NY State - must efile, but cannot

[cms1976]

New York State requires, by law, that I must efile. However, I cannot and receive this message:

E-File is not available because your tax return includes a tax situation that can't be e-filed. Make sure to mail your return by your state's due date.

Filing your return on paper is not recommended. If it is necessary to file a paper return, do not write on the return. Only signatures are allowed. Other handwritten information will not be used in tax computation or for processing your return.

I have done a review, and everything is "good to go." When I download the return, it says again that I have to efile. But I do not have this option. I don't know what the 'tax situation' is  that is causing this to happen b/c my taxes are very basic. There is no info given. 

[JotikaT2]

 New York requires you to e-file if you meet all three of the following requirements:

1. You use software to prepare your return
2. Your software allows you to electronically file your return
3. You have internet access

Since you are receiving a message that your New York return has a form that cannot be electronically filed, you cannot electronically file your New York return (thereby not meeting #2 above).  Therefore, you do not meet all 3 requirements mentioned on the New York Department of Taxation website.  See the following link:

NY Electronic filing requirement

You can try to use the New York website to e-file if you meet their requirements as listed on the link above.

Otherwise, you can mail your returns in.  Please see the link below for mailing address.

New York mailing address

It is also possible that you simply have a tax form that has not been released for electronic filing yet.  Please see the attached link for the release dates for the New York forms to determine if this is potentially why you are unable to electronically file yet.  If this is the case, you may just need to wait a few more days to file.

New York Form release schedule

[cms1976]

Thanks for the answer!

I am still a bit confused as to why this is happening. 

1) My form (IT-201) is available

2) And I meet all these requirements 

 New York requires you to e-file if you meet all three of the following requirements:

1. You use software to prepare your return YES, TURBO TAX (OBV)
2. Your software allows you to electronically file your return (I'VE ALWAS USED TURBO TAX AND ALWAYS FILED ONLINE)
3. You have internet access (YES!)

Is it possible there is something wrong with Turbo Tax? There is no explanation as to why I can not do this and all the info you provided (thanks!!!), does not apply. 

[JotikaT2]

Is it possible there are some other forms listed on the site provided above are included on your tax return this year but are not available for filing yet?  This could be another reason for the electronic filing rejection message.

It may be beneficial to wait until February 12th to try submitting your tax returns.  As the tax returns will not be electronically filed by this date for your federal return or New York return, any issues with forms causing the delay and errors may be rectified by this date.

[cms1976]

Thank you for the answers. I logged on to try to submit electronically and I still can not. The error is "

E-File is not available because your tax return includes a tax situation that can't be e-filed. Make sure to mail your return by your state's due date." but there is no reason as to what my tax situation is. I find it odd b/c our taxes are very boring. We do not have any unusual things. 

[LenaH]

You are most likely having trouble e-filing your NYS return due to Form IT-2, which is a summary of your W-2 wages. Since the IT-2 form is unsupported in TurboTax, you are not required to e-file.

Per NYS, you're required to electronically file your return if you meet all three of the following conditions:

• You use software to prepare your own personal income tax return
• Your software supports the electronic filing of your return
• You have broadband Internet access

You are qualified to mail in your return because your software does not support electronic filing of this form. 

There is no penalty for mailing in your return. 

If you are NOT including a payment, mail your return to:

STATE PROCESSING CENTER

PO BOX 61000

ALBANY NY 12261-0001

If you ARE including a payment (check or money order), mail your return (including Form IT-201-V) to:

STATE PROCESSING CENTER

PO BOX 15555

ALBANY NY 12212-5555

@cms1976

[cms1976]

Thank you for this answer. Do you know if this is new that TurboTax does not support the form? I have always submitted online before this, so perhaps it is? Thanks!

[Cass0317]

@cms1976 Yes, I believe this is new this year, according to the NY link below:

Enhanced Form IT-201, Resident Income Tax Return

[MARIAC1]

I also cannot e-file my NY State Non Resident return. Same employer for several years and not a complicated return at all. The reference that Turbotax gives doesn't make sense "Public employee retirement contributions must be categorized as either subject to tax or tax exempt." referring to my entry in Box 14 of the W2.  I'm a NEW JERSEY public employee and that amount in Box 14 is tax-exempt employer contributions to my pension (414H). There isn't a choice available in the drop down for NJ 414(h) Tax Exempt, so I chose "other". We file the NY Non Resident due to my husband working in NYC.  I have never had this problem before and have been a NJ Public Employee for 24 years.  Please help.

[FangxiaL]

NJ 414(h) is an add back to NJ income, the same as 401(k) or IRA contributions. If you select NY 414(h), will the balance due or refund change for NY? It is NJ-source income, it should not affect NY taxes. To remove the error, it might be better to do what TurboTax suggests.  

@MARIAC1

[MARIAC1]

TT isn't suggesting anything--Just says that the 414h entry needs to specify taxable or non-taxable. The only choice from the drop down list is "NY IRC 414h...", but I'm not an NYS Public Employee.

Every year that I've used TT, I chose "other" for this W2 entry,  where you do not specify taxable or not. I have never had a problem with this before!  Only my husband earns NYS $, not me.

Should I choose "NY IRC 414h..." from the drop down list?

@FangxiaL 

[DMarkM1]

Yes, you will select NY IRC 414h subject to NY tax.  You will also need to be sure when you allocate your NJ wage income out of NY to also allocate out the 414h amount.  

NY wants to know/use all income in order to calculate the NY tax on NY source income.  NY does this by dividing the NY source income by the total income and using that percentage to mulitiply by the tax on all income to arrive at the NY tax on NY source income.  Since your box 1 wages excludes the 414h contributions you need to have that added back in for NY calculations. 

As I mentioned earlier, you will then be sure to allocate out of NY income your wages and the 414h contributions from box 14.  

This should now allow the e-file and correctly show the NY tax on NY source income. 

[MARIAC1]

As I mentioned, my income is 100% New Jersey, so I never need to allocate mine. There's a choice in TT to tell it that only my husband's income is NY and for allocation. My W2 box 14 entry should not be at play on the NY State Taxes at all, but that is what's causing the program to not allow me e-file.  This is so very frustrating!  I have always listed my 414h amount from Box 14 as "other". 

Seems like a Turbotax glitch that it won't allow me to e-file NY state based on choosing "other".

@DMarkM1 @FangxiaL 

[DMarkM1]

Except for special categories ( like the NY 414h category) the box 14 entries are informational and do not affect tax calculations.  This is true for NJ as referenced here. 

In this case your NJ 414h box 14 entry is informational only and does not affect your NJ taxes because the contribution has already been excluded from box 1 wages.  

Therefore to allow the NY efile you should not enter the NJ414h box 14 line into TurboTax at all. 

[danund1]

Hi DMarkM1 - I am having a similar issue to MariaC1 but I'm in CT.
My daughter is a teacher in Connecticut and made contributions to her retirement fund & cafeteria plan. That teacher W2 shows amounts for 414H & SECT125 in Box 14 (category = Other (not classified)). All that money was earned in CT.
During the summer she worked as a counselor at a Connecticut summer camp, but since the company is in New York, that W2 only had NY state tax withheld.
I purchased the NY tax return and completed it as a NY non-resident, only allocating that small income ($1,500) earned to NY.
TT will not allow me to e-file the NY state taxes because of the 414H category = Other.
I tried changing those categories from Other to NY taxable (Not exempt) and the NY tax amount increased by $250!

So, based on your advice to MariaC1, should I just delete both 414H & SECT125 entries from Box 14 for that Connecticut income? 

Thank you.