How soon do you file a 1040X

[mdmcfarland]

I e-filed a return and then noticed that the federal withholding was entered wrong (I know - I should have checked it closer). How long should I wait to mail an amended return. The 1040X is in progress right now and isn't even ready yet. Can I do it as soon as it is ready or should I wait longer?

[TAXBILLY]

I would wait until the original return clears to avoid headaches.

taxbilly

[Virtual Managed Solutions]

AND.. you never know, maybe for some oddball reason it'll get rejected?

[AnnieR]

I always wait until the return has been accepted and the refund has been received.

AnnieR

[mdmcfarland]

Thanks. I thought it would be best to wait until it has been cleared and the refund received. It sure would make it simpler if it WOULD be rejected, but I'm not counting on that.

[neilbrink]

I would send in the corrected form ASAP. It should be identified as "Corrected" rather than as "Amended" since it is going in before April 15th.

[David1980]

I would send in the corrected form ASAP. It should be identified as "Corrected" rather than as "Amended" since it is going in before April 15th.

And yet nobody has ever found a citation for a correct return. Tax Topic 308 is my favorite link when this comes up.

http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc308.html

"If you are filing to claim an additional refund, wait until you have received your original refund (you may cash that check). To avoid penalty and interest, if you owe additional tax for a current year amended return, file Form 1040X and pay the tax by April 15 of the current year."

Right there it answers both questions. How long to wait? Well if expecting an additional refund wait until you have received your original refund. The second part though indicates to file a 1040-X prior to 4/15.

My guess is that if you go back long enough the "correct return" thing was the proper way to do it so anyone saying not to do an amended before 4/15 has probably been around a long time and has lots of tax experience. A good thing, but use the current guidelines for amending returns? :)

[chadlonetree]

You are trying to figure out what the correct thing to do it. The logical thing is to send 1040X ASAP. All of them I processed in the Fresno, CA office last year took at least 4 months to begin processing. They didn't get amended until usually 6-9 months.

[kcjenkins]

I e-filed a return and then noticed that the federal withholding was entered wrong (I know - I should have checked it closer). How long should I wait to mail an amended return. The 1040X is in progress right now and isn't even ready yet. Can I do it as soon as it is ready or should I wait longer?

Have you considered calling the e-file Help Desk? If you call soon enough, you MIGHT get lucky and get someone helpful, who will let you fax her a copy of the W-2 or whatever, and make the change herself to the thing, before the return is processed. I know, it does not often happen, but I have heard of it happening. Worth a try.