Why is TurboTax telling me to mail in Form 8949 after e-filing?

[meism001]

Looks like the form 8949 is already in the 26 page e-filed return...why mail the 8949 in separately?

[Patrice · Accepted solution]

This is a requirement from the IRS.  The IRS states: If you e-file your return but choose not to report each transaction on a separate row on the electronic return, you must  mail the form8949 to the IRS. 

After entering your transactions, complete and file your tax return as you normally would. Be sure to follow these extra instructions:

E-filed returns – Within three days after the IRS has accepted your return, mail the Form 8949 generated by TurboTax, a copy of the summary statements provided by your broker, and the Form 8453 generated by TurboTax, to the following address:

Internal Revenue Service
Attn: Shipping and Receiving, 0254
Receipt and Control Branch
Austin, TX 73344-0254

For more information please visit the instructions for form 8949:  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8949.pdf

https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/4926553

[gmanwot]

Need more information please.  I did not specify that I did not want to submit 8949, I never even saw a reference to this kind of option and would like to know why this is an option.

Did Turbo Tax default to NOT sending the IRS everything necessary and forget to prompt me regarding this, i.e. a bug?

How do I find the spot in Turbo Tax where it specifies to NOT send 8949 electronically?   

When I printed all forms for filing the 8949 is included.  Does this mean the 8949 was submitted electronically?

Thanks for the help.

[fanfare]

If your form 8949 shows "M" in the code column, that is a summarized 8949.

The summarized form 8949 goes with your e-File (don't mail it again) ,the details are supplied by you separately.

If you have code M, you elected the mail in option, knowingly or unknowingly.

If there is no code M, then all the required details are already in your e-filed tax return. 

[lulu]

I have the same issues for two consecutive years...it is really annoying that I have to run to the post office to mail even if after e-filing. Could you please show us how to avoid having to mailing the form 8949? Where exactly that I can change the election?  Appreciate that if you could elaborate on it or show the screenshots of Turbotax.  

[GeorgeM777]

It could be that each transaction has not been reported on a separate row.  IRS instructions for Form 8949 provide the following with regard to the requirement to mailing a Form 8949:

• If you e-file your return but choose not to report each transaction on a separate row on the electronic return, you must either (a) include Form 8949 as a PDF attachment to your return, or (b) attach Form 8949 to Form 8453 (or the appropriate form in the Form 8453 series) and mail the forms to the IRS. 

Review your Form 8949 that was e-filed with your return and see whether each transaction has been reported on a separate row.  

@lulu

[lulu]

Thank you very much for your answer. Yes, that must be the reason. I didn't report each transaction on a separate row. Turbotax automatically chose choice (b) for me; how can I change it to choice (a)? For choice b, I just print out the form 8949 from Turbotax and mail it to IRS. I feel this is completely waste of time. Since Turbotax already has the form 8949, why not go for choice (a)?  Or at least, it can notify me to choose between a and b, not letting me mail after I efile. 

• If you e-file your return but choose not to report each transaction on a separate row on the electronic return, you must either (a) include Form 8949 as a PDF attachment to your return, or (b) attach Form 8949 to Form 8453 (or the appropriate form in the Form 8453 series) and mail the forms to the IRS. 

[tiredesign]

Totally agree, same issue with me.

Turbo Tax needs to improve on this one.

[fanfare]

If you summarize (recommended for active investors),

you only need to supply details of 1099-B covered transactions with adjustments that are not listed on your e-Filed Form 8949. and all non-covered transactions not listed there.

In other words, for active investors, generally this is a list of the Wash Sales.

You may supply details on your separate Form 8949, or other document with the same information and in the same manner as Form 8949.

Note: turboTax has started to suppress covered transactions without adjustments that you entered in detail. For those, no mailing is required !

@tiredesign 

[ecbrown1967]

Total fail by Turbo Tax.  How hard is it to have a pop-up or a bold statement directing users to complete the information in TT to avoid having to mail the form 8949.  Looks like this has been repeating every year based on comments here.  DO BETTER!

[MarilynG1]

If you entered Sales Section Totals, you MAY need to mail Form 8949, but not always.  If: 

• The sales category for one or more summaries is something other than box A (short-term covered) or box D (long-term covered), or
• The box A or box D summary includes adjustments (typically listed in boxes 1f or 1g on your broker statement)

Here's more info on Mailing Form 8949 for Summary Totals.

A pop-up would be handy, though.

@ecbrown1967 

[ZX8]

Exactly!!!

If I have to enter these info anyway, who wants to enter it in a seperate form and go to post office? 

The software should at least warn the user !!!

[DawnC]

Send in your 1099-B - @ZX8   Tip: In lieu of Form 8949, you can substitute copies of your year-end broker statements that show the individual transactions. You don't need to include unadjusted Box A or Box D transactions.

Do I have to mail in Form 8949?

[ZX8]

@DawnC Thank you for the suggestion!

I am wondering all the time why IRS invented this new 8949 form but literally we have 1099-B that has all the same information. 

I agree with you and I really wish we can do it that way. However, I asked Gemini and chat-GPT, both says if condition satisfied, we can use schedule-D only for tax return; if 8949 is needed in your case, you have to submit 8949 and can not just submit 1099-B to IRS.

Since I've entered all my information into 8949 already, I'll mail in 8949 this time. Next year, I'll revisit this post and see if people can confirm that 1099-B is indeed sufficient to be submitted with form 8453.

[baldietax]

Form 8453 says you can mail statement with equivalent information.  But generally you shouldn't need to do this unless you have some large volume of adjustments you can't import and don't want to input.

If you already entered sales which have adjustments (wash sales, AMD etc) or non covered securities on Form 8949 which will reflect on Schedule D lines 1b/8b onwards, and any Sales Summary entries do not have adjustment codes which will reflect on Schedule D line 1a/8a, then no additional mailing should be needed.  If TT is telling you to do this double check the 1099s, unless it's some issue with TT prompting needless mailings to IRS.

Desktop version provides a prompt to confirm whether mailing is needed, and you can see it on 1099-B worksheet forms.  I had 30 detailed entries on 8949 this year and no mailing required.  Not sure how online handles this.