Do you know at what time of the morning that the IRS is "Scheduled" [barring any delay due to the shutdown] to accept the transmission of e-filed tax returns?

[Ernie · Accepted solution]

I believe it is 9am.

BUT and that is a big BUT I won't file any until 1/31 because there are ALWAYS some issues with the first ones to go in and NONE of my clients will mind waiting for 3 days to eliminate errors.

Dusty Ernie

[IRonMaN]

1

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

I learned my lesson back several years ago when that EIC snafu with returns filed a day or 2 after the season opened....those refunds got stuck and took longer to arrive than those filed weeks later!  I wont let my clients get caught in the IRS opening day BS again.

I always wait for Jan 31 or Feb 1st to send in my first client file!

[IRonMaN]

Yeah, you will never see me at the head of the line.  Sometimes having a little patience can be a good thing :smile:

[jlief]

I have a client who is trying to beat the father of her child from filing before her. She has a right to claim child as dependent, EIC & CTC, but last year he filed before her on opening day, so we had to mail her return in.

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

good luck to you!  If he files using TurboTax his return is probably already in queue.

[abctax55]

IMHO - that's the only good reason to jump the gun at the start.  I'd get it ready to go, & keep clicking submit 'till it goes thru.

[mojocpa]

We have 2 just sitting waiting to be the "first one in wins" game this year.

[jlief]

You mean to say that the IRS is allowing tax returns to sit in a "ready to e-file" state PRIOR to January 28, and it has priority before the official transmission acceptance date of January 28??!!!

[IRonMaN]

No

[abctax55]

Dave means HE has 2 returns sitting.   We are just fellow users of the software, this isn't Intuit support.

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

What I mean is TurboTax has been letting people efile and they hold those returns until IRS opens on Jan 28th...BUT IRS does pull some returns in early from TurboTax to test their systems...if he was in a test batch, you may be too late already.

[mojocpa]

Yep, just waiting to push the button.

[rbynaker]

Keep in mind that other software providers participate in the testing that is already ongoing.  So they are already transmitting returns and getting acks.  So even if you're clicking at 9:00:01am EST on 1/28/19 you might not get there first.  (So, what Lisa said, but not just for TurdoTax users.)

Rick

[jlief]

Wow, so people are already receiving acknowledgements from the IRS that their tax returns have been accepted prior to January 28!!! Does the IRS solicit people or software companies to do these "test runs" or is it random? I guess it couldn't be random as no one would do it unless they knew that they might get an acknowledgement. Do TurboTax returns also receive acknowledgements of being accepted too before January 28??

[The-Tax-Lady]

The IRS does HUB or BETA testing every year. ProSeries does not participate in this program but most every other software provider does. BETA testing began on 1/15/19, so if you had everything ready and entered into a participating software provider like Turdo tax or prepared at the big nationwide Tax stores, the IRS pulls those returns for testing and if it works, those taxpayers get their refunds, usually, before most people.
Every year clients will call saying so & so got their refund already and tax season hasn't even opened, that's just the way the system works. If ACKS are being received, that's a good sign for the rest of us.

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

yes, TT customers that had their returns pulled in for testing have already received acceptance or rejection notices for those returns.   

[jlief]

Okay, thanks so much for this info as I had no idea!!
Do you know if the IRS processes EVERY tax return that software with Beta testing submits, or is it also selective as to which returns they process?

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

I have no idea if its random or not.  I would guess only fairly simple returns could be chosen, since many forms for more complicated returns haven't been finalized yet and wouldn't be allowed to actually "file" until they were.

[The-Tax-Lady]

Once it's e-filed and acknowledged it's in process. Only the rejected returns, as usual, will not process.
IRS does not pick and choose which returns and as Lisa said, most of the returns are of a basic nature and not complex.