All Posts

There is a question regarding Joint Occupancy in the TurboTax Online interview for the Home Energy Credit.  It's the second question in the section. The next question asks if you 'shared the costs..'.   @STAWB     

It depends on what you did with the refunded amount. The "Refund/Recontributed amount" box in TurboTax should be left blank or enter $0.  Because you kept the refund rather than putting it back into the 529 plan, the IRS views that portion of your distribution as non-qualified unless you spent it on other valid educational expenses like books or equipment.    If you spent an amount equal or greater than the refund on educational expenses, you do not need to do anything further to report the refund.    If you spent the refund on non-educational expenses, you must manually subtract the refunded amount from your total "Qualified Expenses" when the software asks how much you paid in educational expenses. This will automatically identify the leftover "refunded" piece and calculate the appropriate tax and 10% penalty on the earnings portion. 

The IRS uses your prior year AGI to combat fraud. Make sure you take into account the information below.   You can find your 2024 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) by: Looking at line 11 on page 1 of your 2024 Form 1040 Requesting a transcript of your 2024 tax return from the IRS. You can request your transcript online at the following link: Get Transcript Please click on this TurboTax article for more information.    Check these items as well to ensure you have the correct number.  If you:  Filed late last year after mid-November or your return was processed after that time—try entering 0. Amended your return last year—make sure you’re using the AGI from your original return, not the amended one. (If you only have a 1040X form, it’s on line 1, column A). Rounded your AGI to the nearest dollar—be sure to round up when it’s 50 cents or more and down when it’s 49 cents or less. Filed with your spouse last year—you and your spouse have the same 2024 AGI. (Don’t split the AGI amount or enter  0  for one of you).   Time-saving Tip: If what you entered is correct and you continue to get a reject, you won't be able to e-file. There's probably a data mismatch at the government, or some other situation beyond your control that prevents your return from being e-filed. In this case, your only option would be to print and mail in your return.    This article will give you instruction on how to print and mail your return. 

if you requested or have been assigned an IP PIN (6 digits) then you need it, you can get it from your account at irs.gov - note it changes every calendar year; see  https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin   you would enter it under Other Tax Situations / Other Return Info   this is different to the 5-digit e-file PIN which you assign during the filing process and is arbitrary PIN of your choice for the e-file security.

You will enter this information about your new furnace in the Deductions & Credits section of TurboTax as an Energy-Efficient home improvement for the Residential Energy Credit.   You can get to these screens in your TurboTax program using the steps listed below:   Click on Search in the top right of your TurboTax screen Type (exactly) 5695, residential energy credit in the search box Click on the link Jump to 5695, residential energy credit This will take you to the input screen in TurboTax to enter your information regarding your new high-efficiency furnace. Your screen will say Energy Efficient home improvements Answer Yes to I made these energy-efficient improvements or have a carryforward and click on Continue Answer Yes to my home is in the U.S. and Continue through your TurboTax screens  On the screen that says Did you have any of these residential energy property costs in 2025? Click on Yes and Continue Answer the follow-up screens about your new furnace On the screen that says Enter your qualified energy property costs, you will enter your QMID and the cost of your furnace Continue through your screens, answering any follow-up questions to complete your residential energy credit information    Click here for Where do I enter qualified energy-saving improvements? Click here for Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit Click here for 2024-2025 Energy Tax Credit: Which Home Improvements Qualify? Please return to Community if you have any additional information or questions and we would be happy to help.  

I appreciate your help.   one other thing, I am a provider for both of my parents and since they are both of my employers, I added both of the W2 forms from them. TurboTax is seeing it as duplicates since both W2 have the same employer EIN #'s. I simply clicked continue and kept both W2 forms. At the end of the review, it says my federal return can't be filed "E-File is not available because your tax return includes forms that can't be e-filed." I'm assuming it's because turbotax is seeing them as duplicates. How do I fix this?   UPDATE: It specifically states that employer name is duplicate, even though the first names are different.

Try clearing the cookies and cache. First, close your tax return. This handles many issues that seem nonsensical on a regular basis with online activity. Watch to be sure you are selecting 'all time' as example.  Do not use selections like 'last hour' for those browsers that give  you options. How to clear your cache Once this is complete open your return and try again.   If you are using TurboTax Desktop, save your return, then at the top select Online, then Check for updates.   Next, if you have the same experience, use the information provided by @RobertB4444, posted here for your convenience. The system believes that you had a PPP loan.  Click on whichever year you like and enter '0.01' as the amount of the loan.  That will at least get you past the error.  Then, once you have completed the return, come back here with any specific errors that the system throws because of this and we will help you figure a way to correct them. Please update here if you need additional assistance.   @cyberdan61 

What bank is TT using for processing this year? Is it's Tha SBT something something, I called again 30 mins ago (it's 1:56pm eastern time), they said TT had not sent them any information and neither has IRS. I'm currently on hold with TT as I type this. 

Sounds like something got stuck. You can try these things:   Log Out Completely: Before doing anything else, click Sign Out in the TurboTax menu. Clear Cache and Cookies: This removes old, "corrupted" data that might be confusing the website. Use an Incognito (Private) Window: This is the most effective "quick fix" because it launches the browser without any saved history or extensions (like AdBlockers) that often interfere with tax forms. Check Pop-up Blockers: TurboTax often opens forms (like the 1099 PDF) or payment windows in a separate pop-up. Look at the right side of your address bar for a small icon with a "red X"—click it and select "Always allow pop-ups from Intuit." Restart the Browser: Close all open windows of your browser entirely and then reopen it.   Most TurboTax errors happen because the browser is trying to use an old "session" from a previous visit. By clearing the cache or using Incognito mode, you force the browser to establish a brand-new, secure connection with the Intuit servers.

Is your LLC owned by more than one person? If so, you cannot report the LLC expenses directly on your Form 1040 return because they should be shared with the other owners. Reporting income received and expenses paid by the LLC is the purpose of the 1065 return.   Note that Mike9241's quote is from the IRS Instructions for Form 1065 Schedule K, not for individual Schedule K-1s. If correctly entered, guaranteed payments flow from the 1065 to the K-1s. These payments can be entered in TurboTax Business under Federal Taxes >> Deductions >> Compensation and Benefits >> Guaranteed Payments.

Above Reply from bot @PatriciaV is too generic and does not pertain to what we are discussing - people looking into this matter should not misunderstand this as leaving empty box vs entering a zero. I think I made my decision going with CPA and dropping TT after 20 years of usage is the way, if something isnt 100% error proof it will cost you down the road.