> scared will be prosecuted for messing up something unintentionally Just to provide a data point on this, I have screwed up my taxes twice and been contacted

> scared will be prosecuted for messing up something unintentionally Just to provide a data point on this, I have screwed up my taxes twice and been contacted a year later or so by the IRS with a letter informing me about the discrepancy and how much they thought I owed. In both cases (each time due to options cost basis issues) I hired a pro to refile and paid the extra tax plus a small penalty. The IRS has pretty good customer support and gives people plenty of opportunity to correct mistakes. No one is getting prosecuted unless they are willfully and persistently evading taxes.