Hi all! Looking for some advice (and maybe a sanity check) on my tax situation.
I have three years of unfiled returns (2023–2025). Combination of life chaos, moving between states, and multiple jobs each year means I kept putting it off, and now it’s… a lot.
The biggest issue is that the state employer ID number for Maryland is missing from my W-2s for my main employer for both 2023 and 2025. I’m actively working with my current employer to fix it, but the older employer hasn’t resolved it and it’s been a couple of years.
What I’m thinking of doing is filing my federal returns now using something like FreeTaxUSA, then dealing with state separately. That could mean filing state returns later once I have the missing info, possibly by mail if needed, or getting help just for the state filings.
Questions:
- Is it okay to file federal now and handle state later, or will that cause issues?
- Has anyone dealt with a missing state employer ID on a W-2? What did you do?
- For older years, am I likely stuck filing state returns by mail anyway?
- Would it make sense to DIY federal and hire a CPA just for state?
- Has anyone used lower-cost services like “Brass Taxes”? Worth it or risky?
Cost is definitely a concern. I’ve been quoted around $1,000 per year by a CPA, which just isn’t realistic for me right now. Some online services look more like $300–$400 per year, but I’m a little wary about trusting them with sensitive info.
My goal is just to get everything filed this year so it’s no longer hanging over me, even if it’s not perfectly optimized.
3 years of un-filed taxes, missing state employer ID on W-2… should I file federal now and deal with state later?
byu/Dangerous_Ant_7624 intax
Posted by Dangerous_Ant_7624
3 Comments
I am not familiar with MD taxes, but for CA we just use “999999” if the state EIN is missing and we’re able to e-file with that. You might google and see if MD has a similar recommendation.
You said “moving between states” though … does that mean you earned income in multiple states during the same year and will need to file part-year resident returns for both? It’s not that hard to do if you just have W-2 income, and you know how much time you worked in each state each year, but if it’s more complicated or feels too overwhelming it’s probably better to work with someone. I’d recommend finding someone you can meet with in person rather than an online “expert”.
It does not make sense to DIY the Fed if you’re going to hire someone for the state returns, because tax software builds the state return off the Fed info so whoever you hire will have to enter everything for the Fed returns anyway and they’ll usually charge you the same amount whether you’ve already filed it or not.
Not all software allows it, but many of them will process the return if you put the federal EIN in as the MD EIN. We’ve never had a return rejected by Maryland for doing that
I can call my state DOR amd usually get the state payer ID number