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Orcabait91
Returning Member

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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. 

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30 Replies
Irene2805
Expert Alumni

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

If you are married and filed jointly in 2019 and again this year, then put the same AGI for both you and your spouse. 

 

@Orcabait91

Orcabait91
Returning Member

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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!

Orcabait91
Returning Member

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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. 

KathrynG3
Expert Alumni

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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?

What is my tax filing status?

 

@Orcabit91

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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.

ThomasM125
Employee Tax Expert

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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.

 

 

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Orcabait91
Returning Member

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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. 

 

KathrynG3
Expert Alumni

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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:

State Return Refund Tracking

jzj92
New Member

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

We are having the same problem. Did you put the same AGI number in for both individual and spouse?

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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!

Orcabait91
Returning Member

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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. 

Orcabait91
Returning Member

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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. 

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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.

KathrynG3
Expert Alumni

eFiling and AGI: Married filed jointly

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.

 

@fornext_tt

@jzj92

@20Confused21

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