Message: "State cannot be e-filled before your federal" but already received email confirmation that federal was received.

Did you delete your CA return and then re-add it after you e-filed federal?    You should be able to e-file your state once the federal return has been accepted.   How to E-file State After E-filing Federal.  

No, I did not delete anything, but my situation is my partner and I created and filed our own individual Federal Taxes (Filing status, single) and then we build another (with community income, Domestic Partnership) for Married Fling Jointly for the single state of California. So perhaps Turbo tax is not registering that our individual Federal taxes were accepted? Any idea how to get around this? Both individual federals were filed on the computer/single license of TurboTax Premier. 

You need to create a mock up federal joint return and then the California joint return with it.  Tell the system you are mailing the federal joint return and then efile the state.

@ChrisAGC 

Sorry that won't work.  You can only efile state from the same return the federal was accepted.  So you can't efile CA from the mock federal joint return.  You will have to print and mail california.

See the RDP guidance here.   You have to mail the state return since you did not e-file the ''mock'' federal joint return.    See step 5 under Part lV.  

The really bad thing is:  it did work last year!  Last year, I was able to e-file an IRS Return for each my partner and myself, then built an IRS Mock Return as "married" that fed the CA Joint Return perfectly, then by choosing "do not file IRS" and "file California", I was able to e-file our CA Joint Return. 

This year, TT has taken that functionality away - if you want to e-file your State Return, you have to also e-file your IRS Return at the same time!  Why?  No explanation.  And no work-arounds either.  Simply "TT took that away, with no communication and no guidance" - I am on my own to "print and mail".  In other words, I now consider TurboTax software to be defective: it is sold to enable you to e-file both IRS and State... BUT NOT FOR RDPs. 

Chris, I feel for you, I am in the same boat. 

No that can't be right.  It hasn't changed.  Your state was Accepted last year?  Maybe it also filed the mock federal.  Did you maybe file the mock returns before filing the Single federal returns?  Were the federal returns accepted or maybe you mailed them?  

Believe it or not, it worked as I said: in 2022 for our 2021 returns, I e-filed both our individual IRS Returns, without State Returns, as instructed.  Then I built the IRS Mock Return, reviewed and finalized the California Joint Return and e-filed it while selecting to NOT e-file the IRS Mock Return.  It worked like a charm.  That's why I was stunned when I did the same thing this year for our 2022 returns:  it all worked, I was able to build the IRS Mock Return and validate that everything was correct in the CA Joint Return - but when it came time to e-file it, your software gave me the message that "it is not possible to e-file a State Return without, or before, e-filing an IRS Return".  It simply does NOT work - but it did last year.  No I did not print and mail our 2021 CA Joint Return - I would remember it as it was so painful and time-consuming to print it this year.  And No, I did not e-file both an IRS Married Return and a CA Joint Return - the IRS would have contacted (or audited) me as to why I was sending 3 IRS Returns for 2 people.  Summary, again: TT changed its software!  It's that simple, and that frustrating. 

The only other thing I can think of is how did you do the mock federal return?  Did you use one of the Single federal and change it to Joint?  Or start a brand new return from scratch?  If you used one of the efiled federal returns it probably would see it as efiled so let you efile state.  

Well, that's an interesting idea!  I have no recollection now how I built the files, but if your "idea" would work, that would be a GREAT suggestion to give to RDPs - BEFORE - they start building their IRS Mock Return!  So simple, especially as for most people, the "main" filer would then add his/her partner into his/her Individual Build for the IRS return!  Splendid idea!  I don't have time to test this out, but it would be great for TT to test it out and to update their guidance.  Keep in mind that last year 2022 for the 2021 returns, and this year 2023 for the 2022 returns until a couple of months ago when I started working on our returns, the TT software provided guidance as I described it before: build and e-file IRS Individual Returns BUT not for the State for both partners, then build an IRS Mock Married Return, finalize the State Joint Return, and e-file the State Joint Return BUT not the IRS Mock Married Return.  I read it, and I also talked with a TT Tax Expert about it, and it was there in January 2023, but it is NO LONGER THERE now - it has been removed.  Go figure!  

Actually, come to think of it...  I did this year (2023, for 2022 Returns) what you are suggesting:  I built and e-filed both our IRS Individual Returns, but no State.  Then I took my IRS Return which is much more complex, and brought my partner's information into it, i.e., changed to married, and added info and income, finalized the California Joint Return - and that's when the TT Software did not allow me what I had done last year, i.e., e-file the State but not IRS.  Sorry, your idea does not work - as it's exactly what I did this year. 

Did you use the Online version or the Desktop CD/Download program?  Can you find both your Single Federal returns?  What is no longer there?

I used the Desktop - as last year, the TT Tax Expert (very good) who answered my first call, told me to use this version for a RDP Return, and not the Online version. 

What is "no longer there"?  It's the guidance that I got from TT when I started my own return, and clicked that "I was in a RDP" - a pop-up came with the info that I mentioned.  If I start a new return now, such guidance does no pop up anymore.  And if I search in the "topics" for "Registered...", nothing is found and it brings me back to working on the return. 

It is a moving target between the federal and the state systems and sometimes things we have done to work around situations change. We have long used similar workarounds for military families with spouses in different states of record. The state tax systems query the IRS if there is an accepted return because if the federal is rejected, it is likely information will change and that will impact the state. Without that system there would be many, many state amendments. 

I went in the Desktop version and did topic search on RDP and it dropped me right into the Personal Info section, just as you said. 

If the e-file will not go through, as you mentioned, it is beginning to get close to tax day. There is still a backup option to print and mail the California return. 

This is the third year that I've field Domestic Partnership with Turbo Tax, and I didn't have anything wonky in my notes from last year, so I think I was in the same boat, that I was able to push is through for 2021, but thought I was crazy that it wasn't working for 2022.

Chris:  You and I had the "same" experience - your situation is a bit different, but the problem is the same.  It did work in prior year(s), but NOT this year.  And TT cannot accept that they are at fault - they changed their software, did not communicate to their customers, did not provide any guidance as to how to do it (e.g., which IRS Return to send along with the State Return - in Print), and they did not build any technical workarounds for it - I was in Software before, and I have several fairly easy workarounds that could be coded in very little time... But obviously RDPs must not be important to TT - and we can just be relegated to a klugey "print and mail" process. Too bad for us.  Their software works, but not for RDPs - who cares? 

I experienced the same issue described above, so I reopened my original federal return TurboTax file AFTER I had e-filed my federal return and it had been accepted by the IRS.  I checked my filing status within TurboTax, which came back accepted, and THEN I made a copy of the file.  I built my California state return in that file copy.  I first changed my marital status to Married, indicating that I did NOT want to file my return together with my spouse, and then changed my filing status to Married Filing Separately.  I then created and filled out my California state return.  When I finished, I opted to e-file.  I was ONLY offered the option to file my California state return (since TurboTax recognized I had already e-filed the federal portion), and this time around I was allowed to do so -- I did not receive the "State cannot be e-filed before your federal..." message.

Slaughtk:

Thank you for sending this to me. 

A TT expert had already suggested something similar to what you are describing, ie., file your IRS Return, get acceptance, then copy the IRS File to a new file with the goal of building the State Return; then when you go to file the State Return, TT is tricked into seeing that the IRS Return has been filed and accepted and therefore accepts the State return.  Unfortunately, I cannot try this until next year, since I already e-filed both our IRS Returns, and alas, had to print and mail our joint State Return (which was a real pain...)  I wish TT would test this in their Test Environment (which simulates the Production Environment, but does not actually send the files to the IRS), and then update their guidance on how to do it.  What peeved me is that the guidance that I had found last year and earlier this year, was totally removed from the application, most likely during an "update" (which is not always an "upgrade"), and now there is NO guidance at all!!!  And having been in software development for years, I can think of several options to address this situation "elegantly" without frustrating tax-filers who are led to believe that they will be able to "e-file ALL their tax returns" - which is NOT the case with the current application.  I tried to talk with a manager, she declined to talk with me (!!!) and have sent a letter to TT which so far has remained unanswered. 

I have a similar problem with TT business AZ. I was able to efile in 2021 but nothing has worked for 2022 and I'm now mailing my paper forms and asking for a refund for the AZ TT product as it failed to provide what it says it can do.  Each year TT I run in to efile issues and each time requires some backwards non-obvious work around.

Just so you know, this worked for me just now. It wouldn't let me file my state return with a new file, but when I prepared the married state return for our RDP from a COPY of my original federal accepted return file, it worked and let me submit state only by e-file. The desktop app is not as helpful as the web based platform! Honestly this was such a headache. 

Looks like I'm filing by mail again for 2023 ....

OK, after listening to other TT users, here is the trick to e-filing ALL of your returns in a RDP:

- Prepare both your Federal returns, and e-file them.  DO NOT start working on your "mock" Federal joint-return yet.  And e-file both of your Federal returns.  Call these files, e.g., Joe Fed Return and John Fed Return. This "stamps" each file as having been e-filed to the IRS.

- After e-filing your Fed returns, select the Federal file (out of the two) that requires the least modifications to become the basis for your mock-Federal joint file, i.e., that's the Fed file that you will NOT file to the IRS (as the IRS does not accept a Joint Return for a RDP) - say it's Joe Fed Return.  Think about the modifications that you will need to make to bring all of your incomes from both of you, into one file.  And make a copy of that file that you name Joe John Joint Return. 

- Make your modifications to bring all of both your income as if you were married, e.g., all work wages or earned interest are no longer split, but "joint" numbers.  This file then created your State Return.  You may need to make some adjustments to your State Return, e.g., for charity donations that were not recognized by the IRS b/c you took the Standard Deduction. 

- When you have completed all of your modifications to have a Joint Return, now you can e-file it with your state because you used a file that was "stamped" by TT as having been filed to the IRS; e.g., in this example, Joe Fed Return file was stamped, and now that you made modifications to that file to be a "joint return", it still remembers that it was used to file a return to the IRS. 

Hope this works for you - it sure did for me! 

NOTE: pay attention to the notes that you get after you file your Federal Returns (Joe and John) - for some returns, the IRS will require that you print and mail certain forms from your Federal Returns to the IRS.  It sure beats having to print the whole return - even to the State, if you can't e-file it!!! 

Thanks! Ran through your method and Turbo Tax accepted it!

It had me print/mail 1 form, which was a Form 1040-V: Payment Voucher for the Federal Amount due on my "Mock" federal, which expectedly, doesn't match our other returns. Seeing as my partner and I filed federal as individuals, and our net difference came out with a Refund, not a payment, I'll try not mailing anything and see what happens.

Thank you so much!   After an hour on hold and another 45 min, TT support told me that I had no choice but to paper file.   Your steps worked like a charm!