The MeF maintenance build window is being extended on Sunday, September 09, 2018. Both ATS and Production systems will be unavailable from 12:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The build will deploy critical system updates.
Impact: We will not be sending returns or receiving acknowledgements during this time.
We received the following information from Colorado
Colorado is still having technical issues with retrieving and acknowledging returns submitted via MeF. We apologize for the continued delay for returns filed since August 29th.
UPDATE (9/27/18): Statement from Kentucky “Kentucky MeF is once again operational. We are currently retrieving submissions and processing them. Acknowledgements will follow. We appreciate the patience you have shown and know that we will work to clear the backlog as soon as possible. We have not downloaded since 9/2, so it may take some time to clear.”
UPDATE (9/24/18): Kentucky is expecting to begin processing acknowledgements early this week. They are currently in the process of updating their Production Certificate.
We received the following notification from Kentucky
Please be advise that we are nonoperational for individual acknowledgements. They are working to resolve this issue.
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Click here to submit a suggestion
There are three attachments
An example of the status column can be found by Tracking ID 269372 (Ctrl+F allows you search in the document)
Check out Attachment 3 to see the rest of the new and/or update items.
More exciting changes to come.
We are still reading through and analyzing the suggestions. We are also beginning to update the Status column as we commit to implement a suggestions.
Click here to view PDF
The link will launch a Brainshark video with instructions on how to view the file.
As SPEC continues its efforts to help more taxpayers in rural communities, the RM & partner success stories are building too. The goal is to share as many of these stories as possible, with the premise that they may possibly help others expand their reach in rural areas.
Here’s a rural success story from Tax Consultant Cassel Pulliam. 
I serve the state of West Virginia, which is one of the most rural and lowest per capita income states. The Eastern Panhandle of the state has two distinct cultures. One side of the mountains has been developed into suburban Washington, DC, and the other side remains sparsely populated with a mixed economy of agriculture, light industry (e.g. poultry processing and hardwood manufacturing), and tourism. The sparsely populated rural counties have been without VITA/TCE service for several years.
In the fall of 2017, AmeriCorps placed one member in each of our seven multi-county regional coalitions. Cheryl Teller, a volunteer who had many years of experience as a volunteer for both VITA and AARP, was placed in the Eastern Panhandle. Fortunately, Cheryl was on a mission to grow VITA in the Eastern Panhandle.
Often, you either do the work or provide support to those who do the work. Sometimes you find yourself just trying to keep up. In this case, it was the latter. I met with Cheryl in the early fall to discuss the challenges we faced and determine where I could be the most help. My POD is in Charleston, which is a five-hour drive from much of the Eastern Panhandle. In Martinsburg, WV, you are closer to five state capitals than you are to Charleston. That makes for a different dynamic.
Cheryl spent the next four months crossing the mountains, meeting with community leaders and potential volunteers. She recruited several partners, both traditional and FSA. Eastern West Virginia Community Action Agency, in rural Moorefield, WV, prepared returns at their office and occasionally at two VFWs and a public library. This coming filing season, they will be moving their office to a public library with more room. Cheryl also worked with her two sons and their friends to open, what I believe to be, the first high school VITA site in West Virginia.
The key for this success story was the awesome collaboration between IRS and the partner. Working with Cheryl, an experienced, motivated volunteer, I was able to educate, strategize, suggest and support her efforts. But the commitment and energy that Cheryl brought to the table made all the difference. For her, VITA/TCE is truly more than a program or even a cause; it’s a calling.
Sometimes a good thing falls in front of you. When it does, you must recognize and nurture it. Develop a shared vision; provide support in every way possible; and step aside until needed.
Cheryl, her husband and family are returning to Alaska. Our new challenge is to maintain and build on the foundation she laid in the Eastern Panhandle.
Click here to view PDF
Click here to submit a suggestion
There are three attachments
An example of the status column can be found by Tracking ID 269372 (Ctrl+F allows you search in the document)
Below are some of the items that we have committed to completing since the last update on August 2nd.
Check out Attachment 3 to see the rest of the new and/or update items.
More exciting changes to come.
We are still reading through and analyzing the suggestions. We are also beginning to update the Status column as we commit to implement a suggestions.
Click here to view PDF
The link will launch a Brainshark video with instructions on how to view the file.
For sites that have an opportunity to communicate with taxpayers that will be impacted by Tax Reform, remember there is a link to the IRS withholding Calculator on the left navigation panel when you login to your site or to the Practice Lab.
The following article was issued by the IRS as part of an educational series:
Taxpayers who have children and other dependents should use the Withholding Calculator on IRS.gov to perform a “paycheck checkup.” The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was passed late last year, includes changes that will affect 2018 tax returns that people will file in 2019.
Doing a checkup ASAP will help taxpayers determine if they need to adjust their withholding on their paychecks. The earlier they do this, the better. The sooner someone checks it, the more time there is for withholding to take place evenly during the rest of the year. Waiting until later in the year means there are fewer pay periods to make the tax changes.
The new law made changes to the child tax credit and personal exemptions. Taxpayers should do a “paycheck checkup” to determine if the tax law changes could affect their tax situation this year. Here is an overview of the changes to the law that could affect the withholding of parents and caretakers:
Child tax credit
Additional child tax credit
Credit for other dependents
Personal exemption
The Withholding Calculator allows taxpayers to enter their expected 2018 income, deductions, adjustments and credits – including the child tax credit. Users can click on definitions in the calculator for help in figuring out who qualifies for these expanded credits.
Here’s a rural success story from Tax Consultant Gail Bonilla 
I cover the state of Hawaii, which includes Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai islands/counties that are rural. Goodwill Hawaii is located on all these island/rural areas and has VITA sites on each.
Goodwill Hawaii is a valued VITA Grant partner. They have sites on Maui, Kauai and two on Hawaii islands. I’m grateful that they actively seek growth in these rural areas. Due to limited volunteers and space, they are always open to trying new options. I took the opportunity to promote the use of trying “drop-off and fusion sites.”
Initially, after sharing these options, they were not sure they wanted to use the fusion option, as they were not familiar with how the TaxSlayer URL worked. And, the drop-off option was a new concept, which meant a different process would have to be established. After sharing success stories and best practices, they became more open to these options, realizing this could compliment their traditional VITA and assist with the challenge of having limited volunteers. Working with the new VITA coordinator, we completed the drop-off agreements and requested TaxSlayer URLs for their rural sites to become fusion sites.
Our discussion began in 2016 and continued in 2017. In October 2017, they provided the site’s names for the fusion option, and in January 2018 they completed the drop-off agreements for their selected rural sites.
I was fortunate that Goodwill Hawaii was open to the ideas I presented. It also helped that their new VITA coordinator for the 2017 tax year recognized the benefits and value of offering the drop-off option and promoting the use of a FSA fusion kiosk using TaxSlayer URLs.
Don’t give up on promoting new program options. Even if they initially say no, they may say yes, the next time you ask. Be sure to promote the benefits of the choices you are sharing, such as fewer volunteers will be needed to complete the return prep services, and how providing these options offer more choices for taxpayers.
During this initial year, they had more than 50 FSA fusion returns accepted and each site saw growth with traditional VITA. Their growth is due to hard work and being open to alternative options for return prep services in their community.