e-File Error

[NDylanRay]

Dear Turbo Tax Community,

This year Turbo Tax offered me the possibility to e-file my return.  I am an expat living in Europe and always had to file by mail in prior years.

Unfortunately when I actually tried to e-file, just prior to transmitting my return the program asks for additional information.  The one piece of information it seems to get stuck on is an Employee Identification Number for the W2 form of my FOREIGN EMPLOYER (thus my employer does NOT HAVE a US EIN). 

Is there a way to get around this?  If not then Turbo Tax is extremely silly for wasting my time by asking me to e-file in the first place.

Regards,

NDylanRay

[taxlady28]

Yes, just make up a dummy ein like 12-345678.  That will let you file and should it ever be questioned keep a note with your other tax records of what you had to do to make TurboTax work for you.  It is a programming issue and should get fixed.

[NDylanRay]

Thank you for your advice.  I am waiting to see what other replies I get as I have a certain reticence to making up stuff for my tax return!

[taxlady28]

I do understand and you will not get any other solution that works.    When I advise someone to make up something to get TurboTax to work, I explain that they are not lying to the IRS.  They are lying to TurboTax and it is a lie to get the program to work properly.  The IRS knows that your foreign employer does not have a US EIN number.   The programmer who put that question into TurboTax did not understand. If you wait long enough, someone will find the error and fix it, but that might not happen for many months.

I am a computer programmer and an income tax expert.  I know what is wrong with the program and how to work around these issues.  A made up EIN will get you through filing now.  

[NDylanRay]

I filed this morning using a made-up EIN number.  You are right that it states on the W2 that the employer is foreign (and thus does not have an EIN) so there is no way the IRS could interpret this as untruthful.  Thank you for your advice!

[taxlady28]

Glad I could help.  That will probably be fixed during the summer and not an issue next year.  But the work-around will let you file successfully this year.

[Pulsewarm]

Hi TaxLady28,

I have the exact same issue, but your 12-345678 (or 12-3456789) dummy suggestion no longer works or doesn't work for me.

It takes the above dummy, but after I continue and try "Transmit Returns Now", it again tells me "We need to Make one More Check" ... "Everything looks great on your return. ... But before you e-file, we need a little more information...".

It then takes me back to the same "Check this Entry" screen, on which it says my Employer ID is invalid for Electronic Filing" It again wants me to enter a valid Employer ID.

Thank you!

[Pulsewarm]

As mentioned, 12-3456789 didn't work. I just tried 98-7654321 and that did. I just e-filed.

[taxlady28]

It does reject123456789 and 999999999 but any other made number should work