Submitting Old Tax Returns to the Bankruptcy Court
Debtors filing bankruptcy need to submit their last four years of federal and state tax returns. While the state of Texas does not have an income tax, if you lived in another state and/or paid taxes in another state in the past four years, you will need to locate and submit those old tax returns to the bankruptcy court.
Federal Taxes
Most debtors filing bankruptcy have found that they don’t have all of the tax returns needed for their petition. If this is the case for your situation, you may need to request copies either from the person who prepared your taxes or directly from the IRS. Going to your tax preparer or accountant may be the easiest route.
Most tax preparers and accountants keep at least the last three years of tax returns on record. And for a nominal fee the bankruptcy debtor can order older tax returns. The tax preparers will not fax or email your tax return due to privacy concerns. If you are unable to show up to their physical office with your photo ID you may request that they mail a copy to you if reside at the same address as you did when you filed the return.
As a last resort, a bankruptcy debtor can request that the IRS send a transcript of their tax return by visiting www.irs.gov and submitting a form. There is a fee for this service. The bankruptcy debtor can, as an alternative, visit a local IRS office and request a transcript which can be printed the same day. This is helpful if the debtor needs their tax returns fast for the bankruptcy filing.
State Income Taxes
Texas does not have an income tax, so those debtors who have resided in this state in the four years prior to filing bankruptcy won’t need to submit state income tax information. However, if they resided in another state where they paid income taxes, they must submit those tax returns to their bankruptcy attorney. To get copies of state income tax returns visit the state’s Department of Revenue website.