State tax filing

Consistency is a good principle to observe.

<quote> Your screenshot shows that the Federal has been "transmitted". State cannot e-file unless the Federal has been "accepted" . </quote>

Earlier on this thread @macuser_22  stated the above sentence as the justification for Turbotax to refuse to e-file my state return. The explanation offered by the Champs was that as a measure to prevent fraudulent e-filing of state returns, Turbotax allows you to either e-file your federal and state returns at the same time, or if you file your federal first, then you must wait until it is accepted by the IRS before you can e-file your state return. Therefore, @macuser_22  implied then that because the status of my federal return on the "e-filing" screen showed "transmitted" it was correct behavior for Turbotax to refuse to e-file my state return.

I do not know for fact if the above logic and justification presented by @macuser_22  is/was true, but it seemed and still seems quite reasonable and justifiable. So I will assume that it was and is actually true.

That logic plus the fact that at the same time the "Check e-file status" screen showed that my federal return was indeed "accepted" proved that there was indeed a bug in Turbotax: the "Check e-file status" screen correctly showed the ("accepted") status, but Turbotax behaved according to the incorrect status ("transmitted") that showed up on the "e-filing" screen. This observation localized the bug and Turbotax announced that they were going to fix it.

The March 19 update corrected the behavior of Turbotax in this regard.  Assuming that the logic of the earlier argument of @macuser_22  is correct, in order to fix this bug, the Turbotax program has no choice but to fetch the correct ("accepted") status of the federal return in order to behave correctly (which it now indeed does). Turbotax cannot behave correctly, i.e., decide whether or not it should proceed to e-file the state return at the stage where it shows the "e-filing" screen, unless it actually uses the correct current e-file status of the federal return. Because it now behaves correctly, regardless of what it shows on the "e-filing" screen, it must now have and act on the correct current e-file status.

The fact that Turbotax has the correct current status ("accepted"), behaves correctly based on it, but does not show this correct status on this screen (it shows "transmitted") indicates that we have a bug here. It is a "harmless bug" because it merely misinforms, but does not prevent correct behavior; nevertheless, it is a bug!

The point is very simple: the current status is "accepted" not just "transmitted" and we are told by Champs, including @macuser_22 earlier, that showing "accepted " vs. "transmitted" is supposed to be a meaningful distinction on the "e-filing" screen (we were told it served as the basis to justify one of the subsequent behavior alternatives of allowing or refusing to e-file the state return).  Turbotax now incorrectly shows "transmitted" on this screen, but regardless of this incorrect displayed status, behaves correctly and proceeds to e-file the state return according to the correct current "accepted" status that it must fetch from somewhere.

Therefore:

@macuser_22  : "There is no discrepancy as they show two different things for different reasons." I disagree.

@macuser_22  : "The e-file page is checking to see it has been transmitted so the state can be transmitted and has nothing to do whether it has been accepted or not." The earlier @macuser_22  (quoted above) and I both disagree! 🙂

@macuser_22  : "It is only checking the internal TurboTax transmitted status and does not go out and find the filing status - it is not supposed to that."  This can be true only if either: (1) Turbotax now (after the March 19 update) has abandoned its earlier policy that Champs on this thread told me it followed to reduce fraudulent e-filing of state returns (c.f. the first quoted statement by @macuser_22 , above); or (2) Turbotax must now in fact "go out and find the filing status" as it in fact *is* "supposed to [do] that".  Which is it?