Bizarre Behavior of Where's My Refund Tool

[Chowdahead]

Ok, now I'm starting to get slightly suspicious Yesterday a client called and told me she looked up her refund on the IRS website and it was saying there was an error with the return and to check with the preparer. I have never seen this type of message on the IRS website before so I was skeptical. She was filed on Jan 31 and has EIC.

So opened Google Chrome and looked up her status on IRS.gov and it actually said something along the lines of..."there was an error on your return: There cannot be an asterisk or any symbols after the filer SSN." I opened the return and there were no errors.

I tried to print out the refund status but for some reason Google Chrome will not print that damn page from the IRS.gov website (arrggg.. another annoyance). So I immediately fired up Internet Explorer and looked up her status and now the message read "Your refund is being processed. Your refund will be issued when a deposit date is available."

How could I be getting two different results within two minutes??!!

This is worrying me that ATX 2012 may have had issues getting complete and accurate data in all e-files to the IRS. Why should be still have confidence that ATX was able to be error-free and successful in handing-off to the IRS via e-file when their entire program has been a disaster leading up to that point?

And this isn't just related to EIC. I have multiple clients who have no EIC on their returns and are still waiting and their status says it's being processed and will be deposited when a date will become available.

Either ATX screwed up the e-files, or the IRS is having major programming issues.

[Eli]

This was posted yesterday in the 'Official' ATX Community:

We got word from the IRS that they will stop the process of communicating with the taxpayer when Form 8867 appears not complete and will start processing the refunds. The IRS started processing the 8867 inventory over the weekend and is starting to release refunds and expects to be complete by the end of this week.

This was from an industry call that we participated in this afternoon.

Kim Manuel
VP - Customer Relations

[BulldogTom]

There were problems with the 8867 in ATX right from the start. So IRS did not reject, but held the returns with 8867? Now they decided it is too late to reject, too much work to hand check, and they are just going to release them all?

Wierder and wierder every day.

Tom

Hollister, CA

[Chowdahead]

So am I interpreting this to mean that the IRS has given up on holding these 8867-related returns and will simply begin releasing the refunds?

[Eli]

There were problems with the 8867 in ATX right from the start. So IRS did not reject, but held the returns with 8867? Now they decided it is too late to reject, too much work to hand check, and they are just going to release them all?

Wierder and wierder every day.

Tom

Hollister, CA

By the way it sounds it wasn't just an ATX issue. I saw a similar posting the other day from PETZ(?) Enterprises. Sounds like they had the same issue.

Eli

[Gail in Virginia]

And in speaking to another preparer here locally, ProSeries had some issues early on that caused rejects in e-filed returns with EIC. I just wish it made me feel better that others are having problems, but it doesn't really. I just want mine solved!