To e-file your taxes, you must provide your prior year adjusted gross income (AGI) or your Self-Select PIN. This serves as your electronic signature and helps the IRS confirm your identity. Usually when you’re a returning ezTaxReturn.com customer, we’ll automatically pre-populate this field for you. New customers must manually enter their AGI.
If the AGI you provided doesn’t match IRS records, your return will be rejected. Unless you correct and resubmit your return, it will be like you never filed for that tax year. On January 11, 2023, the IRS confirmed they’re still working through their existing backlog. If your return is in that backlog group, then the IRS system may not have recognized your prior year AGI. Due to this glitch when you file electronically, one of the verification questions asks for your AGI, from your most recent tax return. If your return doesn’t recognize your AGI, this can cause your e-file to be rejected and join the backlog of unprocessed returns.
Most people receive acknowledgement from the IRS within 24 hours of filing so watch your emails.
Reasons for getting an AGI reject
There are several reasons why taxpayers get their AGI wrong. If you filed late last year, your return is still waiting to be processed due to the IRS backlog, or you didn’t file at all, the IRS recommends using $0 as your prior year AGI. Some ezTaxReturn customers mistakenly believe they’ve finished their taxes once they’re able to download their return. However, you must continue through the program to e-file. Failing to complete the process means the IRS won’t get your return and you’ll run into problems when you try to file again next year. Your return must be accepted for the IRS to have a prior year AGI on file.
If you amended your taxes last year, make sure you’re using the AGI from your original return not the amended one.
Where can I find my prior year AGI?
The easiest way to find your prior year AGI is to look at a copy of your 2021 tax return. Your AGI is on line 11 of your Form 1040. ezTaxReturn customers can print copies of their returns from the ezDownload Center on their myAccount page. If you used a different tax provider, you can obtain a copy of your return from them. You can also request a transcript from the IRS to see what AGI they have on file.
First-time filers age 16 or older must use zero as their AGI.
How to fix an AGI reject
If you did your taxes with ezTaxReturn.com and received Reject Code IND-031/IND-032, please take the following steps to correct your AGI.
- Sign on to your account and when the “myAccount” page is displayed, you will see “Rejected” in the “Federal Tax Return” section. Click on “Click here for details” and the “Problems Found On Your Return” window will appear. In this window you will see the rejection code, a brief description of the problem, and a blue link which reads “Fix!”
- Click on the “Fix!” or “Revisit” link.
- You will be taken to the page where you can enter your AGI, with text that reads, “To correct this reject, you must correctly enter your adjusted gross income (AGI) from your 2021 tax return below.”
- Please enter the correct AGI. If you have your income year 2021 return, you can find your AGI on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, Line 11.
- If you do not have your prior-year return to check your AGI or in the case that the IRS has a different AGI on file for you, please click the “request a transcript online from IRS” link.
- A pop-up window from the IRS will appear. Click on the “Get Transcript ONLINE” button. Please follow the instructions on how to get your transcript online.
- Once you have your transcript, you will be able to find your AGI from the previous year’s return (income year 2021).
- When you have your 2021 AGI and have noted it, minimize the IRS window and enter it in the box on our site.
- Please note that you cannot use the AGI from an amended return. You must enter in your original AGI amount. In the event that you did not file last year, or filed after April 18, 2022, your AGI may be 0. If you mailed in your 2021 federal return last year to the IRS, please try $0 this year. Please note that the IRS had extreme processing delays of paper returns in 2022
- If you filled out the “Non-Filers” link last year, please try $1 this year.
- After you have completed the process of fixing your electronic signature, click “Continue” and you will be on the “Federal Bottom Line” page. Continue through to the end of the program and click the “E-FILE MY RETURN” button to re-file.
- Please make sure to refile your State return as well if it was rejected with your federal submission.
- If you filed Married Filing Jointly with your spouse last year and your spouse prior year AGI was rejected, please try 0 for your spouse.
Please let us know how we can help by contacting our Customer Support team.
