Important: This blog relates to tax year 2010. There were no delays related to late legislation for tax year 2011. You can file your 2011 taxes.
The IRS recently announced that there will be processing delays for some federal tax returns. This delay will affect taxpayers who itemize deductions and those claiming the Higher Education Tuition and Fees deduction or the Educator Expense Deduction. The IRS processing delays affect all tax preparation methods and include both e-filed and paper returns.
There is good news though!
You don’t need to wait to file. TurboTax is up-to-date with the latest tax law changes and forms and will help you file your return now, so you can be done with your taxes. We’ll hold your return and submit it to the IRS when they begin accepting returns in February. TurboTax will send you an email confirmation when your return has been successfully transmitted and accepted by the IRS.
Update: IRS announced they will begin accepting delayed returns Feb. 14
Will My State Return be Affected by the Processing Delays?
We’ve gotten several questions asking if the IRS delay will affect state tax returns. TurboTax is working closely with the state Departments of Revenue to help our customers affected by IRS delays get their state tax refunds as quickly as possible, even if their federal refund is delayed.
Here is the latest update for TurboTax customers (this info could change, so continue to check back):
If your state is on this list, there are no anticipated processing delays for your state return when filing with TurboTax! You can prepare and e-file your federal and state tax returns now with TurboTax and get your state refund in as little as 8 days with direct deposit (time varies by state), even if the IRS does not process your federal return until February.
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
If your state is on the short list below, your state is also currently anticipating processing delays for some 2010 tax returns. You don’t need to wait to file though. TurboTax will hold both your federal and state return until the IRS and your state begins accepting them so you can do your taxes now and be confident that you will be getting your refund as fast as possible.
Alabama
Arkansas
Iowa
Minnesota
Vermont
If you don’t see your state on this list, check back. We will be updating these lists real time with confirmations from the remaining states and any changes to the current list.