Help Topic: Steps to submit an electronic file

Topic: Steps to submit an electronic file

All of our products contain a Filing process. When you click on the Filing tab, onscreen prompts take you through the steps to electronically file (e-file) your return.

Before beginning the e-file process, print your return and review your entries. The most common reasons for e-file rejections include transposed numbers in birthdates, Social Security numbers and Employer Identification numbers or misspelled names of taxpayers or dependents.

Some things to check when reviewing your return:

Name, birthdates and SSN’s entered in Basic Information
Forms W-2 and 1099 entries
Review all line entries on the return

After reviewing your return, gather the following information before starting the filing process:

Prior year Adjusted Gross Income (AGI ). Required by the IRS to verify your identity.
Bank routing number (RTN) and account number. Required for the IRS to deposit your refund or to deduct your tax payment.
If you intend to e-file your state return, complete the State Q&A and review your state return before starting the e-file steps. Some states require that the state return be electronically filed with the Federal return.

When you are ready to submit your e-file, click the Filing tab.

Take care to select the "Electronically File BOTH my Federal and State Returns" option if this is your intention. When e-filing multiple state returns, complete the filing steps for the Federal and one state return. Then repeat the filing steps to submit additional state returns.

In order to successfully submit your return, you MUST complete ALL of the electronic filing steps. Your electronically filed return has not been submitted until you reach the screen with the blue "Submit" button (see below).

After clicking on the blue "Submit" button, the next screen should indicate that the return was successfully submitted. It will appear similar to the example below.

If you do not receive a screen indicating that your submission was successful, your return has not been transmitted to the IRS. Click on the Filing tab again to repeat all of the e-file steps and ensure that your return has been submitted.

If your return was successfully submitted, it has been received by TaxACT and transmitted to the IRS. This does not mean your return was accepted by the IRS. You must still monitor the status of your return until you receive a notice indicating that your return has been accepted by the IRS.

It is the taxpayer's responsibility to ensure that the return has been successfully filed. You can check the status of your electronically filed return(s) at any time by going to the link below:

Electronic Filing Status