2018 UltraTax CS
Question
What do I need to consider when resubmitting an electronically filed return or extension?
Answer
The IRS does have an annual downtime for maintenance that begins in late December until the start up in mid-January. Refer to the IRS Modernized e-File (MeF) Status Page for maintenance downtimes. For information about years supported for electronic filing, see Years supported for electronic filing (FAQ).
Paper filing rejected returns
Publication 4163 states, “Before filing a paper return, corporations, partnerships and tax-exempt organizations required to e-file (mandated) must contact the e-help Desk (1-866-255-0654) to attempt to resolve the rejection conditions. If the rejection conditions cannot be resolved, these taxpayers must receive authorization from the e-help Desk before filing a paper return.”
When a rejected electronic return must be paper filed after the due date, the IRS recommends that you do the following to ensure the return is considered timely filed.
- Contact the e-help Desk at 1-866-255-0654 to obtain a case number for the original rejection.
- Include an explanation for why the return is being filed after the due date, a copy of the rejection notification, and a brief history of actions taken to correct the rejection.
- Write “REJECTED ELECTRONIC RETURN – [DATE]” in red on the top of Page 1 of the paper return with [DATE] being the date of the first rejection within the 10 calendar day perfection period.
Note: To obtain a copy of the rejection notification, print the ELF History Report for the client. This report also indicates the date you electronically filed the return and the date the return was rejected. To print this report, choose Utilities > Electronic Filing Status, highlight the desired client's U.S. return row in the status list, click the Print button, and click the ELF History Report option.