Hey, All –
Forgive me here, I am a bit of an uneducated individual (at least in the tax arena) and I am in a panic. Okay. Here it goes.
My parents are elderly. My dad had a stroke in 2018 that forced his retirement. He can no longer talk or move his arm.
Mom and I were his caretakers until she came down with ALS in Oct of 2024. She passed in May of 2025. I was a full time caretaker for both until her passing and am now a full time caretaker for my dad. Im his POA.
Sitting on the couch with my wife the other night, I came to the realization that I did not file his taxes for last year. After some digging, I realized his taxes were not filed for 2024 or 2025.
Again, retired, living off social security. My mother did not work. My father has a modest pension as well (around $1500 a month) on top of his social security.
I have a meeting with social security later this month to get his tax forms to begin filing (i have NO IDEA where his tax forms went).
How screwed am I here? What type of damage am I facing?
Ive been trying to do everything right, but I dropped this ball and I havent been able to relax ever since I came to the realization.
Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Edit: we are in Ohio, if that means anything.
Posted by Smokeupj0hnnie
4 Comments
$1500 is modest?
You can set up an account for him on [SSA.gov](http://SSA.gov) with his SSN and get his SS payment amounts. They also mail and email those every year, I think at the end of last year, or beginning of the current year. The COL increase is announced every October, after they determine it based upon the numbers after the 3rd quarter, ending in Sept. Get him set up with an email address if he doesn’t have one. Not sure what an appt at the SS office will do to help you, they don’t accept POA’s and your dad would have to be present.
You can also go on the IRS site and check his transcripts, which will show his retirement distribution/payments and SSA payments, total payouts for the year, kinda like a W-2.
It’s okay, please don’t stress too much about this as you have bigger things to worry about. Get the info together and file as soon as you can. Until you do the return, you won’t even know if anything was owed. And seems to me you have some reasonable causes to get any penalty waived.
Based on just social security and a small pension, may not even owe tax. And if tax was withheld on either pension or social security, could be due a refund. Not enough details here to tell you what you would owe if anything or whether you would get a refund. Social Security is only taxable if income exceeds a base amount and then how much to include is either 50% or 85% (for high earners).
First and foremost, **Don’t Panic**.
The IRS does NOT want to throw you in the pokey. They will not send guys with black hoods and broadaxes to your house at 3ayem, like in *Hägar the Horrible.* They want what you owe, and — believe it or not — they will work with you to get it.
So, find the SSA-1099 forms and get thee to a free tax filing site.
Complete an IRS POA (Form 2848). Sign it under your current POA. Fax the 2848 and your DPOA to the IRS or upload it online. It may take at least two weeks to process. Once processed, you can call the IRS to request transcripts (including Wage & Income) to be mailed to the address on record. You would be able to see which income related forms were issued to him.
OR, a faster way is to give a tax professional power of attorney. They would be able to download the transcripts instantly after the POA is processed.
With limited information, it’s hard to say but it’s likely he has no tax liability. BUT, that depends on the type and amount of income he’s received.