5/21/2020

Ohio has indicated they have resolved the issue. Sites with outstanding OH acknowledgements should have acks at this time.

5/20/2020

We received the following message from the Ohio Department of Taxation

Ohio is currently experiencing some technical issues that has delayed the processing of submissions and delivery of acknowledgments.  The issues started in the early evening of Tuesday May 19^th and we are currently working to resolve the issue.  We will let you know once this issue has been resolved.

Update 9:48:  This is resolved, you can now start new returns

Update:  We are making an emergency deploy to resolve this.  You may see a temporary outage while we are making the deploy.

We are experiencing an error when Creating New Returns.  We have entered a critical ticket.  This does not impact opening existing returns

IRS.gov has answers to many questions people may have about their Economic Impact Payment. Here are answers to some of the top questions people are asking about these payments. 

Is this payment considered taxable income?

No, the payment is not income and taxpayers will not owe tax on it. The payment will not reduce a taxpayer’s refund or increase the amount they owe when they file their 2020 tax return next year. A payment also will not affect income for purposes of determining eligibility for federal government assistance or benefit programs.

Can people who receive a Form SSA-1099 or RRB-1099 use Get My Payment to check their payment status?

Yes, they will be able to use Get My Payment to check the status of their payment after verifying their identity by answering the required security questions.

If someone’s bank account information has changed since they filed their last tax return, can they update it using Get My Payment?

To help protect against potential fraud, the tool also does not allow people to change direct deposit bank account information already on file with the IRS.

If the IRS issues a direct deposit based on the account information that the taxpayer provided on their tax return and the bank information is now invalid or the account has been closed, the bank will reject the deposit. The agency will then mail payment as soon as possible to the address they have on file. Get My Payment will be updated to reflect the date a payment will be mailed. It will take up to 14 days to receive the payment, standard mailing time.

WASHINGTON – With a variety of steps underway to speed Economic Impact Payments, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service urged people to use Get My Payment by noon Wednesday, May 13, for a chance to get a quicker delivery.

The IRS, working in partnership with Treasury Department and the Bureau of Fiscal Services (BFS), continues to accelerate work to get Economic Impact Payments to even more people as soon as possible. Approximately 130 million individuals have already received payments worth more than $200 billion in the program’s first four weeks.

Starting later this month, the number of paper checks being delivered to taxpayers will sharply increase. For many taxpayers, the last chance to obtain a direct deposit of their Economic Impact Payment rather than receive a paper check is coming soon. People should visit Get My Payment on IRS.gov by noon Wednesday, May 13, to check on their payment status and, when available, provide their direct deposit information.

“We’re working hard to get more payments quickly to taxpayers,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “We want people to visit Get My Payment before the noon Wednesday deadline so they can provide their direct deposit information. Time is running out for a chance to get these payments several weeks earlier through direct deposit.”

After noon Wednesday, the IRS will begin preparing millions of files to send to BFS for paper checks that will begin arriving through late May and into June. Taxpayers who use Get My Payment before that cut-off can still take advantage of entering direct deposit information.

The following update to the FSA process will allow sites with an existing FSA link to be able to provide this service to their taxpayers during the time when they cannot prepare traditional returns at their site.

What the sites CAN do:

Email the site-specific FSA link to the taxpayer with information on how they can contact them (the VITA/TCE site) if they have any questions during the process of preparing their return.  This also allows the site to do the following if they can do so:

• Screenshare with the taxpayer and assist them as the taxpayer prepares the return
• Talk them through the screens via telephone (since the site can create up to five accounts per email address) to walk their taxpayers through the return
• Create a quick PPT or word doc to send with the link to provide instructions for the taxpayer

Place the site-specific link behind a secured login (similar to an employee intranet site)

What the sites CANNOT do:

• Email to a random listing of taxpayers (needs to be targeted to specific taxpayers)
• Place the link on a public facing website

This can also be extended to sites that do not have a site-specific FSA link, as long as there are available licenses to fill and it goes through the ordering system.  Sites should reach out to their SPEC Relationship Manager

How can my volunteers learn to use the link in order to assist the taxpayers?

The volunteer can create their own account using the link. This will allow them to walk through the process up to e-filing the return.  We strongly recommend that you use 00  (zero zero) for the 4th and 5th digit of the SSN because the SSN must be unique across the platform.  The volunteer will see familiarity between the application they are using via the FSA link and the application they were using while preparing the return in TaxSlayer Pro Online.

We will be turning the phones off from 1:00 – 1:30 for a brief company meeting

We have deployed updates that will facilitate the IRS rules regarding returns that need to be filed for the purposes of receiving an Economic Impact Payment (EIP).

• Filing Status must equal Single or MFJ
• Primary and Secondary taxpayers must have an SSN (ITIN is only allowed for spouse of a military member)
• Dependents must have an SSN or ATIN

The following is critical in order for the return to be sent to the IRS with the EIP code and flow through their downstream processing correctly

• Enter $1 on line 2b (Taxable Interest Income)

The standard deduction will apply and most importantly, you will have the ability to enter the RTN and Account number of where they want their stimulus check deposited.

NOTE:  This is for the federal stimulus payment only…DO NOT electronically file the state return with this..  DELETE it if you auto-load it by selecting the state of residence in the Personal Information section

Who do I need to file this return for?

Click here to review the latest official IRS filing requirements.

Note:   We are directing you to the IRS website as they are updating information as this process evolves.

How will I know that I entered everything correctly and the return is going to be filed with the appropriate EIP code?

The 1040 will have Economic Impact Payment  printed on it  (see below)

Do I need to modify my print sets for it to print Economic Impact Payment?

No, any print set that prints a 1040 or 1040-SR will print the appropriate wording if the return qualifies as an EIP return

Should I enter any additional income if the taxpayer has it, even though they do not have a filing requirement?

No, enter $1 on line 2b (Taxable Interest Income).  Entering any other information will prevent the electronic file from including the EIP code and could trigger business rule rejects.

Do I need to file a state return?

DO NOT electronically file the state return with this..  DELETE it if you auto-load it by selecting the state of residence in the Personal Information section

How should I complete the Healthcare Section?

This is not relevant to the return, but the section must be completed in order create an e-file.  Answer NO to the following question:

• Did you purchase health Insurance via HealthCare.gov or a State Marketplace

Do I still have to answer the required questions in the e-file section?

Yes, if the questions assigned to your site are marked required, you still have to answer them.

Will the EIP returns be subject to regular IRS rejects such as SSN/Name mismatch, etc.?

Yes.  You should work these rejects just like you do regular returns.  Mailing in paper returns will generate a delay in the stimulus payment due to limited resources available to process paper returns.

Will non-EIP returns that show no refund or balance due be able to include bank account information when electronically filed?

No.  The change to allow direct deposit information for $0 refund/balance due returns is specific to EIP returns

Volunteer Question:  Taxpayer clients that we already filed both 2019 and 2018  without including bank information (often because they were not receiving direct deposit refunds) and do not receive Social Security?

Per information taken directly from IRS.gov:  In the coming weeks, Treasury plans to develop a web-based portal for individuals to provide their banking information to the IRS online, so that individuals can receive payments immediately as opposed to checks in the mail.  Follow this link for updated information https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/economic-impact-payments-what-you-need-to-know

Volunteer  Question:  Taxpayer clients who will file this year as soon as we open up again, but will not get a refund and thus cannot enter the bank information. They did not file in 2018 and do not receive Social Security.

Based on our understanding, they will not receive their stimulus payment  until they have filed either their 2018 or 2019 tax return.  If they file their return as a direct debit, the IRS will use that account to direct deposit their stimulus payment.  DO NOT file the EIP return in this situation because it is designed specifically for those without a filing requirement.  This could cause potential business rule rejects when they file their 2019 return.

Volunteer Question:  Taxpayer clients who have closed their old bank account and opened a new one after they filed their taxes and they do not receive Social Security.

Per information taken directly from IRS.gov:  In the coming weeks, Treasury plans to develop a web-based portal for individuals to provide their banking information to the IRS online, so that individuals can receive payments immediately as opposed to checks in the mail.  However, during the meantime, the IRS is going to try to direct deposit their stimulus check into the account on their 2019 return.   The taxpayer can be proactive and notify the bank, however, the bank will most likely return the money to the IRS and the IRS will most likely cut them a paper check at some point in the future.

We know there are lots of questions about the Economic Stimulus Payments, filing deadlines, changing direct deposit information, etc.  We are committed to keeping you up to date with any information we receive from the IRS or other federal/state agencies.

• Click here for IRS Coronavirus landing page
• Click here for Economic Impact Payment Information
• Click here to see Covid 19 State Information

As you service your taxpayers who are requesting their return be filed when they normally do not meet the filing requirements, please remember that the IRS MeF system will reject returns for F1040-065-04 which states that at least one of the following must have a non-zero value on Form 1040:

• Total Income Amount
• Adjusted Gross Income
• Tax Amount
• Total Tax Before Credit and Other Tax Amounts
• Total Credits Amount
• Total Tax Amount
• Total Payments Amount