3115064
We installed a new heat pump in 2023. Energy tax credit should be $2000. Turbo tax is only applying $300. Have we done something incorrectly and how do we fix this issue.
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Two possibilities occur to me. One is that if you don’t have a tax liability in the program yet greater than $300, that’s all the program will calculate since it is a non refundable credit. The other is that the program is not yet robust and you will have to wait for updates.
Form 5695 is scheduled to be ready 1/10 however dates are subject to changes :
Go to this TurboTax website for forms availability - https://form-status.app.intuit.com/tax-forms-availability/formsavailability?albRedirect=true&product...
A LOT of the program is not functional yet mostly due to the IRS not being ready ... they have not yet issued all of the final forms or instructions for many things so the software companies "punt" for right now until the true game can commence ...
These first releases of the program are usually very buggy and will require MANY updates before it becomes fully functional which usually will not happen until late January or sometime in February depending on the forms you need. So patience will be needed as the IRS has not even announced when the 2023 filing season will start yet.
The tax programs this year have had to be reworked (again like last year) by every tax software company due to the changes above since it is not just as simple as " adding a form or worksheet " since many of the forms interwork with each other ... lots of moving parts to coordinate. And before they can get final approval they need to be tested and approved by the IRS who themselves are not up to speed yet ... this is an impossible situation that will require patience on all fronts.
Although TurboTax may allow you to e-filed some returns as early as 1/4/24 (IF the forms in your return are ready for filing … see info below) they are NOT actually sent to the IRS. TurboTax stores those early filed returns in a holding “POOL” until the IRS opens for business and “drains the pool” for processing ... only then will you get an e-mail telling you if the return was accepted or rejected by the IRS.
Only the simplest returns can be transmitted to TurboTax early. Some forms will not be finalized until Jan 25 and some later than that.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1908854-forms-availability-table-for-turbotax-federal-products-exc...
Why does TurboTax allow early filing? Because their competitors do - It is a marketing ploy to capture market share.
Filing early with TurboTax before the IRS opens is a really BAD IDEA for many reasons...
1) If you discover something that is wrong on your return, receive a W-2 that is different, receive some other tax document that was not on the return that you filed then there is NOTHING that you can do about it other than wait to see if the IRS accepts or rejects the return after they open. If rejected you can correct and file again, but if accepted then the only remedy is to amend which can take at the very least 4 months to process.
2) You must remember to check back after the IRS opens (or check for an e-mail) to confirm that the IRS has accepted or rejected the return. If rejected, then it was never filed at all and must be corrected and re-filed. Every year many taxpayers that file early, forget to check back and only discover months later that they never actually filed because if was rejected by the IRS but they had forgotten about checking back after filing with TurboTax.
3) While the IRS does conduct some pre-opening tests and does accept some returns early (ONLY for TESTING purposes), they will not actually process those until after the official opening date. The reason they do testing is to discover any problems with their systems. A couple of years ago a test went bad and several thousand "test" returns were lost. The IRS was able to recover those but it delayed refunds for some by months.
There is no real advantage to file before the IRS opens but there are several disadvantages to doing so.
When will my forms be ready?
Historically, IRS tax forms start becoming available in January, with a few stragglers (most notably Form 1040X) getting finalized in February.
State tax forms can become available for filing any time between December and late February, depending on the state and the tax form.
For specific forms and dates, refer to the Forms Availability Table for your TurboTax product, see the related information below.
Can I Still Work On My Return Before My Forms are Ready?
Yes, according to the following:
Federal Taxes
You can still work on your return and finish most of it. Once your forms become available, we’ll create the forms and include all of your info.
You’ll only be able to e-file or print your return once the forms are available.
While you’re working on your return, we’ll ask if you want to receive email updates when your forms become available.
State Taxes
If your forms aren’t available, you’ll get a message asking you to return once they become available.
While you’re working on your return, you’ll have a chance to let us know you want to receive email updates when your forms become available.
Go to this TurboTax website for forms availability - https://form-status.app.intuit.com/tax-forms-availability/formsavailability?albRedirect=true&product...
The issue with solar panel credits has been resolved, but now I am running onto a new issue:
We upgraded our furnace and central air system inner second home. Turbotax is now (correctly) showing a credit of $1200 for this (form 5695), but after finishing with all credits and deductions it eliminates this credit (incorrectly). I assume this is because the "energy improvements" credit is limited to one's "main home," and turbotax is also applying that limitation to residential energy property, but the IRS website and the instructions for from 5695 are pretty clear that the "main home" limitation does not apply to residential energy property (HVAC equipment). Can this be fixed or overridden??
Please clarify. Is your residential energy property installed in a second home? We've been advised that these issues have been resolved.
Make sure you are using the latest version of the program.
If you're on a PC using TurboTax Online, open TurboTax and select Check for Updates from the Online menu near the top. On a Mac, quit and reopen TurboTax. If there are any updates, you'll be prompted to download them.
Tips:
You can try manually updating TurboTax Online as explained in this help article:
If you're having trouble updating your TurboTax 2023 for Windows Individual software using the "Check for Updates" method, here are instructions for how you can get the latest federal program update:
Logging out of TurboTax and back in, changing browsers, or clearing your cache and cookies often helps.
Yes, I installed the residential energy property in a second home. But the IRS website instructions for from 5695 seem pretty clear that a second home still qualifies for this (just not for home energy efficiency improvements, such as doors, windows and insulation). I have done all the updates on my MAC and am "up-to-date," and I am still having the issue that Turbotax is disallowing this credit.
On what line(s) of Form 5695 do you see a credit of $1,200? The amount that will actually transfer to Schedule 3 is to Schedule 3 is from line 32, which is the lesser of line 30 or line 31.
If you didn't have enough regular income tax against which to apply the credits, you can carry the credit forward to next year. This is shown on Form 5695. the carryover only applies to the Residential Clean Energy Property Credit.
The credits calculated on that form are transferred to Schedule 3, lines 5a and 5b, and added to other credits.
The total credits on line 8 of Schedule 3 are then transferred to line 20 of Form 1040.
[Edited 03/12/2024 | 10:35am PDT]
It's on line 32 of part II of form 5695--the energy efficient home energy credit, not the part I line 15 which I am already getting for solar panels. And I have plenty of tax liability--that's not the issue.
Thank you for the additional information.
Does your credit flow through to Schedule 3, line 5b, and the total on line 8?
Is it included in the total credits on line 20 of the 1040?
Yes, I see that it is flowing through to both schedule 3 and form 1040, so that looks good. But in the easy step display it only shows the solar panel credit and leaves out the energy efficiency credit--so is this just a display error?
Yes, it sounds like the easy-step display must not be formatted to show the other credit. As long as it appears on the forms and on your return, you should be good to go.
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