Wrong Social Security number

[Snaggletooth]

I had occasion to file taxes for both father and son. I accidentally filed the son's return with his father's SS#.

You would think this would have a simple resolution. I have prepared 1040-X for the son, with no changes other than correction of the SS#. Also have POA. IRS is in possession of all the documents.

Have called IRS under the Practitioner Priority Line four times, and no one can just "change the number" or tell me when this will happen. Telling me this will have to be reviewed by the Identity Theft Unit (if such a thin exists).

I am somewhat distressed, not because this is taking inordinate amounts of time, but because no one can tell me anything or give me a contact number of this "Identity Theft Unit."

Anyone know what's going on or have experience in this area??

Thanks in advance - Snag

[ATSMAN]

No need to panic, except for the embaressment with your client. Once IRS rejects the returns you can fix it at that point. It is possible that because their last names are same it may go through.

I had a situation few years back with a client where I switched the husband and wife's SS# and it was rejected and I fixed it at that time.

[spanel]

I had occasion to file taxes for both father and son. I accidentally filed the son's return with his father's SS#.

You would think this would have a simple resolution. I have prepared 1040-X for the son, with no changes other than correction of the SS#. Also have POA. IRS is in possession of all the documents.

Have called IRS under the Practitioner Priority Line four times, and no one can just "change the number" or tell me when this will happen. Telling me this will have to be reviewed by the Identity Theft Unit (if such a thin exists).

I am somewhat distressed, not because this is taking inordinate amounts of time, but because no one can tell me anything or give me a contact number of this "Identity Theft Unit."

Anyone know what's going on or have experience in this area??

Thanks in advance - Snag

Lets walk through this.

Did you efile the return and it get accepted?

My software pulls last years info forward with the SSN.. Did you do that and essentially use the sons income on the dads return?

It would be extremely rare that an efiled return with miss matching names/ssn/bday would be accepted...

Chris

[FEDUKE404]

Software should have maintained the correct numbers?

Lets walk through this.

Did you efile the return and it get accepted?

My software pulls last years info forward with the SSN.. Did you do that and essentially use the sons income on the dads return?

It would be extremely rare that an efiled return with miss matching names/ssn/bday would be accepted...

Chris

I tend to agree with Chris. My software uses the prior-year tax return information. and also has "built-in" info that tags along on any efiled return. I know the DOB is transmitted, and/or perhaps the prior year AGI. Matching that info somewhere along the way can put up a major roadblock to (somehow) using the wrong SSN.

Of course, with computer-generated forms/efiling I **NEVER** have to enter anyone's SSN anywhere, except for a new client. Once it's correct. . .it IS correct!!

As for getting any resolution for pieces of paper sent to the IRS and/or having a meaningful telephone conversation that will solve anything, these days your chances are slim to none unless you have great patience and much time to waste.

FE

[Burke]

I find they respond much better when it is in writing, with or without an amended return. I gave up talking to them years ago.

[Roland Slugg]

I accidentally filed the son's return with his father's SS#.

That was very unlucky!

Have called IRS under the Practitioner Priority Line four times.

You call the IRS? Haven't you found that's always a complete waste of time ... and lots of it?

Some of the other replies assume these were old clients rolled over from the year before and wonder why your tax prep software made this mistake. But you didn't say these were returning clients, so I'm inclined to guess they were new ones. You also didn't say if the returns were paper or e-filed ... the only clue being where you wrote: "I had occasion to file taxes for both father and son," [emphasis added] implying that the returns were e-filed. If the returns were, in fact, e-filed, did you learn of the mistake when the dad's return was e-filed and rejected because of a previously used SSN? A little more information in your OP would have been helpful.

If the returns were e-filed, don't do anything for a few days. You may get a reject or other notice from IRS allowing the problem to be corrected through channels. At that time, you may be able to re-e-file the son's return with the correct SSN. The trouble is, that return may now be considered to be filed late, so if there was tax due, there will be P&I.

If the son's return was mailed in, I believe the only solution is to prepare and have the son file an amended return, form 1040X. Interestingly, this may not result in a late-filed return, since the amended return will be considered to be a correction of a timely filed return.

What ever happened to the idea of a taxpayer reviewing his own return before filing it, or allowing his preparer to e-file it? Seems like that simple and rather obvious process would have caught this mistake before the return was ever submitted.

[FEDUKE404]

Error caught upon efiling?

That was very unlucky!

You call the IRS? Haven't you found that's always a complete waste of time ... and lots of it?

Some of the other replies assume these were old clients rolled over from the year before and wonder why your tax prep software made this mistake. But you didn't say these were returning clients, so I'm inclined to guess they were new ones. You also didn't say if the returns were paper or e-filed ... the only clue being where you wrote: "I had occasion to file taxes for both father and son," [emphasis added] implying that the returns were e-filed. If the returns were, in fact, e-filed, did you learn of the mistake when the dad's return was e-filed and rejected because of a previously used SSN? A little more information in your OP would have been helpful.

If the returns were e-filed, don't do anything for a few days. You may get a reject or other notice from IRS allowing the problem to be corrected through channels. At that time, you may be able to re-e-file the son's return with the correct SSN. The trouble is, that return may now be considered to be filed late, so if there was tax due, there will be P&I.

If the son's return was mailed in, I believe the only solution is to prepare and have the son file an amended return, form 1040X. Interestingly, this may not result in a late-filed return, since the amended return will be considered to be a correction of a timely filed return.

What ever happened to the idea of a taxpayer reviewing his own return before filing it, or allowing his preparer to e-file it? Seems like that simple and rather obvious process would have caught this mistake before the return was ever submitted.

It's my understanding that, for any efiled return, the DOB goes along with the data transmitted. (Yes, I could be 100% wrong.)

But, if that **IS** the case, would not such returns as are being discussed get an immediate efile reject? If so, both problems would need to have been fixed immediately and then we would not be having this conversation. . .

As for IRS notification of a problem that efile would catch, my limited experience with such is that error notices come back VERY quickly. . .usually within a couple of hours with the error code(s) listed. Most common is a SSN that has already been "used," but I've also had returns bounce for stuff such as an EIN on a W2 mis-typed (quick fix!) or in one case an invalid EIN that would never allow efiling for that year due to a data base issue (long story. . .employer was fully aware of the problem. . .but recipients of W2s had to find out "the hard way").

Of course, I will not even address the current IRS requirement for preparers to efile all returns. . .absent truly unusual circumstances (or ID theft) or some more creative "reasons" to avoid the requirement.

FE

[Snaggletooth]

Response to Spanel, Thank you for posting

Thank you.

Lets walk through this.

Did you efile the return and it get accepted? Yes, it was e-filed, acknowledged and accepted

My software pulls last years info forward with the SSN.. Did you do that and essentially use the sons income on the dads return?This was a new client. There was no information from last year to "pull forward" into this return. I prepared his return before his father's, and his father's return could not be e-filed because the number was already in use. The effect was that his father's return had to be paper filed.

It would be extremely rare that an efiled return with miss matching names/ssn/bday would be accepted...The e-file was indeed accepted, but the refund is held up since March 1st

Chris