<prompt> Human: 30M I have not filed for taxes in 8 years. Yes, I know it sounds bad. Do to some bad life choices, filing was not the highest on my list of priorities. However, now that I am on track I am getting my finances in order this year. My problem here is that I can not remember all of the places I have worked in the past 8 years and I can not afford to pay the IRS 50 per W-2 just so I can file. What would be the best way to go about filing? Would a tax lawyer be advisable? I am also looking to get into nursing school next year so I am going to need either w-2s or transcripts for the application process. Any advice is valuable! Thanks.  <response>: IRS can provide transcripts of your wage and income documents free of charge.Try Get Transcript Online at IRS.gov. This may not work, since you havent filed recently.Or file Form 4506-T by mail or fax, and you will have the transcripts in about 10 business days.Or call 1-800-829-1040 M - F 7am - 7pm local time and speak with a representative. They can provide your transcripts by mail or fax.Or call the IRS appointment line for face-to-face transcript assistance.Transcripts obtained from IRS have no state wage or withholding information. Once you have your documents for past years, you can try to prepare the returns yourself, or contact a tax professional. If, at any time, you need a payment plan, you will be required to file tax years 2012 - 2016 to be considered current for IRS collection purposes. 