So it is that time of year in the US. Time for the government to square up on taxes.
I filed my Federal and State taxes last night via the electronic method (TurboTax does Fed for free, but I paid the $19.95 to get my states done electronically too). This is around 7:00 pm that I am done filing. I think that all is good. I mean, I've used TurboTax now since 1998, so I've been around this block a few times.
Anyway, around 2:40 am (no, I wasn't awake) I received two emails. One that my Federal return was rejected, and the other that the state return was rejected. WTH?!!?!
The error is something like "Either you or your spouse has been claimed as a dependent on someone else's return." for the Federal. State rejected it because the Feds rejected it.
What? I am thinking identity theft, fraud, something horrible.
What do I find out after a bit of searching? That message is actually more generic than it is written. Yes, it deals with dependents, but no, it doesn't always mean me or my spouse.
Here is what I found out. My daughter wanted to do her own taxes this year (she had a job that she made enough that she needed to file, and the government took taxes, so she wanted to see what she got back.
I walked her through the steps (yes, that means that this is MY fault) of how to do it. I mean, she just had work income and no deductions. In the simplicity of it, I missed a check-box that stated something like "I will be claimed on someone else's return as a dependent." Missing that box means that even though my tax return is accurate, I can't file it without a bunch of review because HER return is wrong and SHE isn't flagged (not my wife or I) to be a dependent on someone else's return.
So, I have two options. 1) Take her off of our return... I tried this, and watched the numbers spin down about a total of $750 between Federal and State. Ouch. 2) Print and mail my taxes in and let the IRS sort it out.
Ugh. The lesser of two evils for sure. So I am going to print and mail them today. So much for a fast return. Not only will there be delays via mail, but now the whole thing will get an extra review. Oh, and I can't get my $19.95 back from TurboTax either.
EDIT: Crap. I just remembered that filing a paper version means that I need to get my wife's signature on them. Dang it. I guess I will be mailing them out tomorrow.
