We will be placing returns in maintenance on Tuesday, September 10, 2018 at 5:00 am EST to perform a series of updates.  The update is scheduled to include the following:

Federal

• Summary/Print — Added Taxpayer, Spouse and Dependents Age to Summary/Print

Carry Forward

• Include unallowed loss on Schedule E

States

• Rhode Island (RI) — Resolved an issue with the saving and printing of 1310 (Issue ID 2109)

Setting the stage for TS 2018

• New York (NY) — Adding the ability to allow for PDF attachments
• Pennsylvania (PA) —  If a deduction exists on the Federal return for the Early Withdrawal Penalty of CD or Savings, have a prompt when creating the PA return telling the user they have XXX amount on the Federal and to enter the amount, if any, on the PA return.

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

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.”

• If your site has any outstanding KY acknowledgements, they should begin appearing over the next few days.

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.

Click here to view PDF

Click here to submit a suggestion

There are three attachments

• Attachment #1:  Dedicated to application and federal suggestions
• Attachment #2: Dedicated to State suggestions
  • Sorted by State
• Attachment #3:  TaxSlayer Suggestion Status
  • Broken into categories
  • Duplicates have been removed and only list the TaxSlayer Responses
  • Column indicating when the item is expected to be delivered (TS 2017 or TS 2018)
  • Column indicating if the item was added or updated since the last document (as always…prone to human error!!)

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. 

Describe your geographic area and current partnership base.

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.

How did your success story begin?

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.

What steps did you take next?

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.

How long did it take you to work this opportunity?

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.

In your opinion, what were the key actions that made this turn out successfully?

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.

What advice would you give to fellow TCs/RMs to gain additional successes?

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.

Any other information you’d like to add:

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

• Attachment #1:  Dedicated to application and federal suggestions
• Attachment #2: Dedicated to State suggestions
  • Sorted by State
• Attachment #3:  TaxSlayer Suggestion Status
  • Broken into categories
  • Duplicates have been removed and only list the TaxSlayer Responses
  • Column indicating when the item is expected to be delivered (TS 2017 or TS 2018)
  • Column indicating if the item was added or updated since the last document (as always…prone to human error!!)

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.

• 252490: Enable the Prior Year Comparison feature
• 284087: Add the 1099R distribution codes and reasons as an appendix to the electronic Pro Online User guide
• 282505:  (Louisiana) Separate out the schedules in the print set to allow them to be added and printed individually
• 229182:  (Montana) Provide a pension Exclusion prompt if a pension is reported on the Federal Return

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

• The maximum child tax credit increased from $1,000 to $2,000 per qualifying child.
• Taxpayers whose income was too high to benefit from the Child Tax Credit in prior years may now find they qualify.
• The credit now phases out at $400,000 for couples and $200,000 for singles, compared with 2017 amounts of $110,000 for couples and $75,000 for singles.

Additional child tax credit

• The maximum additional child tax credit increased from $1,000 to $1,400.
• The ACTC is a refundable credit for taxpayers who owe little or no federal income tax.

Credit for other dependents

• There’s a new $500 credit that can benefit taxpayers who support other dependents.
• The taxpayer will claim the credit when filing a tax return.
• For purposes of this new credit, other dependents include qualifying children or qualifying relatives, such as a college student or an elderly parent.

Personal exemption

• The new law removes the personal exemption that taxpayers formerly claimed for themself, their spouse and dependents.

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.