Stimulus Check for "Your Spouse as a dependent"

[desposito89]

Yeah, I called and they said it was my error. Yeah maybe not that many people are complaining because they don’t realize that is the problem. It took me 3 months to figure out this was the issue.

[desposito89]

The IRS says we won’t get the check this year even if we do amend it. Many of us need the money urgently. That is the point of this money and it’s TurboTax’s fault we haven’t received it but they are blaming the users. 

[jonpkt01]

I like your idea, let's flood social media about this and try to see if we can get this out to the mainstream media somehow. Turbo Tax is blatantly disregarding this large mistake they've created. 

[Bethanyt84]

All, please email your representatives at the local, state and federal levels using the message below (just copy and paste).    

I am writing to bring your attention to a glitch in Turbo Tax’s system that has caused me to be deemed ineligible for the economic impact payment dispensed earlier this year.  Although I met the eligibility requirements for the check, this glitch prevented me from receiving the money.  Neither the IRS nor Turbo Tax will assist in resolving this.  I need your help and position to bring awareness and action to this problem. 

The IRS stated that I was ineligible because a box on my 2018 taxes was checked stating that my spouse could be claimed as a dependent when in reality, that is not the case.  I learned from a subsequent conversation with a Turbo Tax representative that a system glitch caused this box to be checked.  Turbo Tax advised me to simply claim the stimulus money on my 2020 taxes, while the IRS stated that it had no plans to reconsider decisions about eligibility.    

I am not alone – there are many people who have contacted Turbo Tax for help to resolve this, and have received no help.  There is a forum on Turbo Tax’s site* with others chiming in about this same problem happening to them.  This money is desperately needed to serve the purpose that it was intended to serve – to help struggling taxpayers during this pandemic.  Please use your voice to rectify this situation. 

* https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/other-financial-discussions/discussion/stimulus-check-for-your-spo...

[jwinslow45]

when amending a return - can you give exact instructions on where this is asked/an option?  I was certainly not asked this question when I filed my return in February yet the box is checked indicating someone else can claim my spouse as a dependent and in the amendment process within turbo tax i see no option to change this or any question that asks anything like this...

[desposito89]

Personal Info > Revisit > Married Filed Separately > Edit > Continue > Continue > Can anybody else claim ___ as their dependent > No

[jonpkt01]

I'll be on this! Everyone experiencing this same problem please reach out to local, state and federal representatives as well as flooding social media. It's very unfair that we haven't received our much needed stimulus because of Turbo Tax's computer glitch!

[Opus 17]

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@jwinslow45 wrote:

when amending a return - can you give exact instructions on where this is asked/an option?  I was certainly not asked this question when I filed my return in February yet the box is checked indicating someone else can claim my spouse as a dependent and in the amendment process within turbo tax i see no option to change this or any question that asks anything like this...

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Amended returns take 16 weeks to process under normal circumstance.  Amending may correct other issues but won't result in a stimulus payment to you now.  

However, the repayment will be recalculated on your 2020 tax return and if your spouse is eligible then, the extra amount should be added to your refund on your 2020 tax return which will be paid in the Spring of 2021.

There is no way to know whether the "my spouse can be claimed as a dependent" box was checked by you by accident or was a system glitch.  Turbotax denies there is a bug and there is really no way to look at the data behind the scenes to tell how that box got checked.  

[Opus 17]

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@desposito89 wrote:

The IRS says we won’t get the check this year even if we do amend it. Many of us need the money urgently. That is the point of this money and it’s TurboTax’s fault we haven’t received it but they are blaming the users. 

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If you checked the "I can be claimed as a dependent" box by accident or on purpose, or the "My spouse can be claimed as a dependent" box on a married filing separately return, that's your fault.  There is no way to know how that box got checked from looking at your file, and Turbotax says there is no bug.

The only possible bug situation would be the case where a Single taxpayer reported that they did not get a payment because the "my spouse" box was checked, because this should be impossible.  But we don't have a diagnostic file from the customer who claimed that to verify what happened.  

The payment will be recalculated on your 2020 tax return, and if you (or your spouse) qualify for a larger or additional payment that you did not already receive, the extra will be added to your 2020 tax refund that will be paid in the Spring of 2021 as part of the normal 2020 filing season. 

[VolvoGirl]

@Opus 17   I saw a post saying that it might have transferred something over wrong from 2018.  You might let the Moderator pass that on.  

[Opus 17]

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@VolvoGirl wrote:

@Opus 17   I saw a post saying that it might have transferred something over wrong from 2018.  You might let the Moderator pass that on.  

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Single in 2019 after MFS in 2018?  And using the same online account?  That could maybe result in a spouse worksheet showing up in a single account.  I think they would need a diagnostic file and token.  Do you know where the original post is?

[MorganEB]

@Opus 17 I truly believe there is a glitch. Whether turbo tax wants to admit it or not. 

When I spoke to a TurboTax specialist on the phone we did a walk through of my selections. When I got to the page where it had the option to answer whether or not my spouse could be claimed as a dependent, there was no answer at all, the question was blank. We tried to move on to the next page to see if it would let us and an error message popped up stating that an answer to that question is a required field. This lends further credence to it being a software issue, not user error. It seems my response was removed and replaced with a default answer of “yes”. 

[VolvoGirl]

@Opus 17   There are 2 posts in this thread saying about 2018.  Users Tobakett & needvacay.  Maybe those are the ones I'm thinking off.  

[Opus 17]

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@MorganEB wrote:

@Opus 17 I truly believe there is a glitch. Whether turbo tax wants to admit it or not. 

When I spoke to a TurboTax specialist on the phone we did a walk through of my selections. When I got to the page where it had the option to answer whether or not my spouse could be claimed as a dependent, there was no answer at all, the question was blank. We tried to move on to the next page to see if it would let us and an error message popped up stating that an answer to that question is a required field. This lends further credence to it being a software issue, not user error. It seems my response was removed and replaced with a default answer of “yes”. 

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Morgan, were you filing as single or married filing separately?

If single, did you previously use the same Turbotax account to file a married return (separate or joint)?

If you want to provide a diagnostic code, I will pass it on.  Somewhere in the help menu is the command "Send file to agent."  This uploads an anonymous version of your file to tech support and gives you a token number that can post here so I can pass it on. 

[Opus 17]

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@Tobakett wrote:

Following this because if a class action is started, I want in. 

Turbotax screwed me. I will never use this software again and I am warning every single one of my friends about this and the fact they refuse to own up and fix their mistake.  When filing originally for 2018 before COVID even existed it kept checking that box and I ASKED a chat rep and they said it was nothing to worry about if nobody was claiming my spouse as a dependent and that its just the standard deduction because I was worried about accidentally messing up something for my now ex husbands taxes. And now I can't get my stimulus and from what others have said even if I amend it the IRS isn't going to let me claim it even next year. 

Next step is the BBB to report this. 

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@Tobakett :Were you filing as single or married filing separately?

If single, did you previously use the same Turbotax account to file a married return (separate or joint)?  If you previously filed as married, were you the primary (first named) taxpayer or the second named taxpayer?

If you want to provide a diagnostic code, I will pass it on.  Somewhere in the help menu is the command "Send file to agent."  This uploads an anonymous version of your file to tech support and gives you a token number that can post here so I can pass it on.