My cpa just told me my efile for 2019 federal income tax return was rejected by irs. He blamed it on decreased staffing at irs due to covid and said I would have to file by mail. Anyone else have this happen? Any other options besides filing by mail?

stamper said:

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My cpa just told me my efile for 2019 federal income tax return was rejected by irs. He blamed it on decreased staffing at irs due to covid and said I would have to file by mail. Anyone else have this happen? Any other options besides filing by mail?

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Go directly to an IRS office, upper deck their toilet, piss on the floor, turn it in in person.

When it's rejected, the IRS sends back a rejection code that tells you why they rejected it. There's not an actual person at the IRS hand-approving efile submissions. It's all computer based, which is the point of eFile to begin with.

Sounds to me like he encountered some diagnostic with the XML that he doesn't want to fix, and is making up an excuse. Ask to see the rejection notice, which will have the rejection reason, if you don't want to paper file.

He said this was the code. I guess someone stole my ss#

Form: 1040
Code: R0000-902-01
Taxing Authority: Federal

Explanation:
Taxpayer TIN in the Return Header must not be the same as a TIN of a previously accepted electronic return for the return type and tax period indicated in the tax return.

stamper said:

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He said this was the code. I guess someone stole my ss#

Form: 1040
Code: R0000-902-01
Taxing Authority: Federal

Explanation:
Taxpayer TIN in the Return Header must not be the same as a TIN of a previously accepted electronic return for the return type and tax period indicated in the tax return.

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So let's set your expectations now. Someone has filed a fraudulent return with your SSN and received a refund, probably about $4000. It's going to take months and months and months to get resolved and somewhere along the way the IRS is going to tell you that you have to repay that refund they issued to the fraudster. It won't matter to them that the return they accepted and processed could not have possibly been correct because it had no K-1's from any of the businesses you have owned for years, they will still assert that the ID theft is your responsibility and you are responsible for the fraudulent return. Didn't happen to me but to a good friend and that's a pretty close approximation of the circumstances.

Good luck. This won't be fun but please keep us updated on how it unfolds.

LOYAL AG said:

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stamper said:

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He said this was the code. I guess someone stole my ss#

Form: 1040
Code: R0000-902-01
Taxing Authority: Federal

Explanation:
Taxpayer TIN in the Return Header must not be the same as a TIN of a previously accepted electronic return for the return type and tax period indicated in the tax return.

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So let's set your expectations now. Someone has filed a fraudulent return with your SSN and received a refund, probably about $4000. It's going to take months and months and months to get resolved and somewhere along the way the IRS is going to tell you that you have to repay that refund they issued to the fraudster. It won't matter to them that the return they accepted and processed could not have possibly been correct because it had no K-1's from any of the businesses you have owned for years, they will still assert that the ID theft is your responsibility and you are responsible for the fraudulent return. Didn't happen to me but to a good friend and that's a pretty close approximation of the circumstances.

Good luck. This won't be fun but please keep us updated on how it unfolds.

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Sadly, Loyal Ag is correct. The IRS starts by asking you to prove you are who you are. They also ask for proof of work and the same docs you already sent them. After proving that you are the real Slim Shady, they still won't send you your return. After asking for updates from two people I know for a year, I quit asking.

I would think it was settled by now, but it was frustrating for the IRS to admit they sent out money to the wrong person, admit that they owe you money, and then say they can't send it until they close out the false one.

Man this stinks. I am due a big refund this year too. Thanks for the info.

The process is long and its not fun, but they will not require you to pay back a refund someone else got off your SSN. thats just dumb.

Sorry this happened to you though. The good news is next year they will send you a PIN to prove your identity, so this won't be a problem going forward.

gigemhilo said:

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The process is long and its not fun, but they will not require you to pay back a refund someone else got off your SSN. thats just dumb.

Sorry this happened to you though. The good news is next year they will send you a PIN to prove your identity, so this won't be a problem going forward.

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That's good to hear. My buddy was told exactly that. they would not process his return and refund until he had repaid what was paid out in error. Not joking. He was dumbfounded. I don't recall how it resolved itself but I'll ask.

LOYAL AG said:

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gigemhilo said:

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The process is long and its not fun, but they will not require you to pay back a refund someone else got off your SSN. thats just dumb.

Sorry this happened to you though. The good news is next year they will send you a PIN to prove your identity, so this won't be a problem going forward.

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That's good to hear. My buddy was told exactly that. they would not process his return and refund until he had repaid what was paid out in error. Not joking. He was dumbfounded. I don't recall how it resolved itself but I'll ask.

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That has not been my experience in the people I have worked with. I hope he got that straightened out.

LOYAL AG said:

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gigemhilo said:

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The process is long and its not fun, but they will not require you to pay back a refund someone else got off your SSN. thats just dumb.

Sorry this happened to you though. The good news is next year they will send you a PIN to prove your identity, so this won't be a problem going forward.

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That's good to hear. My buddy was told exactly that. they would not process his return and refund until he had repaid what was paid out in error. Not joking. He was dumbfounded. I don't recall how it resolved itself but I'll ask.

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It could be that your friend was told that he wouldn't get his refund until they collected the error back from the previous person. That is what they told two of my friends. They didn't have to pay it, but the IRS wouldn't release their owed money until they got it back. Later, they said until they got it cleared up. Wrong no matter how you look at it.

This happened to me a few years back. I don't remember all the details, but it was a painless inconvenience to fix. I followed the IRS instructions and I was good to go. I believe they sent me a letter with the instructions. I never get refunds, only c/f, and it wasn't impacted. Every year since, they send me a pin to use when filing online.

ItsA&InotA&M said:

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This happened to me a few years back. I don't remember all the details, but it was a painless inconvenience to fix. I followed the IRS instructions and I was good to go. I believe they sent me a letter with the instructions. I never get refunds, only c/f, and it wasn't impacted. Every year since, they send me a pin to use when filing online.

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Can you essentially "lock" your filings by starting to use a PIN? Sort of like putting a credit lock in place with the credit reporting guys?

gigemhilo said:

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LOYAL AG said:

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gigemhilo said:

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The process is long and its not fun, but they will not require you to pay back a refund someone else got off your SSN. thats just dumb.

Sorry this happened to you though. The good news is next year they will send you a PIN to prove your identity, so this won't be a problem going forward.

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That's good to hear. My buddy was told exactly that. they would not process his return and refund until he had repaid what was paid out in error. Not joking. He was dumbfounded. I don't recall how it resolved itself but I'll ask.

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That has not been my experience in the people I have worked with. I hope he got that straightened out.

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You and Harkrider have similar answers and they are a lot more logical so we'll go with that. I'd hate to think what my buddy told me was actually how they proceed.

gigemhilo said:

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LOYAL AG said:

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gigemhilo said:

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The process is long and its not fun, but they will not require you to pay back a refund someone else got off your SSN. thats just dumb.

Sorry this happened to you though. The good news is next year they will send you a PIN to prove your identity, so this won't be a problem going forward.

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That's good to hear. My buddy was told exactly that. they would not process his return and refund until he had repaid what was paid out in error. Not joking. He was dumbfounded. I don't recall how it resolved itself but I'll ask.

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That has not been my experience in the people I have worked with. I hope he got that straightened out.

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This has been my experience with my affected clients as well. There was a big spike in these several years ago and since I haven't seen as many but they are still out there. Go ahead and paper file to get the process started, hopefully you didn't have a large refund.

Seriously **** the IRS.

Need to fire your CPA for not explaining the obvious and rather important-to-know reason you were rejected.

Happened to me a few years ago. It was a pain, but it got handled without the IRS saying anything dumb. Process was just slow and now use PINs every year.

Harkrider 93 said:

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LOYAL AG said:

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stamper said:

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He said this was the code. I guess someone stole my ss#

Form: 1040
Code: R0000-902-01
Taxing Authority: Federal

Explanation:
Taxpayer TIN in the Return Header must not be the same as a TIN of a previously accepted electronic return for the return type and tax period indicated in the tax return.

---

So let's set your expectations now. Someone has filed a fraudulent return with your SSN and received a refund, probably about $4000. It's going to take months and months and months to get resolved and somewhere along the way the IRS is going to tell you that you have to repay that refund they issued to the fraudster. It won't matter to them that the return they accepted and processed could not have possibly been correct because it had no K-1's from any of the businesses you have owned for years, they will still assert that the ID theft is your responsibility and you are responsible for the fraudulent return. Didn't happen to me but to a good friend and that's a pretty close approximation of the circumstances.

Good luck. This won't be fun but please keep us updated on how it unfolds.

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Sadly, Loyal Ag is correct. The IRS starts by asking you to prove you are who you are. They also ask for proof of work and the same docs you already sent them. After proving that you are the real Slim Shady, they still won't send you your return. After asking for updates from two people I know for a year, I quit asking.

I would think it was settled by now, but it was frustrating for the IRS to admit they sent out money to the wrong person, admit that they owe you money, and then say they can't send it until they close out the false one.

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This exact thing happened to my old boss. It took about 2 years to resolve. This was about 10 years ago so maybe it's gotten better.

stamper said:

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Man this stinks. I am due a big refund this year too. Thanks for the info.

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Man Stamper.. I wish I had more of your attitude and demeanor! You are incredibly chilled out about this. I'd be somewhere between angry as hell and out for blood.

Paper file. You will not have to pay back money someone else got on a return filed under your SSN.

flown-the-coop said:

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ItsA&InotA&M said:

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This happened to me a few years back. I don't remember all the details, but it was a painless inconvenience to fix. I followed the IRS instructions and I was good to go. I believe they sent me a letter with the instructions. I never get refunds, only c/f, and it wasn't impacted. Every year since, they send me a pin to use when filing online.

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Can you essentially "lock" your filings by starting to use a PIN? Sort of like putting a credit lock in place with the credit reporting guys?

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I don't know the answer to that. My tax expertise was oil and gas, corporate and multistate. I never heard of that as an option though. .

Maybe some of the personal tax guys will chime in with a definitive answer.

ItsA&InotA&M said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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ItsA&InotA&M said:

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This happened to me a few years back. I don't remember all the details, but it was a painless inconvenience to fix. I followed the IRS instructions and I was good to go. I believe they sent me a letter with the instructions. I never get refunds, only c/f, and it wasn't impacted. Every year since, they send me a pin to use when filing online.

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Can you essentially "lock" your filings by starting to use a PIN? Sort of like putting a credit lock in place with the credit reporting guys?

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I don't know the answer to that. My tax expertise was oil and gas, corporate and multistate. I never heard of that as an option though. .

Maybe some of the personal tax guys will chime in with a definitive answer.

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No, you cannot lock your filings. They will issue you a new identity protection PIN each year.

LOYAL AG said:

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stamper said:

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He said this was the code. I guess someone stole my ss#

Form: 1040
Code: R0000-902-01
Taxing Authority: Federal

Explanation:
Taxpayer TIN in the Return Header must not be the same as a TIN of a previously accepted electronic return for the return type and tax period indicated in the tax return.

---

So let's set your expectations now. Someone has filed a fraudulent return with your SSN and received a refund, probably about $4000. It's going to take months and months and months to get resolved and somewhere along the way the IRS is going to tell you that you have to repay that refund they issued to the fraudster. It won't matter to them that the return they accepted and processed could not have possibly been correct because it had no K-1's from any of the businesses you have owned for years, they will still assert that the ID theft is your responsibility and you are responsible for the fraudulent return. Didn't happen to me but to a good friend and that's a pretty close approximation of the circumstances.

Good luck. This won't be fun but please keep us updated on how it unfolds.

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Actually, this happened to my in-laws. They filed an affidavit with the paper return, it was accepted and life was fine for them. It did not require months to unravel.

Also happened to my sister and her husband. Was a little more difficult somehow, but same process and eventually worked out fine.

Thread update. I finally got the return direct deposited into my account today. I had to fill out the irs forms that said my identity had been stolen and do a paper file. Never had to talk to anyone in person. IRS said I would get the pin number next year.

Interestingly a few months ago i got a bill in the mail from turbotax for a 2019 return. I haven't used turbotax for more than a decade. Their fraud department was actually easy to work with and they were able to tell that someone had fraudulently filed under my ss# after a 20 min phone conversation.

Thanks for updating - sounds like they are getting better at handling the fraud cases.

Thanks for the update. Glad it worked out for you.