returns out at the same time and to the same address ( 3 seperate envelopes). I received refund checks from the IRS for 2010 and s 2011 returns, but the IRS is saying they NEVER RECEIVED MY 2009 AMENDED RETURN. I was also told that the statute of limitations has ran out. There is no way I can prove that the amended return was filed well before the April deadline. I find this very fishy on the IRS part. How many other taxpayers has the IRS conveniently lost their 2009 returns that show a refund due?!
Same thing! I sent 2010, 2011, & 2012 all in one day and the didn’t receive one of them even though certified mail says they did. Ughhhh so annoying and troublesome with one’s bills pending. I will follow up and see if it magically showed up at IRS.
Just a FYI for everyone, I filed my 2009 tax return April 13, 2013 and am expected to receive a Federal refund of $541. Previous 4 years of returns filed include 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 return – all filed together on April 13, 20013. The IRS web sites provide no links which allow for searching the status of past retuns and as of today, I still have not received any notification as to the status of my return. Has anyone ever expereinced that same problems with the IRS? The IRS is so quick to come after us for the slightest problem, but ignors situations like mine.
My boyfriend received a letter advising he did not file taxes for 2009-2011 and he of course has penalties. He is currently working on getting all the w2s he needs but should he still file or just pay the penalites?
Hi Emily,
He definitely needs to file. He’s receiving the penalties because he didn’t file. If he doesn’t file now, he’s just going to continue accruing penalties.
i filed my 2011-2012 taxes this year. i sent them via mail and when i checked the irs site it only gave me 2012 return do i have to wait till i get that money for my 2011 to populate in the system?
Hi Jose,
As far as I’m aware, the IRS’s Where’s My Refund system only works for current year returns, so you won’t be able to see the progress of your 2011 refund.