internal revenue services?

Question

I had my taxes done for free by aaarp electronically on Mon 16. They call my work number and left a message telling me it was rejected because my 15 year old daughter who also had her taxes done by them had claimed herself as a dependent. She works 1 1/2 hours a day from a work study at the high school. I asked if I was allowed to claim her and was told yes. These people put in all the information in the computer and told us what our refunds would be. I owed state 104.00 and send the payment off that day. These people called on the 17 at work but I was not there that day but they also had my cell phone which they did not call, so I get the message on the 18. My return was rejected because the person who did my daughter taxes filled in my daughter claiming herself as a dependent who is 15. I tried to contact these people but is not getting any help. The message said I need to mail a copy of my filings out but the due date has passed. Will I be held responsible for penalties & interest?

Answer 1

I work with the AARP program in PA. A couple of years ago, I had a return that was rejected on the last day, and had to be mailed in because it couldn't be efiled. I was told to have a copy of my rejection notice included with the mailed return and all would be ok and it wouldn't be considered late - and it did work out OK, with no penalties for the person whose return it was. I think there was a time limit to send it in, just a few days or maybe a week, but I don't remember for sure. But you need to get this sorted out quickly.

As someone said above, TaxAide sites are closed now, but most of the volunteers still take calls at home - I do, as well as the people I work with. We're not done until all loose ends are tied up.

Call the person who prepared your return and ask them for a copy of the rejection notice, and include it when you mail your return, along with a note from you explaining the situation. You'll probably be OK and not have to pay penalties or interest. If you can't get the copy of the reject notice, a note would probably end up being enough.

Your state return might or might not have gone through. For what we use, if the federal rejects, the state doesn't get filed either - since it's the same program, that might be the case for yours too. Ask the person who prepared your return.

Your daughter will have to amend her return dropping her claim to her own exemption - and if that makes her owe taxes, she'd have to pay them, but it probably wouldn't matter so she probably won't owe anything. The people who did her return actually should prepare the amendment without charging for it - they sure should have asked, knowing that she was only 15, whether she could be claimed as a dependent. But you don't HAVE TO have them do the amendment.

If your daughter doesn't amend her return, you'll both end up dealing with some more IRS paperwork trying to sort out who has the right to the exemption.

Good luck. Many of the AARP volunteers would help guide you through fixing this.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me - see my profile to send an email.

Answer 2

Depends on if the tax preparer takes responsibility for their work. Why would they have a 15 year old claim herself, unless she made too much money. Either way, I think they should have checked the filing status of your daughter since it was the same people that prepared both returns. I sure would have checked - we do check! Personally we also keep calling our clients until we actually speak with them - especially when it come to tax returns (we left messages for a week on all phone numbers when we hadn't heard for a client!)

You do have a mess to take care of. Hopefully they will assist you. Call the IRS.

Good luck!

Answer 3

As of now you have not filed your return, but if you act quickly (within the next two days), you will not be assessed a failure to file penalty because the IRS knows that you attempted to file and the return was rejected. However, you will have to now file a paper return by mail.

If you mail in your return as originally prepared, with a cover letter explaining what happened, you should be OK.

At the same time (but in different envelopes), your daughter also needs to mail in an amended return and remove her personal exemption.

Both you and your daughter will also need to file amended state returns by mail.

Answer 4

The AARP Taxaide service is provided for free by unpaid (but trained and tested) volunteers. They would have been happy to help you resolve this, but they are now closed for the year. They don't provide any financial compensation, even if it was their mistake.
You would be responsible for any interest, but the IRS normally would waive any penalties if you explain the situation to them. Don't try to explain it now. Just mail in your return and have your daughter file a 1040X to amend hers.

Answer 5

Your daughter needs to amend her return. By law she could not claim herself . You are entitled to her exemption.

Answer 6

No, yet his taxes have been paid via a fish! Mat 17:27 (17:26) yet that we are able to possibly no longer scandalize them, bypass to the sea, and solid in a hook: and that fish which shall first arise, take: and while thou hast opened this is mouth, thou shalt detect a coin: take that, and supply it to them for me and thee.