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Five Return Limit for Efiling

I spent a few hours putting my 2013 tax info into TaxAct.com, then attempted to efile. Efiling was rejected. The TaxAct rejection notice said I had already e-filed five returns. Evidently the IRS per Pub 1345 limits e-filing by either one software package or one email address to five returns. From 2008-2012 (five years of returns), I used TaxAct and the same email address to efile my tax returns. I prepare returns only for myself and no one else. I am not a professional tax return preparer.

What's the legal way around this? Switch to another online efile provider? Switch my email address? Both?

I am disappointed TaxAct did not tell me efiling was not possible before I put all my numbers into its software.

Reply to
honda.lioness
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TaxAct staff emailed me a little while ago that the five return limit is per year. See a copy of the email below. Meanwhile I had started putting my tax info into TurboTax's free online federal filing service. TurboTax online feels more user friendly. I plan to use it next year.

--- Email from TaxAct, March 1, 2014 --- Dear TaxACT? Customer,

I apologize for the confusion caused by the message you received. Your account is not suspended for filing more than five returns. The five return limit by the IRS is per year; it is not cumulative.

Your return is ready to send to the IRS and will be transmitted. You should receive an acknowledgement within 24-48 hours.

We continually make efforts to help limit the amount of fraud and identity theft. Unfortunately, sometimes legitimate returns are mistakenly restricted in this process. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Thank you for using TaxACT. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

TaxACT EFile Support

Reply to
honda.lioness

This sounds like a TaxAct support issue but you may want to check with the IRS to verify that nobody has already filed a return in your name for this tax year. It's become an disturbingly common form of tax fraud in the past few years (filing for refund that goes to the scammer).

-Tad

Reply to
Tad Borek

Good idea. Hopefully, since TaxAct now says my return was filed, any conflict will be apparent via two returns being filed under the same name and social security number. Thank you.

Reply to
honda.lioness

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