I tried to access a small tax refund (on a special card) and what did you know…the birth date I gave them didn’t match the one on file.
I went in to the income tax office today, and they looked up my info and they said my birth date was off by ten years. They were like oh, whoever did your taxes may have entered the wrong birth date…but what through them completely off is that the IRS did not pick on that. They said this a unique problem that they have never run into before. :eek:
She is supposed to speak to her boss, and I am supposed to see her next week.
I am freaking out, I’m not getting back tons of money this year, but that little “bonus” would be nice since I’m so broke.
What on earth could’ve happened here? What on earth can be done to rectify this issue?
What card is this, a prepaid credit card? Why would the birth date keep you from using the card?
You would file an amended return, which I’m sure they would pay for if it’s the preparer’s error. It takes like 5 minutes to do, then you mail it in. They might also be able to call the IRS direct and correct the date without mailing anything in, which is what I assume is trying to do.
It shouldn’t affect your refund unless it put you in a different category, e.g. made you >65 or <18. Some credits might be affected then.
Relax, your refund will be fine, although I hope it won’t be delayed too much. The IRS isn’t going to break your legs.
Why didn’t you pick up on a wrong BIRTH DATE when you signed the tax return that was presumably prepared on your behalf, especially since the birth date in question is your own, and and when you signed, you certified the following:
“Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this return and accompanying schedules and statements, and to the best of my knowledge and belief, they are true, correct, and complete.”
If the OP read the entire tax return, but didn’t notice a small error in birth date, then that’s better than 99% of tax filers. I’ve known people who are incredibly ignorant of what goes on in their own return.
:smack: My mistake. I retract my previous comment.
The IRS apparently gets its information regarding taxpayer birthdates from the Social Security Administration. If the information in their files is incorrect, you need to correct it with the SSA. You can call the SSA at (800) 772-1213 to verify the date of birth they have on file. If the SSA’s information is wrong, ask them how to submit a request to have it corrected.
When you check on the status of an e-filed return, the birth date that was entered in the program is compared to the birth date the IRS has in its files.
If the information was entered incorrectly when your return was prepared electronically and e-filed, it can be corrected via the program. Here’s how to do it with TurboTax:
For the OP:
The IRS officially uses date of birth as a check when e-filing returns. Unofficially, though, they don’t always care. I have e-filed returns with the wrong DOB due to typos. The IRS accepted those returns anyway.
However, the IRS is replacing the old e-file system with MEF (Modernized E-file). MEF will process about 20% of the returns this year. There is no way to know whether a return is processed via the old system or MEF except after the fact (MEF processes returns faster and is more thorough in checking data like birth dates).
If your preparer is confused by this, they might not be up on the latest news from the IRS, since I get IRS news updates on MEF about three times a week right now.
So, from your original post, there is no reason to believe that either the SSA or IRS has the wrong DOB. The tax preparer entered the wrong number at some point and the e-file attempt was only rejected this year because of MEF. The preparer needs to change the return in their system and resubmit it.
If they can’t get it accepted using the correct number, THEN you might want to contact the SSA to see if there’s an error on their end. In the meantime, the preparer would either 1) give you a paper return to file by mail or 2) e-file the return by marking it “imperfect” which makes sure it gets manually processed more like a paper return. Unfortunately, both of those options will delay your refund by a month or so.