Common Reasons Tax Returns are Rejected After They’re Transmitted to the IRS

Last Minute Tax Filers

It’s not something that happens all the time, but it does happen. You work so hard to file your income tax return before the deadline. You get your paperwork together, you crunch the numbers; you check and recheck your return to ensure you did not overlook any important deductions or credits, and that there are no mistakes to be made. Satisfied, you make the decision to hit the ‘transmit return now,’ button and you’re on your way to being officially done with your income tax return for 2015. That’s when it happens; you receive the dreaded email that your return has not been accepted. It’s been rejected by the Internal Revenue Service. Rejected.

What does that mean? What can you do? Should you worry? We have a few answers for you so that you know just why your return might be rejected. Of course, anything could happen to anyone, so this doesn’t cover every single potential situation. However, these are some of the most common reasons returns are rejected.

Identity theft

This is a difficult one to process, so we thought we might start with it. If your return is rejected by the IRS when you file, it might be because someone else already filed a return in your name using your SSN. This is not good news, and requires an immediate call to the IRS to begin working through the situation. The process is probably going to be very long and involved, so just prepare yourself.

Incorrect SSN

Sometimes the most basic mistake is simply that you forgot to include your Social Security Number or you accidentally mistyped it into your return. A few things are automatically scanned by the IRS system when returns are electronically submitted, and this is one of them. It takes only a few moments to make the correction and resubmit your return using whatever form you choose.

Someone else claimed your kids

If you aren’t divorced and you and your spouse file your return together, it’s a problem that might mean someone else borrowed your kids’ socials and claimed them. If you are divorced or separated, it might be a simple case of your ex filing and claiming the kids before you had a chance. If you have a written agreement detailing who is allowed to claim the kids each year, you’ll want to get this out now and work through the situation with your ex.

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