My wife and I filed jointly last year. Trying to eFile this year. Get to question asking about last years AGI. I check the box that asks if we filed a return together. Answered Yes.
It then goes on to ask for my AGI, then my wife's AGI. We filed jointly so there is no separate AGI for each of us.
I tried putting the same number in each
Then a zero in one
then triple checked the AGI
We did NOT file late last year, nor did we get a late refund or make a late payment. We did NOT file just for the stimulus last year.
All attempts rejected and the indicated error is the AGI!
Any work around on this or am I doomed to print and mail like in the olden days.
If you are married and filed jointly in 2019 and again this year, then put the same AGI for both you and your spouse.
Did that.
tried it twice.
Still rejected and Turbo Tax steered me to the AGI as the error.
Will try again. Must be something I missed!
I was just informed on the Turbo Tax customer service phone line that if I filed married/jointly last year, and jointly this year I will have to print and mail file because I do not have two AGI. I am out of luck. Turbo Tax will not work in this situation.
I went with Turbo Tax specifically to eFile, only to be told that is not an option for people who filed Married joint last year and this. Seems like a major flaw.
It is common to not change filing status from one year to the next. You have written that you filed married filing jointly last year and want to do the same this year. In such a case, there would only be one AGI.
Please return to the My Info section and scroll through the input to confirm that your filing status is still Married Filing Jointly this year.
For more information, see:
How do I find last year’s AGI?
@Orcabit91
My wife and I purchased the turbo tax software so that we could e-file our taxes. Because this "problem" had not been addressed ahead of the software being available to the public, I am done with this software company.
TurboTax has no control over how the IRS processes tax returns. All we can do is aid customers in the preparation and filing of their tax return under guidelines promulgated by the IRS. The requests we make in terms of entering AGI information is what the IRS instructs us to do. When there is an issue with the IRS accepting a tax return for e-file because of AGI information, we have no control over that, and you would likely experience the same issue with other tax software providers.
Actually after trying the same process about 12 times identically, it just one time worked. So I'm good. However, my complaint came when I called Turbo Tax help line, twice, and was told, if I filed married/jointly in previous years, I would not be able to efile, and I was out of luck. I should mail it in.
That was not the correct answer. The correct answer was that I should either keep trying or a Turbo Tax tech should have identified why it was not working. Instead I was told just to mail it in, as it would not work.
It worked.
Thank you for sharing this experience. We are glad that there was a resolution that you could e-file after all.
It is standard to suggest paper filing tax returns when e-filing is not working. There are several scenarios where taxpayers must paper file. This is allowed. But, you are correct, e-filing is preferred to expedite the process.
See: When a tax return can't be e-filed no matter what you do.
For updates on your return, check our E-File Status Lookup Tool or check IRS: Where's my refund?.
For your state filing status:
We are having the same problem. Did you put the same AGI number in for both individual and spouse?
I have put in our AGI for myself and zero for my wife. I have put our AGI for both of us. I am going to print out everything, Monday morning and send it all by snail mail. I understand the IRS will accept it that way! When I contacted Turbo Tax, they told me that the problem is with the IRS and the way they view the submission!
I just kept trying. It eventually worked. I did that weeks ago and already have my refund from the IRS> I ended up putting the same AGI for both my spouse and I (which is the only appropriate and acceptable way for the IRS. Spouses filing jointly have identical AGI. It worked after I did the same thing about a dozen times.
Turbo Tax customer service told me that married filing jointly would have to mail it in. I knew this was wrong. Apparently rather than have a level 2 or 3 tech support, they just have level 1. It was clear she was reading the same online help article from the Turbo Tax website I had read. And when it did not work, had no higher level of tech support to bump it up to.
It's a poor way to do tech support, but so be it. I got my refund, I efiled, I solved the problem despite Turbo Tax minimal level of tech support.
It is standard in tech support to have level 2 and 3 technicians to elevate issues to when level 1 cannot solve the problem. The problem I had was not an IRS problem. I did precisely what the IRS required and it worked. Eventually. Why it took about a dozen times for Turbo Tax to properly transmit the data to the IRS, I don't know.
I do know, the TT Tech support person had to find an article on the TT website (the same one I found before I called) read it verbatim to me, then told me that married filing joint I would have to file by mail.
In a standard tech support center, my call would have been bumped up to someone with more technical and problem solving knowledge who deals with more complex issues. Apparently TT only has tech support to read what is already available to users on their website.
Problem was solved despite TT support. I efiled, I got my return.
Thank you Orcabait, very useful comments. Unfortunately, Turbo Tax "support" not useful in this case. I have the very same issue, I'll try submitting again.
Yes, Orcabait91 is correct, the answer is to enter the same AGI for each spouse, even though that may seem as though the information is doubled.
TurboTax does have credentialed tax experts with tax accounting expertise. For technical matters, you can send us a diagnostic copy for us to see your numbers but otherwise not your personal information. This sometimes is the most efficient way to resolve the issue.
It is important to check a few baseline parameters such as minimum system requirements.
Secondly, the program must be up to date with your latest entries.
Often times entering an override will prevent e-filing and should be a last resort. In general, while still allowable, overrides may preempt TurboTax valid calculations and could lead to unexpected results and subsequent notices. Therefore, doing overrides would forfeit the accuracy guarantee.
Last year we filed separately. This year jointly. Where do I find the place to indicate how I filed last year so I can enter both of our AGIs? Our return this year was rejected because I only put mine in.
To edit your AGI, here are the steps:
@cjbardy1
Thank you for sharing your experience! I thought I was losing my mind when they asked for two separate AGIs. I am going to keep trying. I have a feeling I'm going to end up paper filing because the IRS thought my husband never filed a return.
It's messed up that Intuit tried to tell you that's just the way it is if you are MFJ. I have been using TT to MFJ since I got married 15 years ago and have never had a problem before.
When did you file 2019? If it was late in the year or you mailed it, try putting in 0 (zero) for the AGI. And see, https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/rejections/help/what-if-i-entered-the-correct-agi-and-i-m-still-getting-an-e-file-reject/00/27031
How to correct the AGI
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/agi/help/where-do-i-correct-my-agi-in-turbotax-online/00/26311
If you can’t get it to efile you will have to print and mail it.
How to mail a return from the Online version
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/printing/help/how-do-i-print-and-mail-my-return-in-turbotax-online/00/26258
Be sure to attach copies of your W2s and any 1099s that have withholding on them. You have to mail federal and state in separate envelopes because they go to different places. Get a tracking number from the post office when you mail them for proof of filing.
For AGI Reject code 031
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/rejections/help/e-file-reject-ind-031-04-or-ind-032-04-the-agi-or-self-select-pin-from-last-year-doesn-t-match-irs/00/27197
We tried to efile and the AGI would not match from last year. So I called and was told to mail it in which I did mid-February. The IRS has my return, but I have no update on my refund. ALSO, I still have not received my 3rd stimulus check. (I received the 1st but not the 2nd or the 3rd.) The same thing is going on for my son and his family. Could not efile, mailed in, no update, no checks. I am wondering if this is an ongoing problem from TurboTax 2019. 2019 was the 1st year I used TurboTax. Got my 1st stimulus right away. Then didn't get 2nd (but did receive my IRS refund) and now the problems for this year. Same with my son and his family. HELP!
According to this IRS update as of April 23rd:
The IRS is now opening mail within normal timeframes. The IRS has also made significant progress in processing prior year returns. As of April 16, 2021, we had 1.5 million individual tax returns received prior to 2021 in the processing pipeline. Including current year returns, as of April 16, 2021, we had 16.1 million unprocessed individual returns in the pipeline. Unprocessed returns include those requiring correction to the Recovery Rebate Credit amount or validation of 2019 income used to figure the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). This work does not require us to correspond with taxpayers but does require special handling by an IRS employee so, in these instances, it is taking the IRS more than 21 days to issue any related refund. If, as a result, a correction is made to any RRC, EITC or ACTC claimed on the return, the IRS will send taxpayers an explanation. Taxpayers are encouraged to continue to check Where’s My Refund? for their personalized refund status and can review Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions.
How long you may have to wait: The IRS understands the importance of timely processing of tax returns and refund issuance. We are processing returns received over the summer and fall in 2020 due to the extended July 15, 2020 tax filing due date. While the majority of 2019 refund returns have been processed, in some cases, we are processing tax returns that were mailed with a payment even though payment associated with these returns have been processed by the IRS. However, we are rerouting tax returns and taxpayer correspondence from locations that are behind to locations where more staff is available, and we are taking other actions to minimize any delays. Tax returns are opened in the order received. As the return is processed, it may be delayed because it has a mistake including errors concerning the Recovery Rebate Credit, is missing information, or there is suspected identity theft or fraud. If we can fix it without contacting you, we will. If we need more information or need you to verify that it was you who sent the tax return, we will write you a letter. The resolution of these issues depends on how quickly and accurately you respond, and the ability of IRS staff trained and working under social distancing requirements to complete the processing of your return.
What you should do: If you filed electronically and received an acknowledgement, you do not need to take any further action other than promptly responding to any requests for information. If you filed on paper, check Where’s my refund? If it tells you we have received your return or are processing or reviewing it, we are processing your return, but it may be under review. We’re working hard to get through the backlog. Please don’t file a second tax return or contact the IRS about the status of your return.
And that doesnt work. Now trying for the fifth time as some people get lucky, but running out of days to fix this. How is it possible that TurboTax can't sort this out. The tech person when I called said that she was getting "LOTS OF CALLS" about this.
Total fail
@RCD3 wrote:
And that doesnt work. Now trying for the fifth time as some people get lucky, but running out of days to fix this. How is it possible that TurboTax can't sort this out. The tech person when I called said that she was getting "LOTS OF CALLS" about this.
Total fail
See this TurboTax FAQ on how to find your AGI
https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3301618
You can get free 2019 tax transcript from the IRS
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript
If you filed late last year there is a good chance that the 2019 AGI never was entered into the e-file database. Try using 0 (zero) for the AGI.
If you filed an amended return use the AGI on the first filed tax return.
If it continues to reject then the AGI in the IRS database might be in error. Mail filing is the only option.
Also see: https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/are-irs-security-tools-blocking-millions-people-filing-electronically
https://www.forbes.com/sites/howardgleckman/2021/04/26/are-irs-security-tools-blocking-millions-of-people-from-filing-electronically/?sh=529e1d891a76
did not file late last year
It is accepting my AGI, not my spouses.
this problem has been flagged by numerous TurboTax users.
Next time I will go to HR Block