Stimulus Check for "Your Spouse as a dependent"

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
April 24, 2020
14 replies
0 views

Hello,

In 2019, I filed Married Filing Separately and accidentally have the check box filled in for:

Someone can claim: "Your Spouse as a Dependent"

I have not received my stimulus deposit. My Spouse did already receive her stimulus deposit. The IRS site doesn't provide me with information.

Will having this checkbox accidentally filled in prevent me from getting paid? Will I need to Amend the tax return?

Thank you,

Michael S.

Show previous replies

artistgew

I commented on this a few weeks ago as it effected me also. I ended up Amending my 2018 tax return in order to remove the check mark which the Turbo Tax glitch caused. I also got in touch with TurboTax and this was their response to me on August 25th:

Dear TurboTax Customer,

Thank you for signing up to receive updates about the “spouse claimed as a dependent” check box. Below is the latest information we have, we will continue to provide updates here.

What Happened

For a very small number of customers, the “spouse claimed as a dependent” check box was carried over from their 2018 tax return when it was no longer relevant. This only affected customers that filed “Married Filing Separately” in 2018, but as “Single” or “Head of Household” in 2019. This had no effect on the outcome of your tax return and has been fixed in TurboTax.

Some customers, however, are reporting that this has affected their stimulus check, or economic impact payment (EIP).

The eligibility and amount of a stimulus payment is determined by the IRS based on a tax filer’s 2018 OR 2019 tax return. TurboTax does not know which tax return (2018 or 2019) the IRS used to determine your eligibility or why this checkbox would be used for EIP eligibility. All customers correctly had this box checked for their 2018 filing.

We’re working closely with the IRS to understand why and how this would have impacted EIP eligibility. We’ll update you if we get more information from the IRS.

Thank you for your patience and for being a TurboTax customer.

Sincerely,

TurboTax"

desposito89

They must not be working THAT closely if it’s been 3 weeks with no update. **bleep** this company.

Cknick44

I filed the amended return and spoke with the IRS and an IRS tax advocate. Bottom line, I was told that I would have to wait until I filed my 2020 tax return to claim the tax credit. I was also told 2019 paper returns are priority right now and that the amended return I sent in would not likely be processed until 2021. From what I understood, the IRS isn’t working on a solution for this right now and to sum it up, I was basically told that it is on the tax payer to review their tax return in it’s entirety prior to submitting it to the IRS. If there are errors (software related or not), it is the tax payers responsibility to review what’s been completed before they submit their return and make the necessary corrections. The IRS said once a return is processed, they only make changes or corrections needed by a tax payer if the tax payer sends in an amended return. The IRS could not tell me why having the box checked about my spouse caused me to be flagged as ineligible for the economic payment but did verify that according to their records, I am ineligible because of it. Anyone with the box checked is ineligible.

artistgew

And no news of a class action suit for those who did not receive their stimulus as a result of the TurboTax glitch?

This is a result of a glitch in the TurboTax software. I know of a few people who are still not able to work and did not receive their stimulus due to the glitch, many LYFT drivers who got to use the TurboTax portal to file for free. Some are still unemployed. How is this fair? It's not. $1200 is a lot of money to most in this depression!

Cknick44

@artistgew I don’t think it’s fair either. It just seems like the blame for the error is now being placed on the tax payer. After hearing what the IRS had to say after getting a tax advocate involved, I’ve pretty much given up on hoping I’d get my stimulus check anytime soon. It really sucks.

Kams1

It's not fair. It's not the taxpayer's fault, either. I know that I would not have checked that box and have not checked that box ever, and I do review the step-by-step and the form before submitting. After submitting electronically, I don't know how one could know there was an error until it is processed and something like this happens. It should not matter, though, because the box that says someone can claim me was not checked but that was the reason that I was deemed ineligible. It is a glitch. I, too, spoke to an IRS representative and tax payer advocate. They could see it was a glitch and neither of them placed blame. Unfortunately, neither of them could help even though they expressed a desire to do so. It seems that it will take an act of congress to allow the IRS to manually make the corrections. This problem, from what I can see, has been publicized in the media (Forbes), and people have contacted the IRS, tax advocates, state representatives, business reporting agencies, and Turbotax. Looking at this forum, this has been a known issue for months. It's disappointing that the best anyone can do is say that it can be claimed when you file your taxes next year or, maybe, they will make the changes to include this group this year. I am an eligible, tax paying American, with two children but we received nothing and it looks like we will not receive anything during this time when all eligible Americans were supposed to receive the help "expediently".

Goauld

Just called the IRS to find out why I have not received my stimulus check for myself and two children. I filed married but separate taxes and was told I will not be receiving a stimulus check for myself and two children because I had a box checked "someone else can claim my spouse as a dependent". I believe this box is automatically checked because i would not selected it. My spouse got their stimulus check. Was told I have to amend my taxes. Now I have to mail it in and wait 16 weeks for them to amend my taxes. I just don't understand that IF someone could actually claim my wife as a dependent why would I not receive a stimulus check for myself and my 2 children that I claimed as dependents.

xmasbaby0

Employee

@Goauld

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-topics/help/spouse-claimed-as-a-dependent-box-checked-on-2019-return/01/1702050#M4958

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

Lauren35

I know this is an old thread but it seems that turbo tax automatically checked this off. I would have never checked it off myself, but low and behold, when i pull up my return it’s there.
I spoke to the IRS today and this is the reason I didn’t receive a stimulus check. Gives a 201 error code, whatever that means. I was also told they’re not looking at amended forms so it’s not even worth doing one. The only way to get your stimulus is to file the rebate with your 2020 taxes.