Efile reject code 901

[Gretel]

...for deceased spouse. Spouse died about one year ago, surviving spouse is filing MFJ. Reject is because TP is dead. I never had that problem before as long as SS Administration has processed and updated database for IRS.

Is this something new this year that a tax return cannot be e-filed any longer in these circumstances (final or last year MFJ), or is my software provider (ProSeries) the problem? Anyone else has experienced this?

[S T]

Gretel
Seems to be new for year 2013 for deceased taxpayers - I have never received error messages on deceased, in the past - now there seems to be multiple 901-902 and I believe the other reject code s 941-942

Have one this week, I talked with Software, said it was a SSA and IRS issue - Guess IRS is blaming SSA records - I don't have time to sit online with IRS - as there seems to be no resolve.

No choice in the matter, but to paper file

What a "PITA" this is going to be!

So electronic filing for deceased and now issues with ID Theft of clients info, is progressing backwards? Guess we will have a multitude of notations to "not electronic file"

Sandy

[Gretel]

Thank you so much for sharing, now I can stop blaming ProSeries. Yes, big PITA.

[Koss]

Surviving Spouse

I filed an MFJ/Surviving Spouse return last night, and it was accepted by the IRS.

Date of death was May, 2013.

I put the surviving spouse as the primary taxpayer.

Are you trying to file your client with the decedent as the primary taxpayer?

If so, try it the other way around, and maybe it will work.

BMK

[dkss]

This season, I have successfully filed these type of returns with the deceased in either location - taxpayer or spouse.

[Gretel]

Isn't that interesting. I don't think I want to go into another lengthy battle with ProSeries. Somehow, I thought it's them after all since I noticed that form 8879 does not say "filing as surviving spouse" in the line for the deceased any longer.

[David1980]

Isn't that interesting. I don't think I want to go into another lengthy battle with ProSeries. Somehow, I thought it's them after all since I noticed that form 8879 does not say "filing as surviving spouse" in the line for the deceased any longer.

There's really only two possibilities I can think of for how this could be a ProSeries issue. 1) ProSeries transmitted the wrong SSN on the return. Seems unlikely. 2) ProSeries is sending the wrong reject to you. Also seems unlikely, but you could verify the return is rejecting for IND-901 with the IRS?

The reject itself is based on only one thing in the efile data. The primary SSN. There's nothing to do to correct it, no exceptions for having specific forms or fields. If the primary SSN is in the IRS records as being locked by SSA you get the reject. File it on paper?

[Koss]

Proseries?

Isn't that interesting. I don't think I want to go into another lengthy battle with ProSeries. Somehow, I thought it's them after all since I noticed that form 8879 does not say "filing as surviving spouse" in the line for the deceased any longer.

Is it possible that there's a box you didn't check somewhere, to indicate that the taxpayer is "filing as surviving spouse"?

Maybe simply entering a date of death on a joint return is not sufficient in Proseries. It should be, but you never know.

Or, is it possible that Proseries will only identify the surviving spouse properly if the surviving spouse is the primary taxpayer?

I'm not sure I agree with David's comments below. If the reject is because the taxpayer is deceased, then that problem might well be cured if the tax return properly identifies the surviving spouse.

Maybe it is in fact a glitch in Proseries. Maybe the program isn't properly labeling the taxpayer as deceased. Is Proseries printing the word "deceased," and the date of death, at the top of Form 1040?

BMK

[S T]

I believe it to be SSA and IRS issue not software

My Deceased Taxpayer was a Single Person, DOD Jan 2013, and has a 1310 form attached - sailed right through in Drake for filing the 2012 tax return.

Not so for 2013 and all of the same info -- Received the IRS reject code 901 called Drake - said nothing you can do - it is a SSA and IRS issue - my presumption is that SSA-IRS are passing the "buck" back and forth - Drake said just "paper file"

So much for electronic ease - and paper reduction

Experiences might be different on a Surviving Spouse filing with a deceased.

Message on the MEF ACK reject is

"The Primary SSN in the Return Header has been locked becasue Social Sec Admin records indicate the number belongs to a deceased individual -

"SSN of Deceased Person Used - The SSN in this return belonged to a deceased person according to SSA

"If the taxpayer is deceased, enter the date of death on screen 1 - If the taxpayer is not deceased, call SSA at 800-772-1213"

Had to remember how to assemble a "paper tax return" for this one and then attach documents, and include the 8948 -

So now IRS will receive all via mail

Frustrating for sure!

Sandy

[Gretel]

I am using ProSeries since 12 years and never had a problem before. Deceased prints on top, filing as surviving spouse is checked in the right place. As mentioned before, only difference I noticed is that it doesn't say "filing as surviving spouse" on the signature line on form 8879 any more.

If it is true that returns for deceased taxpayers could be filed and where accepted by anyone than it hardly can be an IRS/SS error. I even looked at instructions for Turbotax and there seems to be a fix, which I could nor replicate in ProSeries.

[Gretel]

This is what I will do, thank you, Sandy, for reminding me to attach that additional form.

[David1980]

If there were a field or a check box that could be marked to clear the error, the reject would include that.

IND-901
The Primary SSN in the Return Header has been locked because Social Security Administration records indicate the number belongs to a deceased individual.

Compare that to this one:

F1040-090
If Form 1040, Line 2 checkbox "Married filing jointly" is checked (element 'IndividualReturnFilingStatusCd' has the value 2) and either 'PrimaryDateOfDeath' or 'SpouseDateOfDeath' has a value, then Form 1040 'SurvivingSpouseInd' must be checked.

With MEF the rejects have been very good in saying what you need to do to clear them. They tell you what fields need to be marked or what values need to be where.

Why not call the IRS e-help desk and ask them what you need to do to the return in order to get it to efile? http://www.irs.gov/uac/e-help-Desk-Toll-Free-Number

[Burke]

I believe it to be SSA and IRS issue not software

My Deceased Taxpayer was a Single Person, DOD Jan 2013, and has a 1310 form attached - sailed right through in Drake for filing the 2012 tax return.
Sandy

So this is NOT a surviving spouse issue. Funny, my software has never allowed these to be eFiled with a 1310 in the past. Always mailed in.