@Lucky1InTexas wrote:
I have the same question. We (the parents) filed claiming our son as a dependent. We filed first, not knowing our son's precise income. Turns out he made just over the threshold to NOT be a dependent. His return was rejected since ours was already filed, so he changed his to conform to ours...not knowing that the stimulus payment hinged upon that. Now what do we do? Do we both file 1040X returns to amend? Will the IRS catch the mistake (based on his income being too high) and ask us to correct and refile? My understanding of the 1040X process is that it's entirely paper-based -- no e-file capability -- which takes 8 to 12 weeks to process. Will stimulus checks still be distributed by that point? Please help. Not sure what to do!
Yes you must both amend, you to remove the dependent, and him to claim himself. (Assuming that he is over age 18 and not a full-time student under age 24 - then his income does not matter in most cases.)
Amended returns can take up to 16 weeks (4 months) to process in normal times but due the the Corona virus shutdown the IRS is not even opening mailed returns at this time and just storing them so the 16 weeks will not even start until the IRS returns to normal - whenever that will be - and there will be a huge backup of mail.
Amended returns can only be mailed. It is suggested that it be mailed certified with return receipt (or other tracking service) to verify that the IRS receives it.
See this TurboTax FAQ for detailed amend instructions:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894381-how-to-amend-change-or-correct-a-return-you-already-filed
You can check the status of the amended return here, but allow 3 weeks after mailing.
https://www.irs.gov/filing/wheres-my-amended-return
**Disclaimer: This post is for discussion purposes only and is NOT tax advice. The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any information in this post.**
