Efile or not?

[taxea]

Does this mean that if person A mails a paper return, say on January 5 (before e-file is up), claiming a dependent, and person B e-files much later, say August 1, claiming the same dependent, then B's return will be accepted for e-filing, with a followup much later concerning the duplicate dependent?

In other words, the e-file acceptance checks never check for duplicate SSNs that weren't through the e-file system?

What it depends on is which return hits the IRS computer first. If the Efiled return gets into the computer for a match before the manually filed return then the Efiled return is more likely to get the dependent no matter how much earlier, by post-mark, the other return was sent/filed.

[Black Bart]

Okay,

Just wanted you to know that I dug deeeeeeep into the bowels of the IRS for the answer...didn't just talk to the usual "suspects" that we all deal with day to day...

Thanks....

[FEDUKE404]

Further...

I had a client who suddenly was facing some "issues" as to claiming a dependent who, by all rational interpretations, could legitimately be claimed.

BUT another person was apparently rocking the boat and threatening to claim the same person as a dependent.

Within 24 hours we had efiled a return, which was accepted (and refunds have now been received). While there may well be some forthcoming IRS letters if the other person tried to efile (FAIL!) or paper filed claiming the dependent, at least the initial "race" was won.

Taxea did bring up a valid point re a paper-filed return, but it obviously takes some amount of time for such to make it into that great IRS computer. OTOH, going the efile route quickly closes the door to others. My GUESS is that door would be closed to future efiled and/or (processed) paper returns.

FE

[Gary2]

What it depends on is which return hits the IRS computer first. If the Efiled return gets into the computer for a match before the manually filed return then the Efiled return is more likely to get the dependent no matter how much earlier, by post-mark, the other return was sent/filed.

I chose those dates deliberately to avoid that scenario. Unless things are very broken, a paper return in January will be in some computer system before an e-file in August, otherwise the IRS will be paying interest on that January refund.

I'm asking not whether the e-file return will ultimately go through, but whether or not it will get an initial acceptance. If the paper returns only get into the main processing computers, but not into the database used for the e-file acceptance, then the e-file return will be marked accepted by the IRS (in the e-file sense only), and it will take subsequent processing for the IRS to deal with the duplicate dependents.

[taxea]

I am accepting of the fact that some people only learn by ignoring all advice, even that based on experience, and waste the time finding out for themselves that the advice was accurate.
Have at it.

[MAJ]

Thank you for the fine reading.. Appreciated..

Hey - This was a fun thread to read... I aprpeciated the humor and hopefully no one took it to personal. I mean Seriously - It's take a big person to know when they've been kicked hard enough -- BB even threw in the towel and said - Look where I'm from... Did we all scan the screen at that moment going - Where is he from?? Arkansas? Are you serious..

No wonder he's nnot big on E-File...
Indoor plumbing is still optional....
Internet was banned because they thought it had sexual connotations.
GMail was believed to be pornographic mail.

It's not easy living there - Someone has to do it...

Thank god for the Clintons!!

[Gary2]

I am accepting of the fact that some people only learn by ignoring all advice, even that based on experience, and waste the time finding out for themselves that the advice was accurate.

I wasn't disagreeing with you at all, just asking for a clarification. I get that there are two separate computer processes, and that an amendment won't change the data already in the e-file rejection system. I'm just trying to understand if you're saying that an original paper return also won't ever get into the e-file rejection system.