eFile problems ?

[kcjenkins]

Just read this on the TaxTalk list. Anyone get one of these?

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!

IRS sent out notices at the end of July if you had any problems with efiling.

The notices were received around the middle of august.

30 days to respond.

efile help desk told responders they had until the end of September to respond to the first notice.

and that a warning notice would be sent out.

even if you did respond, the IRS hasn't even looked at it.

suspension notices were just sent out dated September 24,

suspension is for two years.

all this just before the 10-15 deadline.

be kind to the efile help people, they were only told last Friday that the suspension letters went out.

and that the warning letter wasn't sent.

If this is true, it's going to be a major pain for anyone affected, no matter how innocent you are.

[TAXBILLY]

I'm so glad I don't e-file.

taxbilly

[kcjenkins]

http://www.treas.gov/tigta/auditreports/20...0114fr.html#toc

[TAXBILLY]

Very interesting.

taxbilly

[jainen]

>>no matter how innocent you are<<

Come on, this isn't about being unfair. E-file has been around for 20 years, and it works smoothly if you do it the right way. I don't have any sympathy for ERO's who waste IRS resources by not bothering to prepare or file correctly.

[JohnH]

So I'm betting you have even less sympathy for us Neandertals who further waste IRS resources by insisting on paper filing & not even bothering to become ERO's - right?

Like Taxbilly, reading KC's post makes me glad I don't have a dog in this fight.

[joanmcq]

Of course, if you read the article, you realize the providers being suspended are those that didn't send in the 8453s as required. Now the system did break down when the 'send in the 8453s or else' letters went out, but what part of 'must be mailed within 3 days of filing' don't these preparers understand? Jeez, some of them were sending in over 100.

[Karen Lee]

My first year of e-filing I didn't send in 8453 for one taxpayer out of over 100. Got my letter that year. Couldn't figure out how procedure didn't work. However I managed to send in the 8453 for my own tax return and I was forgiven and allowed to continue e-filing.

I believe 8453's cannot be used for next season.

Karen Lee

[MAMalody]

I believe, unless otherwise required, the Form 8453 will not be used for the 2008 tax season, but is still generally available for the 2007 tax season.

[Don in Upstate NY]

I believe, unless otherwise required, the Form 8453 will not be used for the 2008 tax season, but is still generally available for the 2007 tax season.

Correct. Starting in January the 8453 will only be used as a transmittal cover letter for certain attachments. It will NOT be signed by anyone. See http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-dft/f8453--dft.pdf

[kcjenkins]

>>no matter how innocent you are<<

Come on, this isn't about being unfair. E-file has been around for 20 years, and it works smoothly if you do it the right way. I don't have any sympathy for ERO's who waste IRS resources by not bothering to prepare or file correctly.

But what about the times you do mail it, but the PO loses it, or the IRS loses it? Back when I still used them routinely, I mailed a package every single day. Out of the 50+ envelopes I mailed to them in my second year of efiling, two got 'lost', and the forms in them, [a total, if I remember correctly, of around 8] had to be resent. Not a big deal, but I KNOW that they were mailed on time, and I have no idea what happened to them. Still, I'm not going to just assume, as you are doing, that it is always the preparer who was in the wrong.

[joanmcq]

certified mail

[kcjenkins]

Am I the only one who thinks it is ridiculous that we should have to use certified mail for routine daily mailings, just to protect ourselves from being abused by a tax system that blames us for everything, and uses such extreme punishments without letting us correct the error, whether made by us or by the PO or by the IRS themselves?

[Tax Prep by Deb]

Am I the only one who thinks it is ridiculous that we should have to use certified mail for routine daily mailings, just to protect ourselves from being abused by a tax system that blames us for everything, and uses such extreme punishments without letting us correct the error, whether made by us or by the PO or by the IRS themselves?

KC,

You are not the only one who thinks it's ridiculous.

I personally feel the whole certified mail thing is a way for the post office to make more money. If they did their job the right way no one would need to send anything certified.

As to IRS receiving and losing what has been sent, this too is common, especially it seams if you send more than one item in a single envelope. I had a client send in three years worth of ammended returns that actually wiped out a debt owed to IRS and somehow IRS only received one of the years in question, the smallest one of course!

Just my two cents worth!

Deb!

[joanmcq]

NEVER NEVER NEVER send three years of returns in the same envelope!!! The GS .5 in the mailroom will take the docs out of the envelope and staple them all together. The first return on the stack gets processed, and the rest get lost.

This year I did efile all of my extensions, and was happy to have the confirmation that the extension was received. I wasn't happy that my direct debit failed to go through, and had to send a check late...at least I test processes like these on my own return...

[mcb39]

I agree with KC that certified should not be necessary. I also agree with Joan about the sending of more than one year in an envelope. We have been repeatedly warned about this at seminars. Many times two out of the three get lost simply because they are considered to be part of the whole and never get reviewed. Not that this is the right way to do things on their end; it is just the possible way and shoud be avoided if at all possible.

[Tax Prep by Deb]

I learned the hard way.

It was the first and only time that I did this, and fortunately everything was still filed timely and refunds should be forth coming, but I agree in the future one per envelope.

Thanks for your imput

Deb!