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e-file Status Report #2014-18

PA:
We received PA-41 e-file approval today at 11:43 am.

CT:
The following forms were released on June 22. We received approval from the CT Department of Revenue on June 23, and have incorporated these new forms into 6-in-1.

CT-706/709 (plus extension)
CT-706 NT (plus extension)

We reviewed draft versions of these forms in May and June, and provided some feedback that the CT Department incorporated into the final versions.

Also, updated Inventory and Accounting cover pages (with the required QR code in the upper right corner) have also been included in 6-in-1.

e-file Software:
We are now finishing system testing. The next 6-in-1 update will include e-file software for the 1041 and the NJ, NY, and PA fiduciary income tax returns.

e-file posting schedule:

Release #1: Friday, June 26
Release #2: week of July 6

Note about the sequencing of work on the various returns: Although we did receive IRS approval for 1041 e-file in late April, the work that we did since then in completing and testing the NJ, NY, and PA returns was invaluable in helping us to refine the 1041 forms, schedules, and worksheets along the way.

Before you e-file any of these three state returns, you will need to e-file your 1041 first, then wait 10 or so minutes for the IRS response. Once the 1041 has been accepted by the IRS, you may proceed with e-filing the corresponding state return (which will automatically include a copy of the entire 1041).

During the past three months, we have been testing every imaginable combination of values on the 2,800 fields on the dozens of forms, schedules, and worksheets (representing a total of some 14,000 moving parts across all four returns). We know, however, that some of you will encounter conditions that we have not tested. These conditions will surface via the XML and/or Business Rules validation process that is triggered when returns are sent to the IRS server. Returns that fail this process will be rejected, and may be resubmitted once appropriate changes are made to either the return data or to the software.

We will address these conditions as they arise. Some of you may wish to start e-filing your returns with Release #1, and others may prefer to wait for Release #2 or later.

We will continue to post regular Status Reports here, so that you may track what other firms are experiencing during the early days of using the new software.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during the delays resulting from the unexpected (and enormously frustrating) complexity of the new XML-based e-file format. Most (if not all) other companies had an 11-year head start because they also support corporate (MeF introduced in 2004), partnership, and/or individual income tax returns. MeF for the 1041 was introduced for 2013 returns, and is now in its second year. The good news is that this transition from Legacy to Modernized (XML) e-file represents a once-in-a-generation e-file format change. Thus, at long last, the hard part is now done.

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