Haven't filed since 2012. No kidding, I'm expecting refunds. How do I begin?
The last accountant I had who prepared 2012 said of me that I don't like paperwork. SO true that I haven't gone for the returns I expect to get since then. I'm closing in on my second bankruptcy (first was 1998) so even if I owe it'll just be rolled into the one I'll never live down. Maybe the refunds will save me for awhile if I'm lucky. I do understand that I can receive returns for only the past 7 years and am still on the hook for all the preceding years if I'm owing.
Back then I started as an IT contractor working for my agency as an employee. Generally I would work for the client for a couple years then need to take three months off work/contract so the client wouldn't have to upgrade me to full-time working for them. I figure that I was being taxed at a yearly rate which often was not a full year of pay. This is why I hope I have money coming back because many years were not full work. I was on EI for the breaks which was taxed at the benefit rate.
I own a duplex and was renting the second unit up until 2023 while living in the primary unit, so there's rental income to consider. Maybe that takes up all the refunds who knows.
Despising paperwork as much as I do, you could guess I kept no records of the ins and outs of income and expenses and you'd be right, other than a few sporadic batches of banking records. I have logged into my CRA account and there are T-4Es back to 2019 so there are about 7 years of tax records I have no details on yet.
How do I obtain my missing T4s? Do I complete returns with only the meagre info I have? Do I involve a CPA to assist? Do I jump off a bridge?