I am So STUPID...but I want to blame this on ATX

[BulldogTom]

We use a laptop for our seasonal office, and last week my spouse/employee began working on a tax return from hell (wanna be day trader - pages of brokerage statements). She could not finish it at the time and brought it back to the office and transferred it to the main office computer. She worked on it for a couple more days, then exported it back to the laptop. She met with the client today and finished up the return. Then she e-mailed me the export so I could e-file it from the main computer. This is a normal operation for us.

But I did not check to see that the return had been removed from the main computer after it was exported to the laptop. And then I imported it and had 2 copies. And I e-filed the wrong one!!!!!!!!

So, I know I am an idiot.....BUT.....

The returns were named exactly the same, but they did not show up side by side in the return manager list. One was on top of the "D" last names and the other was at the bottom of the "D" last names. Why would ATX allow an exact duplicate of a tax return name to be imported? I seem to remember that in past years, it would warn you that there was already a return named whatever you were trying to import (yes Jack, I know, "Forget everything you knew about prior versions of ATX"). Am I crazy to think that the software should warn of a duplicate named return?

Go ahead, kick me, I deserve it. I should have checked.

Tom

Hollister, CA

[Terry D EA]

Don't kick yourself too hard Tom. I would think a program would be designed to do just that and not allow two returns or saved files with the same name.

[Jack from Ohio]

We use a laptop for our seasonal office, and last week my spouse/employee began working on a tax return from hell (wanna be day trader - pages of brokerage statements). She could not finish it at the time and brought it back to the office and transferred it to the main office computer. She worked on it for a couple more days, then exported it back to the laptop. She met with the client today and finished up the return. Then she e-mailed me the export so I could e-file it from the main computer. This is a normal operation for us.

But I did not check to see that the return had been removed from the main computer after it was exported to the laptop. And then I imported it and had 2 copies. And I e-filed the wrong one!!!!!!!!

So, I know I am an idiot.....BUT.....

The returns were named exactly the same, but they did not show up side by side in the return manager list. One was on top of the "D" last names and the other was at the bottom of the "D" last names. Why would ATX allow an exact duplicate of a tax return name to be imported? I seem to remember that in past years, it would warn you that there was already a return named whatever you were trying to import (yes Jack, I know, "Forget everything you knew about prior versions of ATX"). Am I crazy to think that the software should warn of a duplicate named return?

Go ahead, kick me, I deserve it. I should have checked.

Tom

Hollister, CA

Whenever I export, for whatever reason, I always change the name of the exported file. Then there is no confusion. This is one more reason I avoid at all costs, doing the export import between my own computers.

[Pacun]

Even with a perfect program, we always make a mistake. On another post, I said, what's more embarrassing, to prematurely efile or not to efile, I understand how you feel and I believe prematurely efiling is the worst. When I have special circumstances (yours should be a special circumstance), I always efile a couple of day later. I tell my clients that I will need time to review one of the forms more deeply and I let them know that their refund will be available in 3 weeks if they have direct deposit.

[Jack from Ohio]

Tom,

I just duplicated your process. When I imported back into the program, the imported file had " Copy (1) of... Filename. The program has been doing this for files with the same SS# for years.

It does the same if you duplicate a return in the program, only it gives you the option to rename the duplicate return.

[BulldogTom]

Jack,

Not sure what is going on with my return, but I have 2 returns with the same name and nothing that says "copy of". I thought that was what used to happen. I am sure there is something that is different, but right now I just can't see it. 2 returns, same name.

Thanks.

Tom

Hollister, CA

[KINGCHUCK1971]

Yeah I'm used to that warning to for example Davis copy (2). I'm sure it's something that ATX will address. Thanks for the warning Tom.

[mcb39]

Tom,

I just duplicated your process. When I imported back into the program, the imported file had " Copy (1) of... Filename. The program has been doing this for files with the same SS# for years.

It does the same if you duplicate a return in the program, only it gives you the option to rename the duplicate return.

Agree!!

[RitaB]

On another post, I said, what's more embarrassing, to prematurely efile or not to efile, I understand how you feel and I believe prematurely efiling is the worst.

That's only because you have never had a call in June: "Miss Rita, we still haven't received the direct deposit of our refund, can you check on that?" Thank God it was a refund, and they are very gracious people. I am looking at their paperwork right now.

Seriously, we all make mistakes, and nobody here is stupid. I just took 15 checks to the bank, and I thought: I don't even know how I do this and keep a smile on my face. Have 30 meetings to take this amount of money to the bank when I know doctors and attorneys who can't find their butt with both hands and a flashlight. It's kind of ridiculous really.

My advice is just always own your mistakes. Tell the truth and make amends (see what I did there - "amends"?). If the client walks, you have 14 others in three days alone.

And Tom, my friend who pretends to be afraid of me, I think this probably is the fault of ATX, and your client won't care, but I do.

[joanmcq]

I wonder if your employee changed the name of the file. Mine have always had 'copy 1' attached.

[BulldogTom]

I think I found it. It looks like there is an extra space in the name. How it got there I have no clue. But apparently, that is enough to make ATX think it is a different file.

I still want to blame ATX...but it looks like it was operator error. Now if I could just figure out how an extra space got in there.

Tom

Hollister, CA

[Izzet]

I always find myself placing double spaces in things when not thinking. I used to play a ton of online FPS games and my Spacebar was my trigger button... double tap headshots ingrained these days when playing online anymore.

Tom, it is a good possibility that the operator accidentally double tapped the spacebar. Or, someone might have manually renamed the file in the program for 'ease of finding' or some such line.

[Carolbeck]

We use a laptop for our seasonal office, and last week my spouse/employee began working on a tax return from hell (wanna be day trader - pages of brokerage statements). She could not finish it at the time and brought it back to the office and transferred it to the main office computer. She worked on it for a couple more days, then exported it back to the laptop. She met with the client today and finished up the return. Then she e-mailed me the export so I could e-file it from the main computer. This is a normal operation for us.

But I did not check to see that the return had been removed from the main computer after it was exported to the laptop. And then I imported it and had 2 copies. And I e-filed the wrong one!!!!!!!!

So, I know I am an idiot.....BUT.....

The returns were named exactly the same, but they did not show up side by side in the return manager list. One was on top of the "D" last names and the other was at the bottom of the "D" last names. Why would ATX allow an exact duplicate of a tax return name to be imported? I seem to remember that in past years, it would warn you that there was already a return named whatever you were trying to import (yes Jack, I know, "Forget everything you knew about prior versions of ATX"). Am I crazy to think that the software should warn of a duplicate named return?

Go ahead, kick me, I deserve it. I should have checked.

Tom

Hollister, CA

You can always hope that the return will be rejected. Then you can send the right one. I had this happen to when the name was very long and spouse's name was hyphenated.

I usually see the Copy (1), but sometimes not