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

[ChrisAGC]

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.

[BastaPa]

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? 

[slaughtk]

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.

[BastaPa]

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. 

[dudgar]

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.

[lasafro]

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. 

[cchin0021]

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

[BastaPa]

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!!! 

[cchin0021]

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.

[smanda]

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!