Shouldn't this technically increase the number of Federal e-files allowed from 1 tax product from five to 8 if three of them are amended returns? This would be my interpretation, but Turbo Tax says I can't e-file the amended return because of the five e-file limit. I think the intension of the IRS rules would be to allow 5 e-file returns with the addition of three more for amended returns before hitting the IRS e-file limit of 3 for Amended Returns. Instead, I filed one amended return before Turbo Tax says I've hit my 5 e-file limit. The background is that following Turbo Tax Home & Business prompts for 1099-Qs and 1098-Ts can be inadequate for joint returns where AGI exceeds the $180k income cutoff limit for education deductions. Turbo Tax basically said we made too much and to move along... But I have 3 of 4 kids in college, so on the last one's return, the questioning led to an entry page with a space for room and board charges paid from qualified 529 disbursements. Taxes went down! We were being taxed on earnings on 529 contributions because combined with scholarships they appeared to exceed Tuition and Fees while room and board isn't required to be reported on either of those forms. Given the magnitude of room and board expenses, they should be a mandatory part of Turbo Tax's line of questioning. When I found out how to get to the same entry page with my joint return with my wife and my other child's return, it was apparent we needed to file amended returns, which is when we ran into the five e-file limit. I'm upset that we would never know about being able to enter the room and board charges paid from the 529s in the 1098-T entries following the standard line of questioning because they are skipped over if the parents make too much. It doesn't reveal itself until you are IN "Other Education Expenses". This feels like a perfect example of where the IRS limit of three e-filed amendments would be intended to supplement or add to the five e-file Federal limit in the case of amended returns.
