Urgent: EFC and IRS Shutdown for TY 2021 - 2023 - Business Returns

IRS has announced its MeF (e-file) shutdown and cutover for Tax Year 2023. To ensure that all business tax returns e-filed through the MeF system are processed in a timely manner, submissions must occur before IRS shuts down the system on Thursday, December 26, 2024, at 11:59 a.m. Eastern time.

Electronic Filing Center (EFC) Maintenance/Shutdown

To prepare for the upcoming season and to ensure that all business returns for tax year 2023 are processed timely, Wolters Kluwer will shut down the Electronic Filing Center (EFC) on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, at 10:00 PM EST (in advance of the IRS Business E-filing Shutdown) for the following returns:

• Partnership (1065)
• Corporation (1120)
• S Corporation (1120S)
• Fiduciary (1041)
• Employee Benefit Plans (5500)
• Exempt Organization (990 Series)
• 94X Series
• All other return types not listed including state, local, and school district returns

This maintenance will end no later than the date that the IRS opens for tax year 2024, which is yet to be announced. During this maintenance period, you will NOT be able to:

• Transmit returns
• Receive acknowledgements (acks)

Final Day for Electronic Filing of 2021 Returns

Tuesday, December 24, 2024, is the final day that tax year 2021 returns can be electronically filed. Any acknowledgements must be retrieved by the user no later than December 26, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST for TY21 e-files. EFC for TY21 will not be available after December 26,2024 at 11:59 PM EST to pick up these acks.

IRS News: IR-2024-308 Tax Pros Urged to Guard Against Identity Theft with Updated Written Information Security Plan (WISP)

On the final day of National Tax Security Awareness Week, the Internal Revenue Service and its Security Summit partners urged tax professionals to reassess their plans for protecting themselves and their clients’ sensitive information amid increasing attempts by identity thieves to steal tax data.

Identity thieves on the hunt for taxpayer data aren’t just targeting taxpayers, they’re going after the tax professionals, who hold enormous amounts of sensitive taxpayer data, in hopes of filing fraudulent tax returns. This year, the IRS has already received more than 250 reports of data breach incidents from tax professionals affecting approximately 200,000 clients.

Amid these continuing reports of tax professionals encountering data breaches, the Security Summit partners urged practitioners to review the newly updated Written Information Security Plan (WISP).

Tax professionals are required by federal law to have written plans identifying foreseeable data security risks and safeguards, and a plan of action to take in the event of a security breach. To simplify this complex task, a special team of Security Summit members from the tax community released an updated WISP that tax professionals can use as a roadmap to apply to their own practice.

The IRS also reminds taxpayers that additional safeguards, like multi-factor authentication (MFA), are required by federal law to better protect themselves and their clients. MFA provides an extra layer of security to ensure the proper people are accessing sensitive accounts and systems.

Read the full notice: National Tax Security Awareness Week, Day 5

EFC and IRS Shutdown for TY 2021 - 2023 - Business Returns

IRS has announced its MeF (e-file) shutdown and cutover for Tax Year 2023. To ensure that all business tax returns e-filed through the MeF system are processed in a timely manner, submissions must occur before IRS shuts down the system on Thursday, December 26, 2024, at 11:59 a.m. Eastern time.

Electronic Filing Center (EFC) Maintenance/Shutdown

To prepare for the upcoming season and to ensure that all business returns for tax year 2023 are processed timely, Wolters Kluwer will shut down the Electronic Filing Center (EFC) on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, at 10:00 PM EST (in advance of the IRS Business E-filing Shutdown) for the following returns:

• Partnership (1065)
• Corporation (1120)
• S Corporation (1120S)
• Fiduciary (1041)
• Employee Benefit Plans (5500)
• Exempt Organization (990 Series)
• 94X Series
• All other return types not listed including state, local, and school district returns

This maintenance will end no later than the date that the IRS opens for tax year 2024, which is yet to be announced. During this maintenance period, you will NOT be able to:

• Transmit returns
• Receive acknowledgements (acks)

Final Day for Electronic Filing of 2021 Returns

Tuesday, December 24, 2024, is the final day that tax year 2021 returns can be electronically filed. Any acknowledgements must be retrieved by the user no later than December 26, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST for TY21 e-files. EFC for TY21 will not be available after December 26,2024 at 11:59 PM EST to pick up these acks.

2-hour Warning: EFC and IRS E-filing Shutdown for TY 2021-2023 - Individual Returns

IRS has announced its MeF (e-file) shutdown and cutover for Tax Year 2023. To ensure that all Form 1040 tax returns e-filed through the MeF system are processed in a timely manner, submissions must occur before IRS shuts down the system on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

In order to allow the states ample time for processing these returns, the Wolters Kluwer E-File Center (EFC) will stop accepting individual returns (both federal and state) for the current processing year on Saturday, November 30th at 10:00 pm Eastern Time.

1040 E-file submissions for Tax Years 2021, 2022 and 2023 are included in this change. Because not all state agencies process returns in “real-time”, this schedule should allow sufficient time for agencies to post their acknowledgements for the WK EFC to pick up. 

After the shutdown occurs, the WK EFC will not accept individual returns (federal and/or state) until IRS comes back online in early January 2025. However, preparers can continue picking up acknowledgements through mid-December.

Important to Note:

• Tax Year 2021 returns will no longer be eligible for e-filing by the WK EFC after Saturday, November 30th at 10:00 pm Eastern Time. Any acknowledgements must be retrieved by the user no later than mid-December for TY21 e-files. EFC for TY21 will not be available after mid-December 2024 to pick up these acks.

• Business Returns: Business returns are not affected by this schedule as IRS has not yet announced the business cutover schedule and will do so at a later time.

• Disaster Relief Extension to File: This shutdown will also affect taxpayers who received a disaster relief extension to file. If the disaster extended due date falls within this shutdown time frame, you must do one of the following:
• Submit the returns electronically before the shutdown begins.
• Hold the return and transmit it when the IRS reopens in January.
• File them on paper after the shutdown.  If filed on paper, applicable opt-out documentation may be necessary. Please consult the taxing authority guidelines on how to opt-out of electronic filing.

Critical Reminder: EFC and IRS E-filing Shutdown for TY 2021-2023 - Individual Returns

IRS has announced its MeF (e-file) shutdown and cutover for Tax Year 2023. To ensure that all Form 1040 tax returns e-filed through the MeF system are processed in a timely manner, submissions must occur before IRS shuts down the system on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

In order to allow the states ample time for processing these returns, the Wolters Kluwer E-File Center (EFC) will stop accepting individual returns (both federal and state) for the current processing year on Saturday, November 30th at 10:00 pm Eastern Time.

1040 E-file submissions for Tax Years 2021, 2022 and 2023 are included in this change. Because not all state agencies process returns in “real-time”, this schedule should allow sufficient time for agencies to post their acknowledgements for the WK EFC to pick up. 

After the shutdown occurs, the WK EFC will not accept individual returns (federal and/or state) until IRS comes back online in early January 2025. However, preparers can continue picking up acknowledgements through mid-December.

Important to Note:

• Tax Year 2021 returns will no longer be eligible for e-filing by the WK EFC after Saturday, November 30th at 10:00 pm Eastern Time. Any acknowledgements must be retrieved by the user no later than mid-December for TY21 e-files. EFC for TY21 will not be available after mid-December 2024 to pick up these acks.

• Business Returns: Business returns are not affected by this schedule as IRS has not yet announced the business cutover schedule and will do so at a later time.

• Disaster Relief Extension to File: This shutdown will also affect taxpayers who received a disaster relief extension to file. If the disaster extended due date falls within this shutdown time frame, you must do one of the following:
• Submit the returns electronically before the shutdown begins.
• Hold the return and transmit it when the IRS reopens in January.
• File them on paper after the shutdown.  If filed on paper, applicable opt-out documentation may be necessary. Please consult the taxing authority guidelines on how to opt-out of electronic filing.

Critical Reminder: EFC and IRS E-filing Shutdown for TY 2021-2023 - Individual Returns

IRS has announced its MeF (e-file) shutdown and cutover for Tax Year 2023. To ensure that all Form 1040 tax returns e-filed through the MeF system are processed in a timely manner, submissions must occur before IRS shuts down the system on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

In order to allow the states ample time for processing these returns, the Wolters Kluwer E-File Center (EFC) will stop accepting individual returns (both federal and state) for the current processing year on Saturday, November 30th at 10:00 pm Eastern Time.

1040 E-file submissions for Tax Years 2021, 2022 and 2023 are included in this change. Because not all state agencies process returns in “real-time”, this schedule should allow sufficient time for agencies to post their acknowledgements for the WK EFC to pick up. 

After the shutdown occurs, the WK EFC will not accept individual returns (federal and/or state) until IRS comes back online in early January 2025. However, preparers can continue picking up acknowledgements through mid-December.

Important to Note:

• Tax Year 2021 returns will no longer be eligible for e-filing by the WK EFC after Saturday, November 30th at 10:00 pm Eastern Time. Any acknowledgements must be retrieved by the user no later than mid-December for TY21 e-files. EFC for TY21 will not be available after mid-December 2024 to pick up these acks.

• Business Returns: Business returns are not affected by this schedule as IRS has not yet announced the business cutover schedule and will do so at a later time.

• Disaster Relief Extension to File: This shutdown will also affect taxpayers who received a disaster relief extension to file. If the disaster extended due date falls within this shutdown time frame, you must do one of the following:
• Submit the returns electronically before the shutdown begins.
• Hold the return and transmit it when the IRS reopens in January.
• File them on paper after the shutdown.  If filed on paper, applicable opt-out documentation may be necessary. Please consult the taxing authority guidelines on how to opt-out of electronic filing.

Critical Reminder: EFC and IRS E-filing Shutdown for TY 2021-2023 - Individual Returns

IRS has announced its MeF (e-file) shutdown and cutover for Tax Year 2023. To ensure that all Form 1040 tax returns e-filed through the MeF system are processed in a timely manner, submissions must occur before IRS shuts down the system on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

In order to allow the states ample time for processing these returns, the Wolters Kluwer E-File Center (EFC) will stop accepting individual returns (both federal and state) for the current processing year on Saturday, November 30th at 10:00 pm Eastern Time.

1040 E-file submissions for Tax Years 2021, 2022 and 2023 are included in this change. Because not all state agencies process returns in “real-time”, this schedule should allow sufficient time for agencies to post their acknowledgements for the WK EFC to pick up. 

After the shutdown occurs, the WK EFC will not accept individual returns (federal and/or state) until IRS comes back online in early January 2025. However, preparers can continue picking up acknowledgements through mid-December.

Important to Note:

• Tax Year 2021 returns will no longer be eligible for e-filing by the WK EFC after Saturday, November 30th at 10:00 pm Eastern Time. Any acknowledgements must be retrieved by the user no later than mid-December for TY21 e-files. EFC for TY21 will not be available after mid-December 2024 to pick up these acks.

• Business Returns: Business returns are not affected by this schedule as IRS has not yet announced the business cutover schedule and will do so at a later time.

• Disaster Relief Extension to File: This shutdown will also affect taxpayers who received a disaster relief extension to file. If the disaster extended due date falls within this shutdown time frame, you must do one of the following:
• Submit the returns electronically before the shutdown begins.
• Hold the return and transmit it when the IRS reopens in January.
• File them on paper after the shutdown.  If filed on paper, applicable opt-out documentation may be necessary. Please consult the taxing authority guidelines on how to opt-out of electronic filing.