Odd First Name

[Janitor Bob]

I know many of you are more experienced at this...so though I would request you input.....

Client's "official" name on prior year return (Self-prepared) and on subsequent IRS correspondence is "H Roy".....uses first initial of real first name and full middle name. He goes by Roy, but of course, I need to make my return in ATX match what was on in the past....which I assume will match Social Security.

Question.....How do I enter this in ATX? The only thing I can think is to simply use "H ROY" as his first name with no middle initial.

agree?

[Lion EA]

Don't assume. Ask him to bring in his SS card.

[Yardley CPA]

I agree with Lion, I would ask to see his SS card since it is a name you don't come across often.

[David1980]

The IRS matching only looks at the first 4 characters of the last name. So it probably doesn't matter. But I'd also enter the first name as it is on the social security card.

[MsTabbyKats]

It's hard to tell a name by the SS card.
It doesn't say "first name" is: Mary
Middle name is:Jane
Last name is: Smith

It just says Mary Jane Smith. So, the last name could be Jane Smith.

I know that's s simple example but I deal with mainly non-Americans ....whew it really gets confusing.
I start off with what they think their name is....I give it 2 tries with a variation...and then I tell them to call social security to find out exactly how it's listed.

[MsTabbyKats]

Btw..JB...if that's how he e-filed last year and it was accepted ....it will be accepted again this year.

[mcb39]

I have a few clients on whose tax returns I can only enter the initial of their first name and their entire last name because names are too long for the system to accept. Have been doing it that way for years and have never had a problem. As in J LXXXXXXXX and R LXXXXXXXX. If I remember correctly, these were the directions I was given by SSA.

[RDennis]

Both my wife and I go by our middle names, and I have always put R Dennis as my first name. My SS card has Robert Dennis. My wife is M Irene, and she also both names on her SS card. Medicare cards are different--mine is first name, middle initial. Hers is first initial, middle name. No problems with the IRS, etc.

[Jack from Ohio]

I have a few clients on whose tax returns I can only enter the initial of their first name and their entire last name because names are too long for the system to accept. Have been doing it that way for years and have never had a problem. As in J LXXXXXXXX and R LXXXXXXXX. If I remember correctly, these were the directions I was given by SSA.

If you put in the whole name, ATX will truncate and send it appropriately. It has done this since 2010.

[grmy2h]

I have one that goes through fine that way. G. Gxxxxxx Oxxxx. I enter the G. Gxxxxxx as the first name, no middle initial and Oxxxxx as last name.

[MsTabbyKats]

Just one last name story.

I have a client who is now about 30. Very long, very Polish last name.

About 5 years ago she referred her parents to me.......same very long, very Polish last name. Remember, the parents are from the days when women changed the last name....and this was a stay at home mom....not a career woma.

Return gets rejected....based on mother's name and number not matching.

I called the IRS e-file help....the rep laughed and said the mom's last name was not even close to what I wrote.

Totally confused I called mom and said there was an issue with her name (and it was the sane name on the prior paper return she gave me from the prior year). She said her name was. B---------------------ski. I then asked for her maiden name. It was Chung! Return accepted! Every year I tell her she has to get it changed at SS ....and every year I e-file her as Chung!

[RitaB]

Every year I tell her she has to get it changed at SS ....and every year I e-file her as Chung!

Yep. Every year my client says she changed her last name back to her maiden name, and every year I just smile and say, "Ok," and then file it with her married name.

[michaelmars]

It's jar to tell a name by the SS card.

It doesn't say "first name" is: Mary

Middle name is:Jane

Last name is: Smith

It just says Mary Jane Smith. So, the last name could be Jane Smith.

I know that's s simple example but I deal with mainly non-Americans ....whew it really gets confusing.

I start off with what they think their name is....I give it 2 tries with a variation...and then I tell them to call social security to find out exactly how it's listed.

Ms Tabby is a better person than I. I give it 2 tries and then give them a paper return to file.

I have one client that is now 91 and was married for 50 years and she worked yet never changed her name with SS so I have been using her maiden name since efiling started.

there is a different matching system for efiled vs paper filed returns.

[MsTabbyKats]

Ms Tabby is a better person than I. I give it 2 tries and then give them a paper return to file.

I have one client that is now 91 and was married for 50 years and she worked yet never changed her name with SS so I have been using her maiden name since efiling started.

there is a different matching system for efiled vs paper filed returns.

Paper returns take too long to assemble!

[mcb39]

If you put in the whole name, ATX will truncate and send it appropriately. It has done this since 2010.

But this client has been rolling over from the prior year since 1999.