Hello, I filed recently and it was rejected. I found out it was because my 19 year old daughter filed earlier this year but did not put on her return that she could be claimed as a dependent on another return. She lived with me the whole tax year and I provided for her.
We have since filed an amended return for her just today, and we were able to do that on Turbo Tax.
My question is that I am reading that I can't e-file my taxes now, that I have to print them and send them in. My plan was to simply re-submit them as is, without changing anything since we filed an amended return for my daughter showing that she can be claimed as a dependent.
Is that accurate that I can no longer e-file, and must print and mail now? And should it be telling me that on Turbo Tax? Because it is acting like I can simply re-submit them in the software.
Also, is it right that I should simply refile without changing anything since we amended her return?
Sorry you have to print and mail your return this year. Once a ssn has been filed you can't efile it again even if they amend. So you didn't have to wait.
How to mail a return from the Online version
Be sure to attach copies of your W2s and any 1099s that have withholding on them. You have to mail federal and state in separate envelopes because they go to different places. Get a tracking number from the post office when you mail them for proof of filing.
you cannot efile because of the initial issue with your daughter's return even though it was amended.
@Ryan51501 wrote:
Also, is it right that I should simply refile without changing anything since we amended her return?
Yes, you should file your tax return as-is, claiming your daughter as a dependent. But, as others have said, you have to file by mail.
@Ryan51501 wrote:
And should it be telling me that on Turbo Tax? Because it is acting like I can simply re-submit them in the software.
TurboTax cannot tell you that, because it does not have access to the IRS e-file database. It has no way of knowing that someone you are claiming as a dependent filed previously and did not indicate that she could be claimed as a dependent.
@Ryan51501 before you file....
while you state that your daughter lived with your all year and you provided for her doesn't necessarily mean she is your dependent any longer.....
FYI ... if you do try to efile the amended return it will simply be rejected again and you will be required to mail in the return ... sorry that is just the way the system works.
Dang, that's crazy. Is this notated somewhere? How does everyone just know this?
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@Ryan51501 wrote:Also, is it right that I should simply refile without changing anything since we amended her return?
Yes, you should file your tax return as-is, claiming your daughter as a dependent. But, as others have said, you have to file by mail.
@Ryan51501 wrote:And should it be telling me that on Turbo Tax? Because it is acting like I can simply re-submit them in the software.
TurboTax cannot tell you that, because it does not have access to the IRS e-file database. It has no way of knowing that someone you are claiming as a dependent filed previously and did not indicate that she could be claimed as a dependent.
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Well, it did give the specific reason for the rejection. I would think they would have that caveat listed though, but I guess not.
@Ryan51501 wrote:
Dang, that's crazy. Is this notated somewhere? How does everyone just know this?
We can't tell what it is that you think everyone just knows. We can't tell what post you are replying to unless you indicate it in your reply. The forum software does not show which Reply button you clicked on.
@Ryan51501 wrote:
Well, it did give the specific reason for the rejection. I would think they would have that caveat listed though, but I guess not.
The rejection, and the reason, come from the IRS, not from TurboTax. TurboTax doesn't know that your e-file will be rejected until it gets the rejection from the IRS.
There are hundreds of reasons that a tax return could be rejected. TurboTax can't list them all. And if it did list them all, no one would read the whole list.
@Ryan51501 wrote:Dang, that's crazy. Is this notated somewhere? How does everyone just know this?
We can't tell what it is that you think everyone just knows. We can't tell what post you are replying to unless you indicate it in your reply. The forum software does not show which Reply button you clicked on.
I saw that after I replied. How are you quoting what I wrote like you did in your comment?
Anyways, I was referring to the fact that you have to mail in and can no longer e-file once there is a problem like I had with my dependent. Is this a rule that the IRS has posted somewhere or something?
@Ryan51501 wrote:Well, it did give the specific reason for the rejection. I would think they would have that caveat listed though, but I guess not.
The rejection, and the reason, come from the IRS, not from TurboTax. TurboTax doesn't know that your e-file will be rejected until it gets the rejection from the IRS.
There are hundreds of reasons that a tax return could be rejected. TurboTax can't list them all. And if it did list them all, no one would read the whole list.
I understand they don't know until it gets rejected. But the specific reason was listed by Turbotax. I understand it was passed to them by the IRS. All I'm asking is once they know the reason, and it is passed along to me, I would think they would mention "Hey, since this is the reason, you will no longer be able to e-file, even if you fix it"
@Ryan51501 wrote:
I understand they don't know until it gets rejected. But the specific reason was listed by Turbotax. I understand it was passed to them by the IRS. All I'm asking is once they know the reason, and it is passed along to me, I would think they would mention "Hey, since this is the reason, you will no longer be able to e-file, even if you fix it"
It's not necessarily true that you would no longer be able to e-file, so TurboTax can't tell you that. For example, the rejection could have been caused by you entering the wrong Social Security number for the dependent. In that case, you could correct the Social Security number and e-file the corrected tax return. TurboTax has no way of knowing the details of what caused the conflict. You are asking too much of the TurboTax software. It can't catch all possible errors, and it can't look at the other tax return that is causing the conflict.
@Ryan51501 wrote:
How are you quoting what I wrote like you did in your comment?
Here's how to quote the post that you are replying to. On the toolbar above the box where you type your reply, click the three dots at the end. That will expand the toolbar with additional icons. One of the added icons is a large quotation mark. Click that and it will insert the quoted text at the cursor. You can delete parts of the quoted text, as I often do, so that the quote is just an excerpt.
No, this is not documented anywhere, as far as I know.
@VolvoGirl No, it looks like it was 517 maybe?
@rjs wrote:
@Ryan51501 wrote:I understand they don't know until it gets rejected. But the specific reason was listed by Turbotax. I understand it was passed to them by the IRS. All I'm asking is once they know the reason, and it is passed along to me, I would think they would mention "Hey, since this is the reason, you will no longer be able to e-file, even if you fix it"
It's not necessarily true that you would no longer be able to e-file, so TurboTax can't tell you that. For example, the rejection could have been caused by you entering the wrong Social Security number for the dependent. In that case, you could correct the Social Security number and e-file the corrected tax return. TurboTax has no way of knowing the details of what caused the conflict. You are asking too much of the TurboTax software. It can't catch all possible errors, and it can't look at the other tax return that is causing the conflict.
Thank you for the guidance on the reply quoting.
@rjs wrote:
No, this is not documented anywhere, as far as I know.
So I guess I'm asking how everyone here is just like "Yup you have to mail it in now" if that isn't specifically stated anywhere. Is it just based on personal experience?
@Ryan51501 wrote:
So I guess I'm asking how everyone here is just like "Yup you have to mail it in now" if that isn't specifically stated anywhere. Is it just based on personal experience
I don't know about "everyone," but some of us have been answering questions here for 15 years or more, and some of us are current or former tax preparers. You learn a lot in 15 years, and you see a lot of common situations repeated over and over again. Your situation with your daughter is very common.
@Ryan51501 Admittedly it's not crystal clear, but in the FAQ at the link that VolvoGirl posted for reject code 517, if you click on "My dependent info is correct and I want to claim an exemption" it does say that you have to file by mail.
@rjs wrote:@Ryan51501 Admittedly it's not crystal clear, but in the FAQ at the link that VolvoGirl posted for reject code 517, if you click on "My dependent info is correct and I want to claim an exemption" it does say that you have to file by mail.
@rjs Yeah, I do see that. Crazy rule. Ok, well I guess it's worth it. Have to go buy some ink for my printer first lol
Thank you for your help!
And thank you @VolvoGirl, also!
By the way, when your return rejected you could have deleted your dependent and efiled. Then amend your return later to add your daughter back in.
@VolvoGirl wrote:By the way, when your return rejected you could have deleted your dependent and efiled. Then amend your return later to add your daughter back in.
I thought about that, but that would have reduced my return by a lot (for now), and ultimately I would have had to mail it in still, when I added her in, correct?
Or is that not correct? Could I just remove her for now and e-file, and then amend in the near future and still e-file the amendment? I guess I just assumed it would be the same situation, but maybe not since I wouldn't be "fixing" a rejected tax return.
@Ryan51501 wrote:I thought about that, but that would have reduced my return by a lot (for now), and ultimately I would have had to mail it in still, when I added her in, correct?
Yes, you would have to mail the amended return. And the IRS currently says that it's taking more than 20 weeks to process an amended return (whether it's e-filed or mailed). I wouldn't recommend filing a return that you know is wrong, planning to amend it later.
By the way, have you established that you can, in fact, claim your daughter as a dependent, considering what NCperson said earlier? We've been focusing on the e-filing problem and not the requirements for claiming a dependent. You haven't posted enough information about your daughter for us to know whether you can legitimately claim her. Her age raises questions. You can use the tool at the following link on the IRS web site to determine whether you can claim your daughter as a dependent.
Whom May I Claim as a Dependent?