Can I purchase something to e-file an additional e-file. I have e-filed five

[luca2886]

I e-filed 5 returns - I need one more?

[luca2886]

One of the five was rejected, and was paper filed. does this still count as the five?

[SweetieJean]

Sorry, but 5 efiles is an IRS limit.  The rest must be filed by mail.

[Howard_Woodard]

I know this is an old thread but I'll take a chance that it is still being monitored.

Like the OP I might very well need to do more that 5 filings this year and would like to do them all electronically.  You say that 5 is an IRS limit but 5 per what?  A single address?  A single copy of TT?  A single license of TT?  How would the IRS even know about the latter 2?

I'll be happy to buy additional copies of TT if that's the only way to do more than 5 e-filings but I don't want to waste my time and money if the limit is enforced of something that would still be in effect no matter how many licenses I purchase.

What, exactly, is the limit of e-filings enforced against?

Thanks in advance,

Howard

[NCperson]

I suspect it's a single copy of TT...... Load the software onto a 2nd Computer should work 

you can always snail mail additional copies.....

[Howard_Woodard]

Thanks for your response.  Probably a good guess.  That would be easy for me to do -- one copy on my desktop and one copy on my laptop.

Yes, I knew that I could mail additional returns but my preference is to e-file.

Would be nice to be able to confirm your guess. 

Howard

[Critter]

OK ... if you have a couple of easy returns ( like kids) then you can simply use the FREE version or starting in January the IRS FREE FILE version ... this will save you the cost of a second program.  

https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/online/

https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free

[SteamTrain]

Buying additional desktop copies won't get you more e-files.

As you test this later, attempting to get around the Fed limit,  make sure you get your own taxes e-filed well within the first set of 5...say at #3.....or you risk having to paper-mail file your own.

Something of note from previous years...if you e-file any of them with an incorrect SSN for any person, and it is rejected...then fix the SSN and re-e-file ?  That counts as 2 of the 5 e-files.   Fixing and re-e-filing a rejected e-file for other internal tax file reasons, not related to a named person/SSN in the Personal Info section, does not up the count.  (at least, not in past years...this year could always be different)

[xmasbaby0]

You can probably rest assured that whatever end runs you think up to get around the IRS limit of 5 federal e-files has already been considered by the Feds and prevented by the technology.  But let us know if you find a way to do it successfully.....

[Howard_Woodard]

I think you folks are assuming that I'm trying to do an end-run on this limit.  That's not the case and being a little snarky in your reply won't make it so.  I'm just trying to find out what the basis of the rule is so that I can do what is necessary to get my and my kids returns filed electronically.

On one extreme each of them could buy their own copy of TTax and, by the above posts, still couldn't all file electronically.  I doubt that's true.  I know that if each of them filed using their own online account and online filing software that they could all file electronically -- no limit of 5 or otherwise.

I love these community forums and the willingness of their members to try to help others but they aren't always the best place to get answers and it appears that's the case here.  I'll ask the TTax & IRS folks how a family of 7 can file all of their returns electronically using one or more licensed copies of TTAX and will post the answer back here.

Regards,

Howard

[SteamTrain]

@Howard_Woodard 

---

@Howard_Woodard wrote:

"......

I love these community forums and the willingness of their members to try to help others but they aren't always the best place to get answers and it appears that's the case here.  I'll ask the TTax & IRS folks how a family of 7 can file all of their returns electronically using one or more licensed copies of TTAX and will post the answer back here.

Regards,

Howard "

---

______________

IF you do find a workaround ..please don't post back.

Even if we have some ideas in-mind, we really don't like to discuss such things in this public forum

....... not because you are attempting to do anything wrong (not an issue in your situation), but it's more a case of knowing that there are thousand's of tax scammers out there who will try to use your workaround to e-file even more fraudulent tax returns with stolen names and SSNs  .  We really don't want to give them any more help in their tax crimes, something that already negatively impacts thousands of innocent people each year, and steals even more of all our tax $$.

[DoninGA]

@Howard_Woodard 

See IRS Publication 1345, Handbook for Authorized IRS e-file Providers of Individual Income Tax
Returns, page 32 - https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1345.pdf#page=32

4. Ensure that no more than five tax returns are filed electronically by one software package or from one
e-mail address;

[NCperson]

@Howard_Woodard 

And the limit is probably placed by the IRS to mitigate tax scanning discussed earlier in the thread .... so a small price to pay for printing #6 and #7 as it saves us taxpayers a lot of money 

[Carl]

The IRS limits anyone who is not a licensed tax preparer to five electronically filed returns.Anything beyond five must be printed, signed and mailed to the IRS. Additionally, each individual return must be in a physically separate envelope, each meeting it's own postage requirements separately.

[Critter]

As I mentioned before ... using the IRS FREE FILE for the kids returns is the most cost effective thing to do.