Thomas Mitchell
Active Member
Aren’t the forms just electronically scanned these days?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
IRS messed up my return
- Thread starter JKroll
- Start date
- Replies 59
- Views 9K
Aren’t the forms just electronically scanned these days?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
MNSteve
Well-Known Member
Yes, but OCR is not 100% accurate, especially if the form was filled out by a human instead of being printed by a printer.
My complaint: My state charges me to file electronically. For years I refused on principle to pay the fee, printed the forms using my tax software, and sent them in for the cost of postage. This is so stupid; it costs them significantly more to process a paper form compared to electronic filing even if the scanning goes faultlessly. They should be giving me a discount instead of charging me extra! For the last couple of years I have compromised my principles and paid the filing fee, figuring that it is my tax money that pays for it one way or another, and it's just so much less hassle to file electronically.
As Ken pointed out, Form 8834 is for credits from passive activities. Was this car purchased as a business car through a partnership or S corporation?Having problem with the IRS myself. I got a letter saying I was missing form 8834 (I think these are for 2 or 3 wheeled vehicles). I used TurboTax and everything seems to be correct and form 8936 was filed with my return. I sent them a letter saying form 8834 wasn't the right form for my vehicle and 8936 was. I wonder if they're just stalling my refund?
No, it was puchased for personal use.
Sandroad
Well-Known Member
Is it your state that charges, or the program you use that charges. Michigan does not charge to file taxes electronically, but some tax programs charge $19.95 just because they can.
MNSteve
Well-Known Member
It's the State. I use the H&R Block laptop-based software, and they do charge extra for the state program as part of their package. But this is a per-filing charge imposed by the State . . . I paid it when I filed mine, and paid again when I filed my brother-in-law's.
Even in Minnesota it is the software company that charges the fee. Just like with Federal returns, some companies have been approved to submit electronic returns. What (if anything) they charge for that is up to them. The per filing charge is by H&R Block (in your case) and not the State.
Info from Minnesota:
The software providers on this page offer free electronic filing to those who qualify.
https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/individuals/individ_income/Pages/free-electronic-filing.aspx
Robert_Alabama
Well-Known Member
@DucRider, you are a wealth of knowledge for me today. I didn't know this either. I also have been aggravated over the state filing fee without properly knowing who to blame.
MNSteve
Well-Known Member
I cannot prove you wrong, but I believe we are looking at apples and oranges here.
The site that you reference is indeed free filing but there are limits on who can avail themselves of it. This page points to another which describes H&R Block's various offerings and their cost. This is I was referring to in my original post as "charge extra for the state program as part of their package."
But in addition to this up-front cost, there is a per-filing fee for filing State returns in MN. This is assessed by the H&R Block software when the return is electronically filed. My logic - and it's only that, as I have no proof - is that this is a charge from the state that is being passed through the H&R Block software. I say this because there is no filing fee for Federal - I can file up to five returns at no additional cost at the Federal level. Why would H&R Block ding me for a state filing (after already soaking me for an extra charge to buy the state software) if they don't apply that fee at the Federal level? So my assumption - with full knowledge of what that word means - is that the state is charging H&R Block to file electronically, and they are passing along the fee to me.
Another way I think of this - and again, I have not found a specific place where the State owns up to an electronic filing fee - is that the page you refer to says, "You may qualify for free electronic filing" and then lists the criteria. That says to me, You may NOT qualify for free electronic filing" and that takes us to the page where H&R Block and other vendors are hawking their products. That page specifically says, "The following software providers have been certified to submit electronically filed returns with the Minnesota Department of Revenue." Notice the absence of the word "free" in that sentence. To me, that says that there is a fee if you don't meet the criteria in the first page, and that fee is collected at the time of filing, from the filing software.
Sandroad
Well-Known Member
I under the apples and oranges thing. All the tax programs charge for the cost of the program, even if they say the state program is "free". I'm referring to the cost of filing. Michigan does not charge a fee to file electronically (or by paper). It's the tax program that charges the fee to file the state return, just because they can.
You're making me frustrated vicariously for all the residents of Minnesota. Such a shame that they don't have the best interests of their citizens as their guide.
Both Maryland and the Federal IRS allow you to file electronically directly with them, as long as you don't mind entering all the data by hand on their electronic forms.
Both Maryland and the Federal IRS allow you to file electronically directly with them, as long as you don't mind entering all the data by hand on their electronic forms.
siddpup
New Member
Colorado also has an online free filing. I use Turbo Tax. TT would charge me extra to file the state return electronically through them. So, every year, I go through TT for my federal return (the e-file is included). Then I have it do my state taxes as though I was going to paper file and manually transfer my data to the state website. Doing it that way does at least give me figures to check against. If the state system doesn’t match TT figures, I know I’ve entered something incorrectly.
States that levy individual income taxes fall into three categories:
- They offer all taxpayers free electronic filing via official state-supported software.
- They offer all taxpayers access to free “fillable forms” which are basically electronic versions of the paper forms where you can type in numbers and any mathematical calculations are done for you. If your state tax returns are relatively simple, this may be all you really need.
- They allow commercial vendors via the “FreeFile Alliance” to offer free online filing for certain groups, usually through income limits, age restrictions, and/or active duty military personnel. The vendors in turn make money when some folks end up not qualifying and have to pay at the end.
su_A_ve
Active Member
Been using TurboTax for ages for Federal and free web filing for NJ. Never a problem. Can't remember what TT asked from the top of my head but got the full credit without issues and in a matter of a couple of weeks.
Regarding how fast a large refund is processed vs a small one, we had done my son's tax return right after mine. His small refund did come in about 5 days earlier than mine.
Finally, would not surprise me if nearly all tax prepares use software to prepare other's tax returns...
Regarding how fast a large refund is processed vs a small one, we had done my son's tax return right after mine. His small refund did come in about 5 days earlier than mine.
Finally, would not surprise me if nearly all tax prepares use software to prepare other's tax returns...
MPower
Well-Known Member
I have been using Tax Hawk ever since Tax Act tried to charge me for using some form that I needed. That was the end of them. Free file should be free and with Tax Hawk it actually is. If you want them to file your state taxes as well, it will cost $14.99. The first year I only used their federal and did the state taxes myself. After screwing the state taxes up by transposing numbers, etc. I now just give TH the money and it comes out right.
Don't own any shares in the company. I found them after Googling "free tax software" after getting mad at Tax Act.
Don't own any shares in the company. I found them after Googling "free tax software" after getting mad at Tax Act.
I did get a response finally on 25th april by mail - it was brief and said your filing tax amount, our calculation tax amount. It only said "Qualified div is taxed less". I am like if qual div is taxed less I should have got more refund not less.
So I checked all my calculations in Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet—Line 44. Guess what I found ...
it was error in my calculation. I had multiplied by line above for multiplication factor in 2018 Tax Computation Worksheet. So yaa I deserve this --
I will have mine fried please.
Clarity_Newbie
Active Member
^^^Stuff happens.
craze1cars
Well-Known Member
Now we have irrefutable proof that the Government is ALWAYS right...
I had to smile about one of your earlier posts, that you trusted your calculations more than some tax software company. I thought the same until about 15 years ago. The last return I filed manually had passive losses and alterative minimum tax involved. I screwed the pooch bad. From then on I paid a tax software company.