AGI Transfer

[RonPaiva]

Hello. I'm concerned about a possible rejection e-filing my return. When preparing this years return I imported relevant information from last years return after which I discovered that the return info was not part of the actual return filed. So I ended up w/ an incorrect AGI that was imported. I've corrected it, but I'm concerned it will rejected when filed because of any possible confusion of what AGI will be recognized as accurate. The one officially filed or the one imported that is incorrect?

[CatinaT1]

The IRS uses your prior year AGI to combat fraud. 

You can request a transcript of your 2018 tax return from the IRS to ensure you have the right number. You can request your transcript online at the following link: Get Transcript 

Check these items as well to ensure you have the correct number.  If you:

• Filed late last year after mid-November or your return was processed after that time—try entering 0.
• Amended your return last year—make sure you’re using the AGI from your original return, not the amended one. (If you only have a 1040X form, it’s on line 1, column A).
• Rounded your AGI to the nearest dollar—be sure to round up when it’s 50 cents or more and down when it’s 49 cents or less.
• Filed with your spouse last year—you and your spouse have the same 2018 AGI. (Don’t split the AGI amount or enter 0 for one of you).

Unfortunately, without the correct number, your only option would be to print and mail in your return. 

This article will give you instruction on how to print and mail your return.

[mesquitebean]

You wrote:

"I'm concerned about a possible rejection e-filing my return.  When preparing this years return I imported relevant information from last years return after which I discovered that the return info was not part of the actual return filed. So I ended up w/ an incorrect AGI that was imported. I've corrected it, but I'm concerned it will rejected when filed because of any possible confusion of what AGI will be recognized as accurate. The one officially filed or the one imported that is incorrect?"

That's a bit confusing above, but it sounds like you are saying that you transferred 2018 information from an incomplete, unfiled 2018 return from last year into your 2019 return, instead of the final 2018 return with the true 2018 AGI you actually filed last year.  Is that correct?

If that's the case, the IRS will use whatever 2018 AGI you actually ultimately submit in your efiled 2019 return.  If you corrected the 2018 AGI prior to efiling, then the corrected AGI is the only 2018 AGI that gets sent. 

NOTE:  As  TurboTax CatinaT1 mentioned above, if you filed the 2018 return real late in the year (such as mid-November or later), you would use an AGI of 0.  See the rest of her list above.

If you indeed transferred your data from the wrong or incomplete 2018 tax file when you started this year, then it's possible that other additional incomplete info from 2018 transferred into your return.  So, hopefully, you checked through the entire return prior to filing to be sure nothing else was wrong that might have come in from 2018, and either edited, updated, or removed it.

If you need further help, please provide additional information.   And please specify if you are referring to a personal income tax return or a business return (corporations, S-corp, partnerships, etc.).   And are you using Online TurboTax or desktop software (CD/download)?

[RonPaiva]

Thank you. I have the correct AGI installed and prepared to re-transmit. The previous AGI that was transferred was part of an incomplete return and I now understand that only an AGI included in a filed and accepted return is recognized as true and fact. My concern was that I've read here. If last years return was accepted after Tax Day, April 15th 2019. The AGI then becomes zero. I've searched thru emails and haven't been able to locate the acceptance notification although I was paid very early in the Summer. Far earlier then a filing date of mid- November as you suggested so I entered the filed AGI. Are my findings and understanding of your advice correct?

[mesquitebean]

You wrote:  "I've read here. If last years return was accepted after Tax Day, April 15th 2019. The AGI then becomes zero."

No, that April date is not the determining factor.   It has nothing to do with that April date.   I don't know where you read that, but it's wrong.  When efiling a current 2019 return, one would use a 2018 AGI of 0 only if the 2018 return was filed very late, such as mid-November 2018 or later.

 And from your comment above, you said you filed your return well before November 2018.  In fact, you even said you received your refund "early in the Summer."   So in that case you would use the actual 2018 AGI shown on your 2018 return--even if you filed after April, such as in May, June, July, etc.    Only if you filed in November or later would one use an AGI of 0.

By the way, if you have reason to post more in this forum, please use a normal font size without italics.   The overly large size/style of font you are using can be annoying and difficult to read.

[MKillian123]

The AGI amount that transferred over is not what is printed on the copy that was accepted by the IRS.  I used the printed efiled agi but it was rejected as incorrect.  What would cause turbo tax to import the incorrect agi from the prior year on the desktop version, or am I missing something that may have been changed?

[mesquitebean]

---

 @ MKillian123 wrote:

The AGI amount that transferred over is not what is printed on the copy that was accepted by the IRS.  I used the printed efiled agi but it was rejected as incorrect.  What would cause turbo tax to import the incorrect agi from the prior year on the desktop version, or am I missing something that may have been changed?

---

  I'll assume you used the desktop version both last year for your 2020 return and this year for your 2021 return.   Does the following describe what you are experiencing?

• When you went through the screens this year in the FILE section and were preparing to efile your 2021 return, was the 2020 AGI from last year prepopulated?    If so, when you compared that prepopulated  AGI figure to the 2020 AGI printed on a 2020 Form 1040, Line 11, the 2 figures were different, so you changed it to match your printed copy then tried to efile the 2021?

If that describes your situation, here are some additional thoughts:

• If the prepopulated figure (that transferred in) that you saw in the FILE section was wrong, do you still have your 2020 software installed and can look at your 2020 Form 1040 inside the 2020 software in Forms Mode?
• Do you by any chance have more than one *.tax2020 data file from last year and could have transferred-in from the wrong one?  Some people start different instances to test things, or start over, etc. and can end up with more than one.
• Or did you experiment in your return after filing last year and could have possibly changed any figures that overwrote your original filed 2020 return?

NOTE:   Even if you ended up efiling this year by entering the correct 2020 AGI, there are some scenarios where an AGI rejection will occur even when it is correct.

Did you by any chance happen to file the 2020 return real late in the year, or was there a long delay in processing your return, such that the IRS had not finished processing it by November 2021?   When a return had not finished processing prior to November 2021, folks often have to verify their efile by using an AGI of 0.

[mesquitebean]

@MKillian123   I added some more into to the answer I wrote you above.  You may have been emailed the original answer without the added points.  Please return to the forum to see the full answer.

[MKillian123]

Yes, the populated amount differed from the printed return.  After spending time looking thru it, I realized the difference was in the unemployment number.  Even though it was not taxable, Turbo tax was including it in the AGI populated amount.  I resubmitted using the incorrect AGI which matched the populated amount and it was accepted by the IRS.  Not sure why, but it worked.

[MKillian123]

The IRS website stated that in late March, the IRS changed the AGI to include unemployment but deducted it from the MAGI to exclude it for testing whether it was taxable or not based on your gross income.  When I went into 2020 return, the program updated since Turbo tax must have known this, and carried forward the corrected AGI.  But the actual return I submitted I used the AGI on the printed efiled return.  Not sure why Turbo Tax didn't instruct us to not use line 8 of our 1040 return if it was filed before March, since the AGI was changed by the IRS.

At any rate, the return was accepted by using the amount that Turbo Tax populated the prior year field, which added in the unemployment to the AGI.