Notes from the February 8th All Partner Call:

• As of Monday the 5^th, 105,000 returns have been transmitted
• IRS will begin processing refunds for EITC/CTC beginning February 15th
• Prior year and state only e-filing is available. Turned on February 2nd
  • Issue #1758  2022 returns are getting stuck in the transmitted state.  Please reach out to support with your EFIN and last 4.  We will make a blog post when this is resolved.
• CO indicates they will open for e-file mid-February (around the 12^th)
• NM has indicated they will be slow to return acknowledgements over the 1^st couple weeks of e-file
• Watermarks on state return forms will be removed as forms approvals are received
• Customer portal dashboard recently released
• FSA Kiosk sites: If you have received your URL, be sure to copy and paste it into your browser instead of clicking the link in the e-mail (e-mail service provider could perceive the URL as a phishing attempt)

---

Q:  We are getting a lot of rejects indicating we need to complete form 8862 for disallowance of EITC/CTC/AOC.  The taxpayer is stating they have never been disallowed.  Is there any way for the software to detect this?

A:  No.  The IRS keeps this information on file for several years.  You will have to load and complete Form 8862.

---

Q:  It is hard to quality review dividend statements because we have to drill down into the return.  We submitted suggestion #271382 to add detailed information, where are you at on this.

A:  We have completed the requirements document for this.  It is now in the phase of being sized and prioritized by our product team.

---

Q:  It is hard to allow the taxpayer to verify their RTN and ACCT number for direct deposit when the information is masked.  Is there a way to not mask this information.

A:  This is controlled by the “View full taxpayer SSN” permission in Roles & Permissions.

---

Q:  Why do we have to complete the EIC Due Diligence worksheet, we are not paid preparers?  (Updated answer)

A:  By default, the program does require this worksheet.  The Due diligence form will always load in the Forms Completed tree.  If the volunteer clicks on it, they can just click on another form in the tree without going through and answering the questions.  Even if they answer the questions, it will not be included in the e-file since you are not paid preparers.

---

Q:  My 2022 Amended return was rejected by the IRS.

A:  The IRS  made a schema change that impacted prior year returns with a 1099-R with federal withholding.  We have a work item Issue #1762 that is in final stages of testing and should be delivered within the next few days.  Once delivered you will be able to resend those rejected returns.

---

Q:  We are having an issue with the new Alabama RS getting rejected?

A:  Issue #1819 will be deployed on Friday, February 9th.  Alabama is also making some changes on their end as well to accommodate the new form.

---

Q:  We love the customer portal and the dashboard.  However, our volunteers send the link to everyone even if the don’t need it.  Is there a way to cancel an invite?

A:  Currently no, but that is a great suggestion.

---

Q:  Why did you get rid of the pop-ups on the state returns for taxable pensions and other things for MO?

A:  This is an issue and is being worked on.

---

Q:  Is there a difference in the calculations between the Practice Lab and our production site?

A:  No, the Practice Lab is a site inside of the Production System just like your production site.

---

Q:  Other software companies allow you to download and import income documents directly into the program so we don’t have to key in the information.  Is this something we will be able to do in the future?

A:  No.  Due to security protocols, we will not allow third party APIs to access the VITA/TCE environment.

---

Q:  Why is box 2(a) no longer auto populating on the 1099-R when you complete Box 1?

A:  We did some research and found that this is an issue if the return utilized prior year data.  We have opened a high priority ticket to resolve this Issue #1833.

---

Q: Will the AZ state rebate deduction be automatically subtracted or will we need to continue to manually enter the subtraction amount?

A:  Issue #1810 has passed testing and is waiting to be deployed. It will be a manual entry.

---

Q:  Will we have to continue to enter the 4 digit code for the Ohio School District for SD withholding

A:  Yes.

---

Q:  We are noticing that the complete/incomplete in the signature column is not always correct.

A:  We have Issue #1690 to resolve this.  It has been escalated.

The “View full taxpayer SSN” permission determines whether a user can view the full SSN or view a masked SSN.

By default the majority of the roles assigned by TaxSlayer on behalf of the IRS DO NOT allow the preparer to view the Full SSN

This can be controlled at the site level with custom Roles.  If you choose to to allow the preparer to view the unmasked SSN, you should take measures to ensure the full SSN cannot be viewed by anyone other than the preparer(s).

We recommend that you copy and paste the URL rather than trying to access it from the email.  This prevents your system from seeing it as a phishing threat.  All links are verified as active prior to being sent to the site.  You should see the following after copying and pasting to the browser.

Note your SIDN will be at the end of the URL on the Welcome page.  Selecting Continue takes the taxpayer to the pictured login page

 

 

The following EIN rejects are common rejects this time of the season.

FW2-502: Form W-2, Line B ‘EmployerEIN’ must match data in the eFile database

F1099R-502-02: Form 1099-R, ‘PayerEIN’ must match data in the e-File database.

Tips for correction:

• Verify that the EIN did not change from the prior year’s return if you used carry forward
• Verify the EIN was keyed into the application accurately
• Verify that the company name was keyed in exactly as it is on the W-2 or 1099-R
• If the information entered matches the actual document, have the taxpayer contact the issuer of the W-2/1099R that is being rejected to verify that the Employer Identification number listed on the document is correct.

Update 2/9/24: Impacted returns can be resubmitted.

---

Update 2/6/24:  The IRS has not put an alternative solution in place.  As of today, these prior year returns will still reject if the contains a 1099-R with a Federal Withholding amount.

---

 

The IRS currently has a business rule in place that will erroneously reject any 2022 or 2021 return that has a 1099-R with Federal Withholding.  They are working with industry to determine the best resolution.  During the meantime, we strongly recommend that you tag any prior year return that you are planning to electronically file that has a 1099-R with a Federal Withholding amount.

Our current plan is to turn on prior year e-file (2022 and 2021) tomorrow (Feb 2) at 10 am EST

Update (02/02/2024 10:00 am EST)  We have turned on 2023 State Only and prior year e-file for 2022 and 2021.

Note:

The IRS currently has a business rule in place that will erroneously reject any 2022 or 2021 return that has a 1099-R with Federal Withholding.  They are working with industry to determine the best resolution.  During the meantime, we strongly recommend that you tag any prior year return that you are planning to electronically file that has a 1099-R with a Federal Withholding amount.

---

 

Our current plan is to turn on prior year e-file (2022 and 2021) tomorrow (Feb 2) at 10 am EST

Update (01/31/2024 2:29pm EST)  We will be turning on prior year (2022 and 2021) e-file on Friday, February 2, 2024 at approximately 10 am EST

---

 

Update:  (01/29/2024 1:15 pm EST)  Don’t panic if you see that the returns you sent have not gone to the IRS.  This is Day 1 of e-file and we are monitoring the flow of returns out the door to the IRS so ensure they arrive at their destination with no issues.

---

 

Update:  (01/29/2024  11:05 am EST)  TY2023 e-file is open.  We will monitor the turn around time for IRS acknowledgements and post if we see any extreme delays.  Remember the IRS can take up to 48 hours to acknowledge returns, but we typically see them within an hour.

---

The IRS will open their MeF system to accept e-files from all vendors in the industry at 9 am ET

• 10:30 ET (Tentative Time) We will turn on e-file for TY 2023
  • Open and review returns created prior to the 29th.
  • You will be able to send your Federal and State Returns together (State only will not be available until later in the week)
  • You will receive IRS acks
    • State acks will come as the states process their returns (varies by state)
• We will update this blog post throughout the day.

F1040-065-04:  At least one of the following must have a non-zero value on Form 1040: ‘TotalIncomeAmt’ or ‘AdjustedGrossIncomeAmt’ or ‘TaxAmt’ or ‘TotalTaxBeforeCrAndOthTaxesAmt’ or ‘TotalCreditsAmt’ or ‘TotalTaxAmt’ or ‘TotalPaymentsAmt

TaxSlayer Tip:  One of the following lines on the 1040 must have a value greater than zero based on the e-file Schema for the IRS MeF system to process the return

• Line 9: Total Income
• Line 11:  Adjusted Gross Amount (AGI)
• Line 16:  Tax Amount
• Line 18:  Represents Total Tax Before Credit and other Taxes Amount
• Line 21:  Represents Total Credits Amount
• Line 24:  Total Tax
• Line 33:  Total Payments

 

Scenario: I have completed the 1095-A by entering the appropriate data.  I click continue and the application gives me an error because it does not recognize the values that I have entered.

Workaround: No known workaround

Solution: We have opened a high priority ticket to get this resolved in both years of the application.

During the meantime, we recommend you create a return tag and tag the returns so you can go back and enter the data when this has been resolved.