Error Electronic Filing: This feature requires a Fast Path validation check

[Fargo IT Guy]

I have a client who has ProSeries 2019 installed on a Windows Server 2012R2 system. When attempting to submit a return for electronic filing, the following error is generated:

This feature requires a Fast Path validation check. Please connect to the internet so that your Fast Path may be validated, then try again.

This happens for any return. As far as I can tell, the internet  is working fine on the system. Updates download. The web browser works. Other applications are fine. Everything seems normal. I've spent two hours on the phone with Intuit Support, but they don't have any solution yet.

I did some additional debugging myself with Microsoft's Process Monitor, and found that when e-filing is chosen, the application is trying to connect to this web site:

SERVER2012R2:52497 -> ec2-54-149-154-172.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com:https

I'm not sure why it's trying to do that specifically, but the next thing I found it that it is writing to this log file:

C:\ProWin19\32bit\logs\proseries.txt

The last thing in the log is four instances of the following error:

2020-02-16 13:10:32,584 [1] ERROR [GetCurrentDateTime Intuit.Applications.ProSeries.Utils.InternetDateTime.InternetDateTime] - URI: https://www.intuit.com

System.Net.WebException: The operation has timed out

   at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetResponse()

   at Intuit.Applications.ProSeries.Utils.HttpWeb.WrapHttpWebRequest.GetResponse()

   at Intuit.Applications.ProSeries.Utils.InternetDateTime.InternetDateTime.GetDateTimeFromHeaders()

   at Intuit.Applications.ProSeries.Utils.InternetDateTime.InternetDateTime.GetCurrentDateTime(String[] uris)

It appears that the application is trying to load a page from an AWS site, and then pull the current date and time from the header on that page. The operation times out, so the ProSeries application concludes that the internet must not be available.

I'm not sure what pulling the date and time from a web page header has to do with e-filing a tax return. It may just be a way of checking that a site is active.

Anyway, this happens on both ProSeries 2019 and ProSeries 2018 on this Windows Server 2012R2 system.

We made sure the latest updates are installed. We re-licensed the system We've tried things like turning off the firewall and antivirus. I don't have any other ideas of what on the local system could cause this problem. It seems like it could be something on the server side at Intuit.

Has anybody else experienced this problem and found a solution? My client really wants to be able to electronically file some tax returns, because they're starting to stack up!

Thanks in advance for your help.

[abctax55]

Try the simple step of *re-licensing* the software (it's somewhere in tools/menu/?  - I don't speak PS as I'm a Lacertian ;-(. 

Do it for 2018 AND 2019.

I've read that often works miracles.. and I'm not sure support is up to speed on it.

Good luck

[Fargo IT Guy]

That's a reasonable suggestion. We did try that for 2019, but can try it for 2018 as well.

Count me skeptical, as there seems to be a separate message that indicates that Fast Path isn't licensed, and that's not the message we are getting. Plus, when I was working with ProSeries support, they verified on their end that the license was valid.

It can't hurt to try re-licensing, though. It's a fast process, taking only a couple minutes.

[Fargo IT Guy]

Tied the suggestion of refreshing the licensing. The process succeeded, but didn't change anything when trying to electronically file a return. The same error was generated.

[Anthony S]

Hello. 

Verify the "Region" setting in Control Panel.  The Format 'language' must be set to English (United States).  Once this is changed relicense ProSeries, and print and e-file as normal.

I hope this helps!

[EcuNauta]

YES...!!!    This is the right solution.