IRS and Tax Filing Issues

Since there’s clearly enough interest here to warrant a dedicated space, I’ve split these posts into their own thread. It should make things a lot easier to follow...

Moderator lili p.

Does anyone know if you can actually file a DOH form—or basically any final tax return for sole proprietors—through the IRS online portal?

While I’m sitting here waiting for my new security key from the bank to arrive in the mail, I’ve been digging through the IRS digital filing manuals... and I honestly can't find a single option for small business owners to submit their returns online.

Just to clarify: since the rule change on January 1st, does everyone making over $800,000 have to use the electronic filing system, or is that strictly for corporate income tax filers?

Timothy Morgan38 said:Since there’s clearly enough interest here to warrant a dedicated space, I’ve split these posts into their own thread. It should make things a lot easier to follow...

Moderator lili p.

Does anyone know if you can actually file a DOH form—or basically any final tax return for sole proprietors—through the IRS online portal?

While I’m sitting here waiting for my new security key from the bank to arrive in the mail, I’ve been digging through the IRS digital filing manuals... and I honestly can't find a single option for small business owners to submit their returns online.

Just to clarify: since the rule change on January 1st, does everyone making over $800,000 have to use the electronic filing system, or is that strictly for corporate income tax filers?

As of right now, you can't file a Schedule C through the IRS site. You can handle sales tax, excise tax, and various other business filings there, but nothing for those specific year-end forms... unless they decide to update the system soon.

Kimberly Harris6 said:As of right now, you can't file a Schedule C through the IRS site. You can handle sales tax, excise tax, and various other business filings there, but nothing for those specific year-end forms... unless they decide to update the system soon.

They'll probably roll it out by the end of the year. Apparently, there's a mandate coming where anyone pulling in over $800,000 has to switch to electronic filing...

Timothy Morgan38 said:Since there’s clearly enough interest here to warrant a dedicated space, I’ve split these posts into their own thread. It should make things a lot easier to follow...

Moderator lili p.

Does anyone know if you can actually file a DOH form—or basically any final tax return for sole proprietors—through the IRS online portal?

While I’m sitting here waiting for my new security key from the bank to arrive in the mail, I’ve been digging through the IRS digital filing manuals... and I honestly can't find a single option for small business owners to submit their returns online.

Just to clarify: since the rule change on January 1st, does everyone making over $800,000 have to use the electronic filing system, or is that strictly for corporate income tax filers?

The law specifies VAT registrants—which means anyone meeting those revenue thresholds is included—but we’re stuck waiting on the IRS regulations and official guidance. We still have over 60 days before this actually kicks in.😉

Raymond Martinez10 said:The law specifies VAT registrants—which means anyone meeting those revenue thresholds is included—but we’re stuck waiting on the IRS regulations and official guidance. We still have over 60 days before this actually kicks in.😉

Sixty whole days of waiting... and I bet they’ll drop the official guidelines at 11:45 PM on the 59th day. 🙂

Can anyone clarify how far back we can go when opening a card for an individual tax account? Are we limited to January 1st of this year, or can we look further back into previous years?

Timothy Morgan38 said:Sixty whole days of waiting... and I bet they’ll drop the official guidelines at 11:45 PM on the 59th day. 🙂

Can anyone clarify how far back we can go when opening a card for an individual tax account? Are we limited to January 1st of this year, or can we look further back into previous years?

I’ve been looking into this for my clients, mostly backtracking through this year starting from January 1st, 2010. Anything prior to that hasn't worked for me... but you might want to give it a shot and see.

Kimberly Harris6 said:I’ve been looking into this for my clients, mostly backtracking through this year starting from January 1st, 2010. Anything prior to that hasn't worked for me... but you might want to give it a shot and see.

Man, I just tried it yesterday and yeah... it won't budge past 2010...

Patrick Peterson49 said:Man, I just tried it yesterday and yeah... it won't budge past 2010...

Thanks a ton...

Still waiting on that USB drive to show up in the mail, which is taking forever. Just gathering some intel now so when it finally arrives, I can act like a total pro and start tinkering immediately...😁

Timothy Morgan38 said:Thanks a ton...

Still waiting on that USB drive to show up in the mail, which is taking forever. Just gathering some intel now so when it finally arrives, I can act like a total pro and start tinkering immediately...😁

I've only been using it for about 20 days myself...
it's got its ups and downs...
I filed my tax forms back in September and got the receipt saying they were received, but it tells you to check later to see if they actually cleared... so I went back on October 17th to check, and nothing—nothing at all (even though I filed on the 30th)—🙂 I called my agent at the IRS, and she's basically like, "Oh, you forgot to check a box." 🤣 so yeah, it really just comes down to which clerk you get... plus, I just finished my sales tax filings and it says "processed," but when I look at my account, there's still no balance updated🤷
it's cool that everything gets done way faster and the software is super easy to navigate (at least for me)... man, if the developers could just let us import our forms directly instead of having to type everything in manually, that would be a total game changer...

Patrick Peterson49 said:I've only been using it for about 20 days myself...
it's got its ups and downs...
I filed my tax forms back in September and got the receipt saying they were received, but it tells you to check later to see if they actually cleared... so I went back on October 17th to check, and nothing—nothing at all (even though I filed on the 30th)—🙂 I called my agent at the IRS, and she's basically like, "Oh, you forgot to check a box." 🤣 so yeah, it really just comes down to which clerk you get... plus, I just finished my sales tax filings and it says "processed," but when I look at my account, there's still no balance updated🤷
it's cool that everything gets done way faster and the software is super easy to navigate (at least for me)... man, if the developers could just let us import our forms directly instead of having to type everything in manually, that would be a total game changer...

I already have the option to generate an XML file for all my forms to upload to the IRS system...

Patrick Peterson49 said:I've only been using it for about 20 days myself...
it's got its ups and downs...
I filed my tax forms back in September and got the receipt saying they were received, but it tells you to check later to see if they actually cleared... so I went back on October 17th to check, and nothing—nothing at all (even though I filed on the 30th)—🙂 I called my agent at the IRS, and she's basically like, "Oh, you forgot to check a box." 🤣 so yeah, it really just comes down to which clerk you get... plus, I just finished my sales tax filings and it says "processed," but when I look at my account, there's still no balance updated🤷
it's cool that everything gets done way faster and the software is super easy to navigate (at least for me)... man, if the developers could just let us import our forms directly instead of having to type everything in manually, that would be a total game changer...

This is spot on. Until the clerk actually processes the entry, nothing moves—and from what I can tell, if they don't get to it within a certain window, the whole thing glitches and you have to start over.
The ledger doesn't reflect anything until the clerk "finalizes" the posting. I once sat around waiting for my state tax credits to clear for over a month because of this exact nonsense.

Raymond Martinez10 said:This is spot on. Until the clerk actually processes the entry, nothing moves—and from what I can tell, if they don't get to it within a certain window, the whole thing glitches and you have to start over.
The ledger doesn't reflect anything until the clerk "finalizes" the posting. I once sat around waiting for my state tax credits to clear for over a month because of this exact nonsense.

I’m dealing with a total mess right now. A clerk hasn't processed our City Hall forms from back in 2009 and 2010. Because of that, the tourism board is still being billed under their subscription because all the payments—both the liabilities and the deposits—went through, but the actual credits haven't been applied to the account. We even tried physically bringing the City Hall forms and the printouts from the IRS website showing they were "pending processing," only for the woman behind the desk to tell us, "Oh, you don't need to hand those in. It's fine." Then she adds that her colleague just hasn't cleared the digital files yet... so what am I supposed to do with that? She wouldn't even take the physical copies we brought! And keep in mind, we actually went down there a few months ago just to give them a heads-up.

So, if an audit ever pops up, what actually counts as proof that I filed my forms through the IRS portal? Is it just that instant receipt you get right after hitting submit, or do I have to wait until they actually process everything... do you guys usually print out those submission confirmations or nah? 😕

I handle my own printing—when the bank asked me for proof of my tax filing, I handed them that document (and I don't even have a second copy)

Patrick Peterson49 said:So, if an audit ever pops up, what actually counts as proof that I filed my forms through the IRS portal? Is it just that instant receipt you get right after hitting submit, or do I have to wait until they actually process everything... do you guys usually print out those submission confirmations or nah? 😕

I always print my submission confirmations, and they’ve always been sufficient for me. Usually, all the forms eventually get processed and logged, but honestly, why is my status still showing up this way? I was looking at my account again yesterday... one form is still listed as "pending" from April 27, 2010, and another is stuck as "pending" from April 29, 2011. Why bother stressing over it? I have the confirmation that it was sent, the taxes are paid, and the estimated payments are handled. I don't see how anyone could penalize me at this point.

Ask the agent at the FBI to pull those files so you can finally get the full picture

I’ve been navigating the online IRS filing system for about three years now, and I find myself genuinely hoping they might roll out a few more digital forms this season...
This year, they finally added the IDD form alongside the standard ID one—which was about time, if you ask me—but in my humble opinion, there is still a glaring gap in their digital suite; specifically, the PPMIPO form for hospitality business owners, which I am still forced to lug physically down to the local tax office.
Aside from that single, rather tedious chore, everything else goes through the web seamlessly, and the electronic confirmations I receive are accepted without any hiccups wherever I need them.

Raymond Martinez10 said:Ask the agent at the FBI to pull those files so you can finally get the full picture

We already tried asking, but they just brushed us off, claiming everything was fine and that her colleague would handle pulling them. They basically told us we could check back whenever we happen to be heading that way for something else...

To pull tax cards for previous years, you have to set the listing date to December 31st of the year you need. For example, use 12/31/2010, then 12/31/2009, and so on. Every prior year closes out on January 1st and rolls over as either a debt or an overpayment, which is why you have to list them this way. The IRS e-file system is efficient because you can generate forms directly from accounting software and upload them straight to the portal. Additionally, a single firm using one digital certificate can manage all their clients through the electronic system... all they need to submit to the IRS is the client's power of attorney and the specific e-file authorization for that individual. ☕

James Patel2 said:To pull tax cards for previous years, you have to set the listing date to December 31st of the year you need. For example, use 12/31/2010, then 12/31/2009, and so on. Every prior year closes out on January 1st and rolls over as either a debt or an overpayment, which is why you have to list them this way. The IRS e-file system is efficient because you can generate forms directly from accounting software and upload them straight to the portal. Additionally, a single firm using one digital certificate can manage all their clients through the electronic system... all they need to submit to the IRS is the client's power of attorney and the specific e-file authorization for that individual. ☕

I think that’s only partially right—according to the IRS website, you can pull a card for the current year or the previous one (using a date like 12/31/2010), but 2009 doesn't really fit that logic.
I've noticed some newer users complaining about booking delays, but from my experience—you just need to call your agent during your first month of service and tell them to start pulling e-forms moving forward. Everything gets posted on time for me because the agents are already used to the process—I've been doing this since 2008.

@Raymond Martinez10
Are you filing your sales tax online? Or are you still hand-delivering balance sheets and income statements (+ whatever else they ask for) via mail or in person?

It’s honestly ridiculous that they don't have PPMIPO available on the e-tax portal.😠