Federal Amendment Rejected - Dependent Issue

[Cynthiad66]

No.  You cannot delete form 1040 in TurboTax.  If you are receiving an error code from the IRS then that means your return is with the IRS and you do not need to adjust it here in TurboTax.

Please provide a clear description of your problem.  Start from scratch please so that we can assist you.  I think you filed a form 1040 that did not have dependents on the original return but are showing up on the amended return?

Have you filed with the IRS and they rejected your 1040X?  Then you should follow the instruction from @JamesG1  at the beginning of the post.  See the instructions below, for your convenience.

Please follow the directions below to claim your child as a nondependent:

1. At MyInfo, input your child's personal information.
2. On the screen titled Tell us more about the child's living situation last year, you must answer more than six months.
3. At the screen Let's get more info about who will be claiming the child, answer Yes to the question
4. Do you have a written or verbal agreement with the other parent about who can claim the child?
5. Answer Yes to the question Is the child's other parent claiming the child per the legal agreement?
6. You will see the screen It turns out the child does not qualify as your dependent.
7. At the screen Your children and others you support, you see the child's name and the description EIC or Dependent Care Credit Only.
8. At Federal / Deductions & Credits / Your tax breaks / You and Your Family / Earned Income Credit (EIC) click Start / Revisit to the right.
9. If you meet the other requirements of the credit, you will qualify for the Earned Income Credit for the nondependent child.

@Wenner5610

[WJN33619]

Most people are not fully reading and comprehending the issue here, so the advice is formulaic and ineffective as it relates to the actual problem. Let me take a moment to ensure I have the issue correct.

1. User files 1040 Tax return. In this original return, user lists an individual as non-dependent entry, say for claiming EIC, or some other non-dependent bearing clause. Return is accepted - no issue with dependents vs. non-dependents here. 
2. For reason "x", user has to file an amended return - examples include adding a 1099, etc. Bottom line, the reason and action for the amendment has NO bearing on the dependent/non-dependent portion of the return.  However, upon Amending the return and thus on the 1040X, TurboTax has moves the non-dependent individual into dependent status. Why? No reason---just because. 
3. Unbeknownst to the user, they do their thing, add their form or whatnot, and go to re-efile the return and Ka-Bam - now, the return is rejected with Reject code 1040X-016 because "they" have changed the dependent information, and that's an IRS no-no for 1040X's. 
4. Newly rejected user now re-opens the return and attempts to move the newly-dependent individual back to non-dependent, as it was in the original, and finds that this is very difficult, if not impossible to do. User is in a quandary needing to file the amended return to fix problem A, but TurboTax has independently created problem B which now rejects the return. 
5. Newly rejected and frustrated user now turns to the community forum to seek information and procedures to fix this error, and in the forums of the program that automates and digitizes their personal taxes, is told that the only solution is to MANUALLY print the returns and PHYSICALLY change the individual from dependent back to non-dependent (as if that is an easy thing to do) and, even though they have paid for e-filing - to MAIL their amended amended return and hope that their crayons and erasers arts and crafts project that their 1040X has become will be accepted by the IRS - and they won't really know for a couple of months, because mailed amendments aren't exactly the priority right now. 
6. New rejected, frustrated, and now angry user reads additional comments which fail to truly understand this issue and is offered platitudes and basic advice like:
   1. "You can't e-file amended returns with changes in dependents" - right, you're missing the point. There shouldn't be a change in dependent status. I didn't do that. I never asked for that. The IRS didn't ask for that. NO ONE asked for that. And, I can't change it back!
   2. "You have to print and mail the return" - Why? Ignore that I paid to e-file. Ignore that I didn't create the problem. And, ignore that I paid for the TT product. WHY would I print and mail the return? I think I've done enough to be able to just e-file the amended return like every other individual would be able to do if they simply got a late form, or whatever. 
7. You contact product support...if you're lucky enough, you get someone like me who truly understands the problem. That individual attempts to seek help from product investigators above him, but is unable to do so because they also fail to understand the problem, and deny investigations because some obscure protocol wasn't followed. That same individual attempts to speak to other leaders and managers about the problem, but because there isn't one customer on the line, attached to the issue at this point (now, it's just a crusade) no one wants to deal with the issue. 

I say all of this because I may or may not have experienced and/or been a part of some part of this. On my behalf, and to the degree that I have attempted to remedy this, I apologize to all those who are hitting these blockades. The product and the people are better than this. But, weird things happen in the 11th hour and the nature of customer service changes - not saying it should, but it does. 

I don't have a solution - sorry for reading this long if you thought there was going to be one. But, maybe you can use my description to better and evenly explain the issue and find someone higher than I to understand and attempt to remedy this issue. I have hit continual brick walls. 

[Algorhythm]

@WJN33619 
Precisely this. To the letter. I’m happy someone actually understands, and continue to be frustrated at the lack of resolution. If there is anyone I can contact to escalate this issue, I am willing to do so, because this forum (as you’ve astutely observed) has been worthless in providing a solution or assistance. 

I also find it ironic that TurboTax has the guarantee that everything is filled out and filed correctly, and the amendment passed all the automated checks, even though the software creates this issue that causes the IRS to reject it. It wouldn’t be so bad if they allowed you to edit the forms directly, which there are some fields that can be edited in the form view, but for some reason they lock the necessary ones for us to fix this bug. 

[hashtor]

Thanks for the great summary. I hope this will get resolved for the next tax season (in case I have to amend at that point).

After researching the issue, I decided it was unlikely this would get fixed by the tax deadline (in part because 90% of the reps seem to have some sort of formulaic response), so I mailed it in but removed the erroneous dependent with a PDF editor. 

[CM1970]

gbartlett80 I found that if you say "customer service" as a choice when they ask you for information (instead of allowing them to email or text information to you about what they think you need), it will forward you to customer service... but it is not an option they give you. You then wait on hold, but will reach someone. 

[CM1970]

I found that if you say "customer service" as a choice when they ask you for information (instead of allowing them to email or text information to you about what they think you need), it will forward you to customer service... but it is not an option they give you. You then wait on hold, but will reach someone. 

[CM1970]

HelenC12 is correct! This is a bug. I spent almost 2 hours on the phone with TT yesterday trying to explain it to them. It auto-populates the form 1040X incorrectly and the 1040 correctly. From what I understand, this (1040X efile) is a very new option in TT. In my case I amended to remove my son as a dependent. That leaves me with no dependents in line 30. My 1040X showed a change of -1 dependent when I removed my son (just above line 30 where the dependents are listed), but still put his name back in the line 30 box which should now be empty. It corrected the actual 1040 form which shows no dependents, the way it should, which is now a mismatch with the 1040X. It is kicked back because the lines/boxes do not match. We have no way to manually change the auto-filled content in what TT creates for us. I talked to a lawyer for TT on the phone for almost an hour and he understands my situation and suggestions, and is looking into it this morning. He said he will call me today. Hopefully we can resolve this soon. Otherwise, the only option would be to do actual paper forms and mail in. 

[DaveF1006]

I will report this and see if we can get resolved. In the meantime, it may be best to print and mail the return because I will not be able to quote you a timeframe when this will be resolved. 

[Algorhythm]

To confirm this was with the downloaded software version, although I tried on TurboTax online as well and was unable to process it there either. 

[CM1970]

Could you please let us know the progress via email, phone, or even here? I would be happy to provide them if not available from my profile/acct. We, as customers, appreciate you looking into this as we pay good $ to use the software/service and to end up still mailing in is not a good result. 

Thanks again

[cb76]

Hi, any update on this issue.  I am also having the same problem.  Thank you!