Opening Comments by TaxSlayer

• Controlled Launch
  • The IRS MeF team conducts controlled launch with industry anywhere from 5-8 business days before e-file opens.  They do this to get e-files going through their system to validate any programmatic changes they have had to make.
  • We typically choose a day and allow VITA/TCE e-files to come through to make sure all of our processes are in place before opening day.
    • Ability to send
    • Ability to get acks
    • View reject codes in all the appropriate places
    • Run IRS Acknowledgements (which we strongly encourage)
    • Client List status changes appropriately based on where the return is in the process.
  • We sent around 390 e-files
    • 8% reject rate
    • Top rejects:
      • F8962-070: E-file database indicates that someone on the return (TP, SP or Dependent) was enrolled in the ACA Marketplace
      • IND-181-01: Primary taxpayer did not enter a valid IP PIN
      • IND-996:  Dependent/Qualifying person did not enter a valid IP PIN
• E-file opens January 27th
  • We will turn on e-file for VITA/TCE around 11:00am ET for current year 1040 returns
    • We will monitor rejects throughout the day
    • We will post dates on when we will turn on “State Only” and Prior year Returns (Typically towards the middle or end of the week)
• Disaster Designation
  • We have seen a lot of questions about this. We recommend that you go ahead and mark the Disaster box and enter the appropriate disaster code
    • Puts an indicator in the e-file for federally declared disasters
    • https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations to get the disaster code associated with the area
• TaxSlayer Application Deploy Schedule
  • Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during season
  • Craig will post release notes on the blog the night before
• Orders from the IRS
  • We are still receiving orders on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Subscribe to the blog for notifications
  • We have approximately 6,729 subscribers that get automated notifications out of approximately 60,000 users
  • We are aware some people are still getting blank screens when they click on the Blog from the springboard
    • Reach out to support so they can walk you through gathering some data for our development team
• VITA/TCE Support Hours
  • Phone, e-mail and chat support is available Monday-Friday from 8am-11:59pm ET and Saturday and Sunday from 8am-8pm ET
• Special thanks to Brad Martin who volunteered to be a guest “Question answerer” today.

Question and Answer Session

Question: When will Alabama be approved for e-file and what do I need to do for the returns that I prepared earlier when the program still indicated the return would have to be paper filed?

Answer from TaxSlayer: We will check to see if it is approved.  Once we turn on e-file for Alabama, you will just need to open the return and change the state return type to the appropriate e-file.

Question: Will we receive a schedule of calls and the call-in number earlier next time? I did not receive mine until just a few minutes before the call.

Answer from IRS: Your SPEC Relationship Manager should be reaching out with the call in information.  If you do not have it a week prior to the call, you should reach out to them to get it.

Question: How do we find out the status of our software order and how do we get notified you have it?

Answer from TaxSlayer: Reach out to VITA/TCE support to see if we have a current year order. If we do not, then you would need to reach out to your SPEC Relationship Manager to see if there were any problems with the order. We receive orders Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You will receive 1 notification via email if you are a returning site and 2 notifications via email if you are a new site.

Question: If the return is rejected for Form 8962 and the taxpayer is adamant they did not have coverage, will the program still allow you to mark that they don’t have coverage and send the efile back?

Answer from TaxSlayer: The behavior should not have changed. Once the return is rejected, go back through the healthcare menu to mark the applicable box and resubmit.

Feedback from Brad: In Alabama I often find that they really did have marketplace insurance and did not realize it. There are times when I have to get on the phone with the marketplace and typically find that they had the insurance for a short period of time and they just didn’t realize it.

Question: When will the new 5329 tax on early distribution codes be available in TaxSlayer?

Answer from TaxSlayer: We have an open development item for this that is marked production ready so it should go out either Friday, January 24th or Monday, January 27th.

Question: Can you check on a couple of places where the EIN is not working; 8863 and the 2441?

Answer from TaxSlayer: We have an active work order to fix the EIN database on the 8863. It worked in 2023 and should be working in 2024. We will have that fixed soon. We will check on the 2441 as we thought it was working.

Question: Can you also check on the EIN database not working on the 1099-RRB?

Answer from TaxSlayer: We have an open work item on this one too. We will check on it.

Question for Guest Speaker: Do you have to be with the taxpayer when you call the marketplace?

Answer from Guest Speaker: Yes. I typically call the marketplace and put the taxpayer on the phone with them so they can get authorization for me to talk to them. The authorization is just for this specific day. The whole process takes about 10 minutes. Saturdays are the best, there is typically no hold time.

Question for Guest Speaker: How do you handle it when the taxpayer is not at the site?

Answer from Guest Speaker: Sometimes we have them come back to the site because it could impact their refund/balance due and we would need a new signature. I have done a 3 way call between me, the taxpayer and the marketplace. Then if something changes on the return, I can  make the return available to the taxpayer via customer portal.

Question: How do we get in touch with support?

Answer from TaxSlayer: Once you open the VITA/TCE Springboard, scroll to the bottom and all of the support information is listed.

• We sent around 390 e-files
  • 8% reject rate
  • Top rejects:
    • F8962-070:  E-file database indicates that someone on the return (TP, SP or Dependent) was enrolled in the ACA Marketplace
    • IND-181-01:  Primary taxpayer did not enter a valid IP PIN
    • IND-996:  Dependent/Qualifyin person did not enter a valid IP PIN
• E-file opens January 27th
  • We will turn on e-file for VITA/TCE around 11 am for current year 1040 returns
    • We will monitor rejects throughout the day
    • We will post dates on when we will turn on “State Only” and Prior year Returns (Typically towards the middle or end of the week)

During this period, we will send VITA/TCE returns to the IRS and receive acknowledgements. We strongly recommend you open and review the return before sending, especially if you created the return when we opened on the 8th. Federal and state calculations changed frequently during this time period.   You must send these returns from the Submission menu during the controlled launch period.

This date and time is subject to change or the process is subject to stop based on feedback from the IRS.

The following states are also participating in Controlled Launch:

MI, ME, NJ, WV, KY, HI, NE, WI, SC, GA, NM, OH, MD, AZ, OR, ID, UT, DC, VA, PA, IN, VT, ND, CA

Can I expect acks during controlled launch?

Yes, the IRS will be returning acknowledgements during this period.  However, the refunds will not be processed any faster by the IRS.

You will be prompted to click a box indicating that you are human if you type your password wrong two times.  This is an extra layer of security to ensure the integrity of your user account.  You may be prompted to select it a couple of times if you lock your account due to excessive login attempts during the “change password” process.

P.S.  Much better than having to pick out traffic lights in a group of squares!!

As the Professional side of TaxSlayer navigates through controlled launch, we want to share some of the things that they are seeing.

F8962-070

We are seeing a lot of IRS rejects surrounding the 8962.   As you start preparing returns for your taxpayers remember that is the IRS has on file that anyone on the return has at market place insurance at any time (even if just for a short period of time), it needs to be entered on the tax return, otherwise the return will get rejected.

Note:  If Carry Forward is used on the return and there was a 1095-A in the prior year return, a warning will be presented to the preparer prior to going into the e-file section.

IND-181-01

The Primary Taxpayer did not enter a valid Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN). Please visit www.irs.gov/getanippin for further information and resubmit your return with the correct number.

Note:  If Carry Forward is used on the return and was a PIN in the prior year and not in the current year, a warning will be presented to the preparer prior to going into the e-file section.  The IP PIN changes each year for the protection of the taxpayer.

504-02

Each ‘DependentSSN’ and the corresponding ‘DependentNameControlTxt’ that has a value in ‘DependentDetail’ in the return must match the SSN and Name Control in the e-File database.

Tip:  Review the dependents social security card to ensure the SSN and Name is entered in the application as it is displayed on the Social Security Card

When will Start New Return be available at the site level?

Live

How often is the application updated?

The application is updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings during the filing season

What is the start date for e-file?

The IRS announced on January 10th that e-file will begin on January 27th . Note: E-file for VITA/TCE returns will not be turned on until 12:00pm ET on January 27th.

Will I need to open each return created prior to sending e-files on the 27th?

Yes.  We strongly recommend you open and review each return created at the site prior to e-file being turned on.  Calculations are subject to change as we receive additional instructions and guidance from the IRS.

My site is no longer active?

As we receive orders from the IRS, inactive sites will be processed and automatically marked active.  All sites without an active TY2024 order are marked inactive.

Who should I check with on the status of my order?

Your SPEC Relationship Manager

I ordered a FSA Kiosk URL, when will I receive it?

We have started the process of sending out FSA Kiosk URLs.  We will only be emailing URLs to the sites that have sent us their support contact information.

All sites that we have not received a TaxSlayer 2024 order have been marked as inactive.  As we receive orders from the IRS the sites will be sent a notification that their site order has been processed and their site will be activated.

This impacts all users created at the site.  If the site is inactive because we have not received an order, then all users associated with that site will also be inactive.

Please reach out to your SPEC Relationship Manager for the status of your 2024 TaxSlayer order.

Update 12/2  8:00 AM EDT:  We have not received the first order from the IRS.  Once we do, we will update this blog post and begin processing the orders.

We are processing our first set of orders from the IRS. Below is what you can expect:

Returning Sites

• The email address submitted with the order will receive 1 email confirming that we have processed the order.

New Sites

• The email address submitted with the order will receive 2 emails
• The links are one time use only links
• You must know your SIDN in order to create your Admin account
  • TaxSlayer support WILL NOT give you this information
  • If you do not know the SIDN associated with the order, you MUST reach out to your SPEC Relationship Manager
• The default PIN = 98765
• Print Sets, Security Templates, etc will be assigned to your site within 3 business days (Monday-Friday)

Relational and Multi-Site Groups

• The goal is to have these setup and/or updated within a week of processing the order

We will receive orders weekly through the end of December.  Note that any site that we do not have a 2024 order for on 12/31 will be marked as inactive until we receive an order.  We will receive orders two times a week beginning in January.

VTA 2025-01 Changes to Form 6744, VITA/TCE Volunteer Assistor’s Test/Retest

Purpose
To inform volunteers about identified issues with the tests and to urge caution when completing certification tests using the Practice Lab.

Message to Volunteers

Volunteers should make the changes shown below to their Form 6744 to ensure accurate completion of the tests.

NOTE: The Practice Lab has not yet been updated with 2024 tax law changes. Volunteers should wait to take the 2024 VITA/TCE certification tests until the Practice Lab is updated for 2024 and the final forms and calculations are available.

Use caution when completing the following test and retest scenarios:

• Over the phone interpreter test
  • Test Question #10
  • change answer (d) to 5883
• Site Coordinator Training
  • Test Question #10
  • The answer to Test question 10 is (a) the territory office.  Prior to opening, each site must have Form 15272, VITA/TCE Security Plan approved, signed and maintained at the territory office
• Site Coordinator Retest
  • Test Question #10
  • The answer to Test question 10 is (a) True.  Form 15272, VITA/TCE Security Plan, must be approved annually by, and maintained at, the local SPEC territory office.

The 2024 certification tests on VITA/TCE Central are scheduled to be launched in mid- to late- November