My 2020 return has been accepted, but I still don't see the option to amend. Do I need to wait until the state return is accepted as well? (I only need to amend federal).

[jacobcrowe]

I'm looking under "Your tax returns

[Anonymous]

You can file an amendment after your submitted return has been processed by the IRS. See this FAQ on How to amend a return.

[jacobcrowe]

Aha, so if I understand you correctly, then you're saying "accepted" is not the same as "processed," and that I need to wait until the IRS has finished processing my accepted return before I will see the option to amend?

[TiffanyL]

Yes, accepted is not the same as processed. If you need to amend your return, you would need to wait until it's either been accepted or rejected. If it's rejected, you can simply go in and fix the error and re-submit your return. If it's accepted, you would want to wait until you receive your refund to amend. To check when amending is available, please see the FAQ link provided below:

IRS forms availability table for TurboTax individual (personal) tax products

[jacobcrowe]

Thank you; however, there's no refund coming my way! Fortunately, it looks like the 'amend' button appeared as soon as my State return was accepted (the federal return still has not finished processing, since my account has not yet been debited). It was a bit frustrating, though, because the amend button did not actually allow me too amend the return. It just popped up a notification saying that the tax form to amend returns will not be available until 26 February!

So, for future reference, it seems like the best answer to my original question is: "The amend button will appear at some point after the return has been accepted, while it is in process; however, it won't matter for early filers, since you can't file an amendment until the form is finalized anyway, normally in mid-to-late February."