The below message was released by the IRS. During the below outlined times, returns electronically filed will not receive an acknowledgement until after system maintenance has been completed.

“Both the MeF ATS and Production environments will be unavailable for use Sunday August 18, 2019, beginning at 1:00 a.m. Eastern through 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Maintenance will be performed to ensure the system is functioning at peak performance.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

The site will be placed in maintenance on Thursday, August 1st to release the below software updates.

CLIENT LIST PAGE NAVIGATION

• The page navigation found on the top of Client List will be added to the bottom of Client List. This will allow users to easily navigate to other Client List pages from either the top or bottom of the page (Enhancement)

E-FILE: DIRECT DEBIT

• Just like the “Pull Refund” feature when a taxpayer is receiving a refund utilizing Direct Deposit, we are adding a “Pull Balance Due” feature for Direct Debit returns when the taxpayer wishes to pay the balance owed in full (Enhancement)

PENNSYLVANIA

• Correct a display issue where PA W-2S is pulling an incorrect code for 1099-R, Box 7 Codes 7 and 7D. Code I is being pulled instead of Code K (Issue 3769)

REJECTED CLIENTS MENU

• We are adding a column in this page to include the Preparer’s Name to make it easier to manage reject corrections by easily identifying which preparer(s) belonged to which return without having to run various reports (Enhancement)

*Click here to download a PDF of our Cumulative Release Notes & Program Enhancements.

8/2/2019

Idaho State Tax Commission has resolved their certificate connectivity issue. They have begun processing acknowledgements.

7/31/2019

Software vendors received the below message from Idaho State Tax Commission.

“Due to a MeF certificate issue, Idaho will not be retrieving nor acknowledging MeF returns today and tomorrow. We anticipate resolution by tomorrow afternoon. We will communicate when we are back online. Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience.”

This means that any ID returns e-filed while this issue persists will not receive an acknowledgement until the issue has been resolved.

The site will be placed in maintenance on Thursday, July 18th to release the below software updates.

MASSACHUSETTS

• Correct an issue where the Schedule HC family size is incorrect when Married Filing Separate and spouse living with TP at any point during year (Issue 3728)
• Correct an issue on Schedule R/NR, Line 24 when a value is being produced in error (Issue 3758)

PRINT DISPLAY

• Correct an issue where the Spouse suffix listed in Basic Information is not carried to the PDF for any form/schedule (Issue 3588)

PRIOR YEAR COMPARISON on SUMMARY/PRINT

• Update the landing page designation when selecting “Back”. Previously redirects users back to their last saved checkpoint inside a return. It will nor redirect users to the Summary/Print page (Issue 2138)

*Click here to download a PDF of our Cumulative Release Notes.

The site will be placed in maintenance on Tuesday, July 16th to release backend updates to the software.

The IRS published Tax Tip 2019-90 today. Below are details you can share with others in your community that may wish to become a volunteer for VITA/TCE for this upcoming filing season.

“Every year, hundreds of people volunteer their time to help other taxpayers. IRS volunteers provide free tax preparation in communities across the nation. While it might seem like the distant future, people who want to volunteer in 2020 can start taking action now.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs offer free tax help across the country. These programs help people with low-to-moderate incomes, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and those who speak limited English. Last year, VITA and TCE volunteers prepared millions of federal tax returns for qualified taxpayers at no cost. Anyone interested in volunteering can visit the sign-up page on IRS.gov.

Here are reasons people become an IRS-certified VITA or TCE tax volunteer:

• Flexible hours. Volunteers serve an average of three to five hours per week. The programs are usually open from mid-to-late-January through the tax filing deadline in April. Some sites are even open all year.
• VITA and TCE sites are often nearby. Each year there are thousands of sites set up in neighborhoods all over the country. These free tax help sites are in places like community centers, libraries, schools and shopping malls.
• No prior experience needed. Volunteers receive special training and often serve in a variety of roles. VITA and TCE programs want volunteers of all backgrounds and ages. They also want people who are fluent in other languages.
• Free tax law training and materials. Volunteers receive training materials at no charge. The tax law training covers how to prepare basic federal tax returns electronically. The training also covers tax topics like deductions and credits.
• Continuing education credits for tax pros. Enrolled agents and non-credentialed tax return preparers can earn continuing education credits when volunteering as a VITA/TCE instructor, quality reviewer, or tax return preparer.

More Information:
IRS Free Tax Return Preparation Programs
Link & Learn Taxes
Tax Topic 101: IRS Services – Volunteer Tax Assistance, Outreach Programs, and Identity Theft”

The site will be placed in maintenance on Tuesday, July 9th to release the below software updates.

KANSAS

• Correct a display issue on the K-40H PDF where the DOB for a taxpayer under age 55 was not showing (Issue 3682)

MASSACHUSETTS

• Update a 1040 Line text reference inside the Schedule HC – Basic Questions page (Issue 3731)

REPORTS

• Adding a YES/NO indicator column to the Username Report to identify if a preparer can view only returns prepared by them or not (Enhancement)
  • This will allow site administrators to quickly determine if preparers were set up correct in this sense without having to edit each individual preparer to check

*Click here to download a PDF of our Cumulative Release Notes.

6/25/2019 – 11:24am ET – The issue has been resolved and access to the site and practice environments have been restored. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused for your sites.

6/25/2019 – 11:00am ET – No additional updates at this time. Backend investigations still ongoing.

6/25/2019 – 10:36am ET – No additional updates at this time. Backend investigations still ongoing.

6/25/2019 – 10:15am ET – No additional updates at this time. Backend investigations still ongoing while servers are recycling.

6/25/2019 – 9:48am ET – No additional updates at this time. Backend investigations still ongoing while servers are recycling.

6/25/2019 – 9:29am ET – We are still recycling servers at this time.

6/25/2019 – 9:08am ET – Servers are being recycled at this time. 

6/25/2019 – 8:51am ET – The issue is actively being worked at this time.

6/25/2019 – 8:33am ET – Investigations are still ongoing. No additional updates at this time.

6/25/2019 – 8:16am ET – We are still investigating the issue from this mornings deploy.

6/25/2019 – 8:00am ET – There was an issue during this mornings deploy. You may receive runtime errors when attempting to access your site. We are actively investigating.

The site will be placed in maintenance on Tuesday, June 25th to release the below software updates.

CARRYFORWARD

• Correct an issue where SP designated items are being included as a carryforward item when the SP was listed as deceased in the previous year and TP is filing as Single in the current year (Issue 3370)

MASSACHUSETTS

• Correct an issue inside the PY/Nonres MA program (Schedule R/NR) where the value entered as Income Subject to Tax > Wages is not carrying to the PDF – Line 5, Column A (Issue 3686)

*Click here to download a PDF of our Cumulative Release Notes.