IRS rejected my return due to 2020 AGI not matching, but it does match what was submitted in 2020.

[Sean J]

I have tried to submit my taxes to the IRS online using TurboTax, but it was rejected due to my wife's 2020 AGI not matching. I used TurboTax last year and it populated the same amount as was submitted on last year's return. I tried to reenter the same number, but it keeps getting rejected. How do you fix this?

[MichelleLO]

Please see the below TurboTax help article for a list of potential reasons that returns get rejected due to the AGI and suggested solutions. 

What if I entered the correct AGI and I'm still getting an e-file reject?

[kalispell9]

There was an article in the Washington Post about this issue on 4/6/22 because of the millions of 2020 Submissions that had not been processed so there was nothing to verify the identity against.  The article said to enter $0 as the 2020 AGI.  I initially did this for myself, but forgot to enter $0 for wife on a joint account.  Once I completed that entry I got the email that both Federal and State were accepted.  The TT software still says Federal is rejected, but State is accepted.  Since this occurred yesterday, I will wait a few days to see if the software is updated to the Federal is "Accepted", and if not will rely on the email unless I hear something different. 

[AmyC]

Check tomorrow with the IRS website Where’s My Refund? for updated information. The IRS updates the refund page once a day.

If it rejected, then you can enter zero for both of you. If you filed a return and the IRS adjusted it, there is another possibility of change in AGI. View your tax account with the IRS to see your tax transcript from last year on file with the IRS for the AGI.

@kalispell19 

[kalispell9]

Thanks for your comment, which confirms my comment about entering $0.  I haven't had a refund in years so never had to care about a refund.  I only care that my filing was received, which has nothing to do with a refund.  It is interesting to me that entering $0 as the AGI hasn't been broadly advertised, but instead, having to depend on a random article by Michelle Singletary in WaPo.

However, I will check my 2020 submission, which was a hard copy filing.  For 3 years, the IRS has not included my 1099 consulting income on Schedule SE Line 6 into my yearly Social Security wages.  This isn't your issue, but instead my annual battle.

[kalispell9]

Established my ID.Me account, logged into the IRS site and checked for my 2020 tax return.  As I expected, that return has not been reviewed, which validates why I had to enter $0 as the 2020 AGI, why my Social Security earnings do not show my 1099-MISC consulting income, and one other issue I will not discuss in. public forum.  I understand the issues that the IRS has been impacted by in the past 2 years, but It is really sad that the work processes are so incredibly broken and still far from resolution.

[Tabby1843]

We filed for an extension of our 2020 return and submitted a hard copy to the IRS via return receipt in September 2021. The return was not processed until February of 2022.  Our 2021 was rejected 3 times until I read somewhere that you must enter zero for AGI if your return was not processed before the end of December 2021 by the IRS.   Fourth try and it was finally accepted.

[kalispell9]

@Tabby1843  Did your TT software change to accepted or are you referring to getting an email from the IRS that it was accepted.  I have the email, but the TT software still says rejected. My State submission status changed from rejected to accepted (per requirements, the State cannot be accepted until Federal is accepted) when I received the email accepted email from Federal.

[Tabby1843]

Both the IRS and TT said that our return was accepted.  And eventually the state and TT said that our return was accepted.  I e-filed the Federal return first to get it accepted and then the state return through intuit for $25. 

Last year I made the mistake of filing the federal and state return at the same time and once the federal was rejected, the state automatically rejected you and you're out the $25.

[mesquitebean]

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@ Tabby1843 wrote:

Last year I made the mistake of filing the federal and state return at the same time and once the federal was rejected, the state automatically rejected you and you're out the $25.

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Does that mean you were unable to fix the Federal rejection and efile last year?   If you were able to correct last year's Federal return and efile it, and once it was accepted, you shouldn't have to pay the $25 again to resubmit the state return efile last year.   If you were never able to successfully efile the state return last year when you tried to resubmit and thus "out the $25", I'd ask TurboTax for a refund of that state efile fee.

[4158674794]

IRS rejected my return due to 2020 AGI not matching, but it does match what was submitted in 2020. How to fix the problem?

[kalispell9]

When you say that that the 2020 AGI not matching, but does match, is that based on your e-Filed or hard copy return matching.  There are a millions of hard copy 2020 returns that have not been processed, and as such, the IRS does not know your 2020 AGI to compare a 2021 e-File value.  Not sure if this is your issue, but if it is, then you have a lot of friends.  This is the basis for entering $0 for the AGI in the validation step that has worked for others.

[HeatherPLO]

Please see the Help Article here for assistance with Rejections due to AGI.  

@4158674794

[kalispell9]

I have submitted my 2020 AGI as $0, after which, I did receive the accepted Federal and State emails.  However, Turbo Tax software still says my Federal is rejected, but my State is now accepted.  Since I have the "accepted" email for the Federal submission, do I simply ignore the the TT "rejection" comment.

[Ebony A]

Did you check your e-file status using this tool? @kalispell9.