<prompt> Human: I have not filed taxes in at least the last 6 years. I would like to openstart a small business and get an EIN from the IRS and start paying taxes again. In the last 6 years I have worked for myself, taking only cash payments. I have absolutely no idea how much I have made in the last 6 years. In that time I have also never received a W2, 1099, or anything else that even remotely resembles a tax document. I did try to file roughly 4 years ago with some money I made mowing lawns through turbotax. But the IRS wouldnt accept the return saying that I made under the threshold it was something like 8 or 9 grand gross. Am I jail worthy screwed here, or will the IRS simply not know? I mean I dont even know so I dont see how they can. What is the best way to handle this without getting an attorney and without handing a signed confession to the tax man?  <response>: Everything being said and done, I would suggest that regardless of what you do about the past that GOING FORWARD you track what youre bringing in. I used to be in a cash business and wed put the amounts paid to us in an excel spreadsheet. What Im getting at is you cant just NOT keep track of money you bring in, because if you come under scrutiny you need to be confident that you know your own numbers well enough to defend them. 