How to Attach Statement to Form 1041

[LK2023]

I am completing Form 1041 for an Estate using TurboTax Business and need to attach a Statement as required by Other Information Question 8, to explain why the Decedent's Estate was open for more than 2 years. The Executrix is disabled and needed time to prepare the house for sale. I have not gotten to the point of submitting the return, and wondered if I will be prompted to attach the Statement. Also, would Word doc or PDF be better?  Thanks.

[Mike9241]

Turbotax has no provision for attaching an external document. you'll need to mail the return. 

[LK2023]

Thanks. That's not great. What happens if i e-file but mail the statement?

[tagteam]

---

@LK2023 wrote:

Thanks. That's not great. What happens if i e-file but mail the statement?

---

The statement may very well never get connected with the e-filed return so you should mail the entire return together with the statement.

Question 8 also directs you to attach the statement to your return.

[LK2023]

Okay, thanks. I really wanted to e-file, and other programs (e.g., TaxAct) enable this feature. Thanks for the info.

[LK2023]

If I do mail the Federal 1041, can I still e-file the NJ 1041? I don't think the NJ form asks for any statements or explanations. 

Also, can I still obtain Audit Defense if I mail the return?

Thanks.

[LK2023]

Hi - I didn't get a response the my last follow up:

If I am required to mail the Federal 1041, can I still e-file the NJ 1041?

Also, can I still obtain Audit Defense if I mail the return?

[tagteam]

I'm not sure about the audit defense product, but the web site is at the link below.

https://intuit.taxaudit.com/

[tagteam]

---

@LK2023 wrote:

If I am required to mail the Federal 1041, can I still e-file the NJ 1041?

---

You might have to check with Support to verify, but I don't believe you can e-file the state return without e-filing the federal return.

[LK2023]

Okay, thank you very much for the reply.

[LK2023]

I posted this question elsewhere but it really belongs here, I think?

So I've been advised here that I must paper file the Federal Form 1041 in order to Attach a Statement explaining why the Estate was open for more than 2 years, and I must also paper file the NJ 1041 as well.

If I have to paper file the Federal 1041 and NJ 1041, presumably it will take the IRS a while to process these.

So must I also paper file the corresponding personal Federal 1040 and NJ 1040 for the Beneficiary to whom the Estate income was distributed because the K-1 and NJ K-1 will take a while to be processed by the IRS?

Or can I e-file the 1040s, even though the 1041s (including K-1 and NJ K-1) were mailed?

Thank you.

[tagteam]

You can go ahead and e-file the 1040s.

[LK2023]

Thank you

[ZChefDan1]

Why doesn't Intuit include a feature in TurboTax Business that would allow users to attach a statement with the 1041?  It would save many people, including me, the hassle of printing and mailing a 1041 simply to add a statement explaining why the estate has been open more than 2 years.  TurboTax Business certainly isn't inexpensive software.  Come on Intuit, allow me to e-file!

[BillM223]

The way e-filing works is that the IRS or the state defines an XML schema which lists the mandatory and optional tags and their data that make up a valid data set for a tax return. When TurboTax is finished running, it has created a data set in this format. Note that there are no forms in this data set, just tags (think: <xml>).

So in order for TurboTax to be about to add the equivalent of a paper document to a tax return, the IRS must create the ability to accept it on their end, so TurboTax can create it on our end.

It's not just up to TurboTax...