Failed Filing Report
Understand failed tax filings and learn how to resolve them efficiently with our comprehensive report.
What is Failed Filing?
A filing failure occurs when an electronic tax return submission is rejected by the tax agency during the filing process. This can happen due to various reasons such as invalid or missing tax IDs, previous filings not being properly off-boarded, or missing historical data to name a few. When a filing failure is identified, Check initiates a process to resolve the issue, often requiring the company to provide additional information or correct errors. Check will attempt to send a paper return if the issue cannot be resolved promptly, but the preferred solution is to correct the filing blocker and resubmit the return electronically.
Failed filings are identified typically within 24 hours after the electronic tax return file is uploaded and the agency provides a response confirming the file's status. This response allows Check to recognize any filing failures and begin the process of addressing them.
You can find a comprehensive list of tax filings supported by Check here.
What is the Failed Filing Report?
The Failed Filing Report lists any employers, the associated agency, and the reason for the failed funding.
The report presents detailed documentation in CSV format.
Sample:
Report Columns
Below are the column headings and definitions found on the report:
Column Heading | Definition |
Company ID | Employer public ID |
Company Legal Name | IRS registered legal name. |
Shared At | The date and time at which this information was shared to you via the Tax Filing API. |
EIN | Employer Identification Number associated with the the employer and tax agency |
Description | Jurisdiction Name |
Jurisdiction | Alpha numeric jurisdiction identifier |
Period | Period of filing; a quarter or year is most common |
Year | Calendar year of filing |
Filing Status | The status of the filing: amendment_required - the failed filing has resulted in the need for an amended return; preliminary_failure - The filing has failed and can be refiled once the appropriate information is provided; refile_success - All issues have been addressed and the return has been filed |
Failure Reason | Indicates the reason the filing failed and possible actions needed to correct the filing; detailed list below |
Failure Message | Messaging provided from the agency to explain the failure in more detail |
Company Start Date | The date the company first had a payday |
Company Terminated | TRUE - Company is terminated; FALSE - Company is active |
Below are the most common failure reasons and how to remove these blockers:
Failure Reason | Definition | Resolution |
Applied For/Invalid Tax ID | The company is not registered for an account number or has not provided one to Check. | Update the ID number and provide a support request to Check to request a reattempt of the filing. |
Already Filed | The company didn’t properly offboard from their previous payroll provider and that Payroll Provider completed the filing, or the company has ceased processing payroll and did not submit a notice of the termination. | Have the employer notify the previous provider to cease all functions on their behalf and obtain a copy of the return that was filed. An amended filing now has to be completed that will include both the information filed by the previous payroll provider and the information that was processed through Check. If this is an existing company that ceased processing payroll, the employer should submit a termination notification. |
TPA Failure | This was either not completed or a step was missed during the attempt to complete it. | Employer should complete the TPA assignment. If this is a POA failure, a new POA is required and it must be signed by the Owner/Officer of the company. Once resolved, notify Check via a support ticket that the TPA assignment has been completed or a newly signed POA has been received and request a reattempt of the filing. |
Inactive account | Either an invalid Tax ID was provided by the company or the agency has closed the account due to inactivity. | The employer must validate the account number. If the account number is accurate it is necessary for the employer to contact the state and reactivate their account. Once complete, notify Check via a support ticket that the issue has been resolved and request a reattempt of the filing. |
One or more prior quarters is missing | The agency will not allow a filing when a prior quarter hasn’t been filed. This is specific to Louisiana Unemployment. | Either the date of registration should be corrected to remove the requirement or a filing must be completed. Check will not file returns on periods before the company’s first processing quarter. Once resolved, notify Check via a support ticket that the issue has been resolved and request a reattempt of the filing. |
Invalid Tax Rate | The agency will not allow a return submission with an incorrect tax rate. This is specific to Oklahoma Unemployment. | The company should immediately supply the valid tax rate for the current year. |
Partial Failure/Invalid SSN | Period of filing; The agency will not accept a tax return with an invalid Social Security number. The wage data was updated to remove the employee wages that were to be reported under the invalid Social Security number. This means the employee was not reported to the applicable agency along with the associated wage detail. | The company should immediately obtain a valid SSN from the employee. |
Missing Historical Data | A state may require the tax return filing to reflect each tax payment that was paid to them in the quarter. When the return is filed and it does not reconcile, the agency will reject the return. | Deposit reports and/or payroll reports should be re-requested from the company to identify what was missed in the original implementation. |
When to use this report
The Failed Filings report can be helpful in the following scenarios:
- After of quarter end to identify missing information or reasons for blocked filing
- After information has been updated and a refile request has been completed
- Regular post quarter account maintenance and communications
Using Console
Run the report on the Provider Level:
- On the left side, click Reports
- Click View under Failed Filings Report
- Select Filter:
- Year - Calendar Year for the filing
- Quarter - Quarter for the filing
- Failed Filing Since Date - First date that a failed filing could occur
- Failed Filing Until Date - Last date that a failed filing could occur*only user Year/Quarter -or- Failed Filing Since Date/Failed Filing Until Date
- Company (optional)
- Select to also include companies for whom refiles have been requested - Check box to include companies where Check has attempted to refile
- Select to also include companies for whom returns have been successfully refiled - Check box to include companies were a refile was attempted and accepted by the agency
- Select to only include companies with failed filings added in the past day (Note: this setting will limit the set of returned companies) - Check to include only the last day failed filings reported
- Download report
FAQs
What is the refile also fails?Validate the failure reason and that all necessary steps have been completed to unblock the filing. If all has been resolved, the employer should contact the agency directly.
What is the employer receives a notice regarding failed filing?Create a support ticket for Check to review and work with the agency towards resolution.
Recording
Last updated on June 30, 2024