The IRS says my AGI is wrong -- it's excactly the AGI on my tax return last year -- confirmed FROM THEIR OWN WEB SITE. How do I fix this?

[7amrecords]

It's surreal - I looked at last year's returns, and the first time it was rejected I went to the IRS's own website, downloaded my transcript and return from last year, and the number I entered is exactly the same one they show. Yet the turbotax filing has been rejected twice because the IRS says I've got last year's AGI wrong. How do you fix something like this?

[mesquitebean]

If the 2024 AGI from the original 2024 return is rejected, then the next step would be to resubmit the efile using a 2024 AGI of 0. 

The IRS uses various databases, and for this one they use a specific efile database.  Sometimes the AGI doesn't work because the return was filed late in the year last year or filed on paper and took a long time to process.   At other times, it's unknown why it's not matching.  An AGI of 0 will often solve the problem.   If the AGI of 0 doesn't work, report back, and I have another suggestion on how you can likely still efile.

[7amrecords]

Thank you for the prompt response.   😊

I did resubmit the second time before posting this question yesterday, and during this resubmit the TurboTax screen showed zero as the AGI I had previously submitted.  The message was (paraphrased) "the IRS has already rejected the following amount: $0."   That was odd, because I remember entering our AGI the first time I resubmitted, and my browser's autofill function confirmed this--when I hovered my cursor over the screen to change the number from zero to the actual AGI, the same number popped up as a previous entry (before I started typing).

In any case, I'll change it to zero if it's returned to me a *third* time.  Given both of my resubmissions have the same AGI, I suspect this is a distinct possibility. 

I really do appreciate your response, and have another question, if you don't mind: we're now four days after the April 15 deadline, and if it's returned to me again it'll be the 21st (based on the pattern of every-three-days, so far).  Will I be penalized for late submittal?  My original filing was April 12, my first resubmittal was April 15, and the second on the 18th.  

(Maybe important - I'm stationed at a US military base in Germany, and have no American phone number.  I really wish I could have asked for a callback, as is offered on this website, but the Intuit database has no provisions for non-US phone numbers.)

[mesquitebean]

I don't completely understand what all you were experiencing in the program with the AGI messages when you submitted the first 2 attempts.   So see what happens with whatever you did this third time.

Please clarify something.   Is your return as a single taxpayer, or is this a married joint return, or married filing separately?   In your original question you said "my AGI" and "my return", so I assumed you were a single taxpayer.  And "most" of your response used "me, I, " etc.   Then suddenly one time you said "I remember entering our AGI the first time I resubmitted."    If you are married, are you filing a joint return, or married filing separately?  Or are you a single taxpayer?      If this is a married joint return, it's important to know exactly "whose" 2024 AGI has been rejected.

You wrote:  "Will I be penalized for late submittal?  My original filing was April 12, my first resubmittal was April 15, and the second on the 18th."

Since you efiled prior to the April 15 deadline and got rejected, you should have an extra 5-day grace period to either resubmit a successful efile or to postmark the return by April 20.    If you are due a Federal refund, there is no penalty for a late Federal return.   Furthermore, since you said "stationed at a US military base in Germany", you may qualify for an automatic 2-month military extension (without filing Form 4868) if you are active duty and stationed abroad (see article below.)    I'm a fellow user--not a tax expert, and I'm certainly not an expert on military filing and automatic extensions some are entitled to.  If you qualify and need that extension, I think you have to attach a statement to your return when you ultimately file it.   Again, if you're getting a Federal refund, that's moot, since there is no penalty for a late return that's due a refund (state return rules might vary.)   If you owe taxes due, however, you should have paid them by the April 15 deadline to avoid a "failure-to-pay" penalty (which is the heftier penalty than a late penalty).   

Intuit Article:  Military Tax Return Filing and Extensions

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/military/tax-return-filing-and-payment-extensions-for-the-milit...

[7amrecords]

Thanks again for your response.  I'll try to respond in kind, and try to keep from making things more complicated than they already are:  

12 APRIL - initial filing, a joint return which I completed and submitted for my wife and myself (like every year). I don't recall being asked about past AGIs, and everything seemed fine when I submitted.

15 APRIL - received email from TurboTax ("TT") saying "Your federal tax return was rejected. Don't worry--we can help you get it fixed." I clicked a button titled 'Fix and re-file my return,' during which I was prompted to enter last year's AGI for my wife. I located the 2024 return (also a joint spouse return), and saw the AGI was the same for each of us (I think that's normal in joint spouse returns). I entered the amount and resubmitted.

18 APRIL - received email from TT saying "Your federal tax return was rejected. Don't worry--we can help you get it fixed." Exactly a repeat of what I'd received on the 15th. Thinking I must have flubbed the number, I clicked the 'Fix and re-file my return' button and proceeded to the AGE input screen to make the correction again. In the space for entering the AGI value was a zero, and above it was the message "the IRS has already rejected this amount:" I initially thought yep, I'd flubbed it and somehow left it blank, and then proceeded to enter the same number into the space that I'd meant to enter on the 15th. As I hovered my cursor over the space, my browser's Autofill function showed me the exact number I was about to enter (the Autofill function is what shows you your own phone number or address when you're about to enter it into a webpage, based on entries you've previously made on similar webpages). Even though Autofill proved I'd previously entered the right amount I entered it again, thinking I must have clumsily erased that figure somehow, or in some other way messed it up when I resubmitted on the 15th.

After all this on the 18th, I searched the site for a way to call or chat for assistance. The closest thing I could find is a callback feature, where the user can ask to be contacted via phone by TT/Intuit. Problem is, the space for entering a contact number doesn't accommodate international numbers, and my phone number is a German #. So I sought out a forum to ask some questions, and voila - this is where I entered the original (fat-fingered) question about my AGI being "excactly" the number on the 2024 forms.

Whew, that's a lot, and if you read it all I REALLY appreciate the help!

As for my mingling of pronouns, I guess that's because though I did the filing/submitting/resubmitting, it's a joint spouse return and so therefore "our" return. Didn't mean to muddy the waters on that point.

I'm not sure if I qualify for the military extension, since I am not active duty. I am retired from active duty, but that was eons ago, and currently I am a civil servant (GS). I'll ask around about the 2-month extension.

But, as you say, if we're receiving a refund late filing isn't penalized. We are actually receiving a refund, so if that's true it's one less thing to worry about.

My initial question about being penalized came from the knowledge that a postmark on 20 April or before is the 'grace period' (one of many things I'd googled before entering the original post), but that another rejection would be after that date - the 21st).

Thank you again for your patience and thoughtful responses.

[mesquitebean]

Yes, if you are sure you are getting a Federal refund, there is no penalty for a late Federal return.  Penalties are based on tax due, and with a refund, there is no tax due.  People have up to 3 years to claim a Federal refund before the statute of limitations.

Now that I know this is a joint return, I suspect that on your first efile you entered the same  total 2024 AGI for both of you, which would be correct for the first attempt.     If the TurboTax Fix It mentioned your spouse AGI, then I suspect you got a rejection after the first efile saying that the spouse AGI was incorrect.   Again, I'm having to guess a bit because you haven't provided any rejection error codes which would have given a clue.    
       So if it said the spouse AGI was wrong, then at that point I would have recommended that your second efile would consist of using the total 2024 AGI for you and an AGI of 0 for the spouse (if it indeed was the spouse AGI that it had not liked.)    That usually solves the problem.  But if I understand correctly, you used the same 2024 total AGI for both of you, so it rejected again.

Exactly what all you did with that autofill stuff is confusing, but in any case, this table summarizes the ways that a married joint return can efile in regard to the 2024 AGI.  These are in the order that I would have tried them.     If the initial rejection error said the spouse AGI was rejected, then the most important refile would be the 2nd attempt shown in the table, which usually solves it.  Have you tried that??

.

	Primary taxpayer	Secondary taxpayer (spouse)
First try	2024 total AGI	2024 total AGI
If spouse AGI  rejected, then for second try	2024 total AGI	AGI of 0
Third try, but depends on the rejection code	AGI of 0	AGI of 0

.

If you need to respond again, please state the specific rejection error codes you've been getting.