Tag: 2017 Change

We will be placing the site in maintenance on Tuesday, August 7th at 5:00am ET to release the below enhancement and back-end work.

FEDERAL

• Federal AGI Display: An enhancement being released is the AGI Display available during return preparation. This will allow users to always know the Adjusted Gross Income when inside of a taxpayers return, including state return preparation. This will eliminate the need to always visit the “Summary/Print” page to view the AGI.

Note: If your AGI Display looks like the below image, clear your cache in your Internet browser and refresh the page.

The next time you visit the Submission page inside of a return, you will notice the “Save and Return” button shown below. When clicked, this directs users to the Summary/Print page inside of the return without having to click the “Back” button to return to the first page of E-file then click “Back” once again to go back into a taxpayers return. Selecting “Save and Return” also saves data entered on the Submission and is also logged in Client Status under the Return Audit History.

We made a change to what the preparer can do with a return while it is in the status of “Transmitted”.  We removed the ability to open a return and make changes to it while it is in the status of “Transmitted”

The average turn around time for federal acknowledgements is 7 to 15 minutes.

How do I correct federal returns with validation errors because they stay in the transmitted status

Navigate to Rejected Clients on the Welcome Screen and select Validation errors.  A list of returns with outstanding federal validation errors will be listed.  Click Select to open the return

What if the return does not show up under validation errors?

We have not received an acknowledgement from the IRS.  You can still view the Client Status to see where the return is in the transmission process

What if the return is a true State Only return and there was no federal filing requirement?

We will be making a modification to the status to indicate that it is a “State Only” return (where there was no federal return filed) to allow you to open it to make corrections to state rejects.

What about my 2015 returns that have a true validation error?

We will be adding an option to allow you entry into these returns from Rejected Clients.

The left navigation bar now reflects the entry forms that have been completed during return preparation.

This will allow the quality reviewer the ability to quickly navigate through the entry forms that were completed during tax preparation by clicking down the displayed items under each Federal Section

See example below:

Note:  We are experiencing the tagged completed entries disappearing if you add an additional form.  We will be working to resolve this over the next couple of weeks.  Our goal for Phase I delivery is to allow you to get a feel for the new feature and allow you to work it into your Quality Review Process.

This seems to be happening in Chrome and not in Internet Explorer

The 1040 view has been updated to reflect 2017

Inside the Income section, directly under “Profit of Loss From a Business“, you will now see a menu for “Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions” shown below. Opening this menu will provide guidance of where to report 1099-K income. If adding 1099-K entries on a return where a Schedule C already exists, you will have the option to either add the 1099-K income to the existing Schedule C or create a new Schedule C.

Note: If a 1099-K is provided for rental income received from services such as AirBnB, this income should be reported on a Schedule E.

Purpose:  The Office Identifier is a number generated by TaxSlayer.  This is a Vendor Control Number required for electronic filing.  The field must be present in the-e-file for acceptance.  The goal is for the IRS to validate the number in the e-file with the number uploaded by the software vendor.

Question:  Where is this located?

Answer:  The field will be displayed on your Office/Firm Setup screen where you enter your Firm Information.

Question:  How do I find the office identifier

Answer:  Login to My Account from the VITA/TCE Springboard with the username and password you established via the User Information email link once received after your order is processed.  Once you are logged in, select Account History on the left navigation bar.

Question:  Is this  number unique to my site?

Answer:  Yes, it is unique to the EFIN.

Question:  Will this number ever change?

Answer: The number will change if the EFIN associated with your site changes

A new feature was released for sites that will be offering the 8888. Now, when entering direct deposit information inside the E-file menu, if your site is set up to offer the 8888, you will be required to verify both the RTN and ACCT numbers provided. This will work just as the current Direct Deposit entry functions for sites that do not offer the 8888 at their sites. After entering the initial RTN/ACCT number information, it will be masked requiring the preparer to verify the confirmation entry by referring to the documents in hand. Adding this new feature for the 8888 will go a long way in ensuring the correct direct deposit information is entered the first time by the preparer before moving to quality review.