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If you are filing a late tax return from a previous year, ideally you would just go to your filing cabinet, pull out all of your tax information and forms from that year, and start completing your information.

But let’s be realistic. If you still had all of the information you needed right at your fingertips, you probably would have completed your tax forms earlier. You can be forgiven if you find that you are missing a W-2, an interest earnings form from your bank or the tax return itself.

Don’t panic if you can’t find that important tax document. While you may need the information to complete your return, the forms are replaceable; you just have to know who to contact to get the copies.

Your first task is to make sure you are using the correct tax return. Since tax forms are updated annually, you cannot use a 2005 return to complete a return you didn’t file in 2003. Instead, you need to get the 2003 form.

You can get tax forms from previous years at the Internal Revenue Service’s website. Simply go to their main page and type in "Prior Year Forms" in the search menu. Select the year you need and then click on the forms you need. A .pdf of the form will pop-up. Many of the forms allow you to complete your form right on screen. Remember to save a copy on your computer and print out two copies.

Completing taxes from previous years doesn’t mean you are relegated to manually completing your tax return. Most of the major tax preparation software manufacturers still have editions from previous tax years. You may not have much luck looking for this software at your local retailer, but you’ll probably be able to find them if you go directly to the manufactures’ web sites.

Note that while using this software may make preparing your taxes much easier, you cannot submit previous years' tax returns electronically to the IRS. Instead, print out the completed form, sign it and send it to the IRS.

Now that you have your tax return, all you need are your tax forms. Here are some of the forms you might need, and where you can get them:

• W-2's: Contact your employer; they keep copies of your W-2's for at least four years. Some may charge a small fee to send you a copy.
• 1099 Forms: Your bank and/or broker may keep archival tax information. Check to see if you can download the forms directly from their website. If not, call them directly to have the forms sent to you.
• 1099-MISC: If you earned $400 or more from a particular client as an independent contractor, your client must send you a completed 1099-MISC. Contact your client if you are missing this form. If you earned less than $500 from a particular client, they weren't required to send you a form. Refer to copies of your own invoices to report this income.

If you are unable to get the forms directly from the sources mentioned above, you can also call the IRS and ask them to send you a copy of your "income transcript" for the relevant year. The IRS keeps this information for four years. The income transcript will have all of the information listed above, and can be mailed or faxed to you.

While getting this information directly from the IRS is a good option, as a last resort, you should try getting the required tax information directly from the source so you have independent verification of your income from that year. This will give you options if there are discrepancies between the information you report and what the IRS has listed on your income transcript.

Once you completed all your information, attach the required back-up materials, make copies and send your completed return to the IRS.