Why is TT telling me to mail Form 8453 to the IRS manually? I uploaded a PDF of my detailed 1099-B to TurboTax. Doesn't TT send my uploaded PDF 1099-B w my e-filing?

[nickroeder]

@Irene2805 Thank you. I get a conflicting answer everytime I get one though. TurboTax Premiere did allow me to upload the PDF after I entered summaries. I wasn't importing it from my broker.

If TurboTax didn't have this glitch with importing it I wouldn't have reached the stage where I was uploading the PDF to begin with.

The email I received from TurboTax stated my federal return has been accepted and it didn't list any steps for me to take next.

At this point it is quite literally impossible for me to know what the actual answer is.

I'll probably go ahead and send the forms in and my brokerage 1099 form just to be safe.

I seriously despise TurboTax. Like deeply.

[WendyN2]

Per the IRS:

Form 8453 is required to be filled out and mailed to the IRS when one or more of the forms below are included in an e-filed return.

Form 3115, Application for Change in Accounting Method. Form 5713, International Boycott Report. Form 8858, Foreign Disregarded Entities Information Return.

If you are filing your tax return using an online provider, mail Form 8453 to the IRS within 3 business days after you have received acknowledgement from your tax preparation software company that your return has been received and accepted for processing.

[rickhuizinga]

Per TurboTax:

"Now we'll help you upload your 1099-B since the IRS requires a copy

The IRS requires a copy of your 1099-B because you need to provide documentation for some of the transactions on your sales summary.

If you have a PDF copy, upload it and we'll send it to the IRS for you.

If you don't have a PDF copy, you can skip upload and we'll help you mail a paper copy."

[fanfare]

Other tax software programs (well at least one) have had this feature for many years.

TurboTax/Intuit  isn't making it any easier to believe they have finally caught up in this area.

For instance, why no documentations or FAQ ?

Why do the "Employee Tax Experts" not answer consistently?

You may as well just e-File and not mail anything.

IRS will ask for the paper work if they need/want it.

[nickroeder]

@rickhuizinga Thank you! I remember going through that process of uploading my 1099 PDF. I used the Premiere version... Clearly I'm receiving incorrect information from the experts. I feel like I'm being gaslit.

As your comment states per TurboTax: "If you have a PDF copy, upload it and we'll send it to the IRS for you."

I successfully uploaded my PDF but much later in the process I was told I need to snail mail it in. After I submitted my return and receiving the acceptance email I was told by TurboTax that there were no further steps.

So TurboTax has told me I don't have to send it in, that I do have to send it in, then that I don't have to send it in. Wow...

All of this because the normal import function is non-operational.

All of this when the IRS is sent this information anyway...

All of this because Intuit lobbies the government to keep it frustrating.

All of this and I wasn't even aware there was a true free edition accessible at freefile.intuit.com

I can't even express my levels of frustration with Intuit. I will NOT be using TurboTax in the future!

[agent991]

@Irene2805 

I appreciate the response but this is the opposite of what the TurboTax online interview page indicates.

Since I entered a summary of the 1099-B transactions to Turbotax, Turbotax correctly indicates that the detailed transaction INFORMATION from my 1099-B form be sent to the IRS.  So Turbotax says this - 

"Now we'll help you upload your 1099-B since the IRS requires a copy.

The IRS requires a copy of your 1099-B because you need to provide documentation for some of the transactions on your sales summary.

If you have a PDF copy, upload it and we'll send it to the IRS for you.

If you don't have a PDF copy, you can skip upload and we'll help you mail a paper copy."

How can this mean anything other than "IF YOU HAVE A PDF COPY, UPLOAD IT AND WE'LL SEND IT TO THE IRS FOR YOU" ? 

These statements are pretty clear and I don't know how they can be misinterpreted.  If you are telling us that Turbotax cannot send the PDF copy to the IRS, then the only possibility is that the statements in quotes were written incorrectly by the Turbotax authors/programmers, and a year later, those incorrect statements still exist.  AND many people are being misled to believe that Turbotax online is doing what it says it is doing - sending the PDF copy of the 1099-B to the IRS.  Which is kind of a big deal, because you are telling us Turbotax is not doing that.

There are many users posting to this thread with this same question/problem.  None of the "answers" have resolved the inconsistencies.  I don't know how many more different ways we can state the problem so that the "experts" understand the problem.  So frustrating.

[fanfare]

@nickroeder 

visit www.irs.gov to find truly free filing of your tax return if your income is low enough.

BUT

It is not the case that the transaction information is sent to IRS already.

That is only true for covered transactions (category A and D).

for category A and D transactions  with no adjustments, no mailing is necessary.

[milnivlek]

Just to be clear: since last year (2020), TurboTax' online version has two distinct points in the flow where you can upload your 1099-B:

• At the start: This upload is to pre-populate the values for you
• At the end: This upload is to provide the IRS with a copy of the individual transaction details

Folks here are mainly talking about the second point (at the end). If you uploaded your 1099-B then, then TurboTax claims that they will send the copy to the IRS for you.

It's hard to be certain, but I think it's most likely a bug that the filing instructions still ask you to mail in Form 8453 separately. Since TurboTax now specifically includes a new step to upload the 1099-B for the express purpose of sending a copy to the IRS, I think it's reasonable to assume that that's what they will do.

So I for one will not bother mailing in a physical copy of Form 8453 and the documents.

[pesbos]

doesn't the IRS get a copy of the 1099 -B?

[DianeW777]

Yes, the IRS has a copy of your Form 1099-B and they will reconcile it with your tax return at some point.

If you are confident that your statement of transactions was uploaded with your tax return, then there is no need to mail the statement with Form 8453 to the IRS.  Keep the statement and Form 1099-B with your tax records should you need them later for any question.

[drennman]

I also had TT tell me to file Form 8453 with box "Form 8949" checked.  That line instructs me to send a paper copy of form 8949 "if you elect not to report your transactions electronically on Form 8949." 

I did enter them on Form 8949 with Box D checked and did not summarize Box D (basis reported to the IRS) transactions on Schedule D.  If you do summarize them I understand that you will have to send a copy of Form 8949 to the IRS (Austin TX). 

But since I did not summarize them and entered them on Form 8949 why is TT printing form 8453 and telling me to send a paper copy of Form 8949?  

How do I know what forms TT e-file actually sent to the IRS?

[MaryM428]

TurboTax does prompt you to upload the pdf of the 1099-B, but TurboTax does not transmit that file to the IRS.  It is just uploaded for documentation purposes.  You still need to print out and mail the 8453 and the pdf.  

[jesustax]

Thank you MaryM428 for the response. A follow up question:

As many others have clearly exposed the dialog says:

If you have a PDF copy, upload it and we'll send it to the IRS for you.

Which from your answer, is not true, so it is a bug (I don't think that my tax return sofrware lying to me should be considered as 'working as expected').

It seems that this bug has been around at least since the last tax session.

Is there any way to report and track the status of TTax outstanding bugs like this one so they can be fixed and TTax users can avoid going through all this pain over and over?

Thank you.

[jesustax]

My advice regarding this situation:

If you get the 8453 try to enter your stock sales one by one.

If the IRS doesn't have your 1099-B it will be curious about it of you report a summary. The main reason in that in you report summary there are no transaction dates so short/long cannot be determined.

2 Reasons why the IRS didn't receive your 1099-B:

2.1- There is no 1099-B. For example you have stock in a foreign broker that doesn't care about 1099-Bs.

2.2- There is 1099-B but the institution didn't send it to the IRS.

IIRC this means your sales are any other than 'A' or 'D' type (reported to IRS).

If you are in either 2.1 or 2.2 you can avoid the dreaded 8453 by adding your stock sales one by one. 

If you are in 2.1 or 2.2 and report a summary TTax will ask you to upload the 1099-B basically in order to make your life misserable telling you the big lie that they will send it. They won't. At least, in the end they are honest and tell you that you have to send the 8453 because in theory you have to.

Of course you also can pass and wait for the IRS to ask to for it, but that's your own decision, I don't know if that could make the IRS upset or not. 

Sources:

- My own painful experience.

- https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/forms/help/do-i-need-to-fill-out-or-mail-in-form-8949/00/27232 .

Good luck!

[fanfare]

@jesustax 

If you summarize, you must summarize by sales category.

Sales categories A,B,C  are Short Term.

Sales categories D,E,F are Long Term.