1. Support
  2. Electronic Filing / Acks / Rejects
  3. Reject Codes / Rejected Returns

How to Resolve a Document Count Reject

A common reason that an e-filed return might reject is for the document count.

This is IRS Business Rule R0000-019:

The number of return documents (forms, schedules, and supporting documents) included in the return must equal the document count specified in the Return Data (documentCount attribute of the ReturnData element of the Return).

A state return might also reject for the document count. California Business Rule R0000-065, for example:

The total number of documents contained within [CA-ReturnData] or [CA-CombinedReportSchedules] must match the document count attribute [documentCnt] contained within the specific [CA-ReturnData] or [CA-CombinedReportSchedules] element, as computed by FTB.

A document count reject means that the document counter in the return and the actual number of documents in the return don't match.

What is a document?

As the federal reject indicates, documents are "forms, schedules, and supporting documents".

Electronically filed tax returns are transmitted in a data format called XML, so the word "document" is defined in the context of XML rather than in what the return looks like when printed.

Many forms consist of multiple printed pages, but in the return data they are counted as a single document. Form 1120-S, for example, is a 5-page form that consists of the main form plus Schedules B, K, L, M-1, and M-2, but the schedules aren't necessarily treated as separate documents.

How are documents counted?

As the return is being prepared, documents are being added to it and a counter keeps track of the total number of documents in the return. In practical terms, the document counter counts each standalone form, schedule, or supporting statement that has been completed, but the words "standalone" and "completed" are important:

  • standalone - In TaxSlayer Pro, a standalone form will have a menu option to delete the form. For example, in the S corp return Schedules L and M-2 are considered standalone (even though they are incorporated into Form 1120-S) since they can be deleted in the menu. Schedule M-1 is not standalone since it cannot be deleted from the menu.
  • completed - A form or schedule that's been created is a document and is part of the return, but if it is blank it's not considered to be completed and it won't be added to the document count until it has some data in it. The term completed doesn't imply accurate; the return can still reject for a form that's been incorrectly completed.

How are documents created in a return in TaxSlayer Pro?

Documents are created in two ways:

  • Opening a particular form or schedule menu - Not all forms are created just by opening the menu to the form, but many are. For example, in an individual tax return, just by opening the Form 3800 General Business Credit menu you have added Form 3800 to the return. In a partnership or S corp return, opening a form listed in the Miscellaneous menu such as Form 965-B or Form 8275 adds that form to the return.

    A blank standalone form should always be deleted to avoid a reject.
  • Clicking the New button - Any time you click the New button in a menu you are creating a document. There are numerous menus like this in the program, e.g., for adding a source document such as a Form W-2 or 1099-R but also for adding Other Income or a supporting statement. In a business return, Other Assets and Other Liabilities are added to the balance sheet, and Other Costs are added to Form 1125-A, by clicking New in their respective menus.

    If you click "New" in a menu and don't complete the entry, e.g., leave the description blank or the amount at $0, the return will reject because the document has been created but not completed and thus hasn't been added to the document count.

Diagnosing and fixing this reject in TaxSlayer Pro

Before searching for the problem, do two things:

1. Note the forms and schedules listed in the Forms Completed column, either by taking a screen snip or by writing them down. There are two reasons why doing this can help:

  • That list may be revealing a form that is blank that needs to be deleted.
  • When parsing the return menus, you may inadvertently create a form you didn't intend to, so it's good to know what was in the return at the outset of the diagnostic process.

2. Print the return to PDF. A blank tax form or incomplete supporting statement are often a clue to where the problem lies.

Is the number for "documentCount attribute" higher than "Actual number of document found"?

If so, there are two possible reasons:

1. A form not part of the MeF XML somehow got added to the counter. This may be the most common reason why the document counter is higher, and the easiest way to diagnose this is to look at the two things you did above:

  • Check the screen snip of Forms Completed and see if a form is listed there you didn't complete. Visit the form and if it's blank and has a menu line to remove it, do that. If it's blank but doesn't have a menu line to remove it, then it's not part of the problem.
  • Parse the PDF copy of the return and look for an incomplete supporting statement, i.e., a statement that's missing either a description or an amount. If you find one, locate its menu and either complete it or delete it.

2. The counter is off somehow. For whatever reason the counter is off and needs to be reset. If this is a federal reject, do the following steps:

  1. Open the return.
  2. Remove it from electronic filing.
  3. Mark it for electronic filing.
  4. Exit and retransmit.

If this is a state reject, do the following steps:

  1. Open the state return that rejected.
  2. Remove the state return from electronic filing.
  3. Mark the state return for electronic filing.
  4. Exit and retransmit the state return only.

Note: There are a handful of state returns that cannot be e-filed state-only, "unlinked" to a federal return. At the transmission table, if you are told that the state return cannot be e-filed by itself, you will need to file it in paper form.

If the return rejects after having done the above procedures, call TaxSlayer Pro Support for assistance at 706.868.0985.

Is the number for "documentCount attribute" lower than "Actual number of document found"?

If so, it may be that there is a blank or incomplete document in the return. The difference between the two numbers tells you how many problems to look for. Do the following steps:

  1. Look at your screen snip or list of the forms and schedules listed in Forms Completed. Are there any that don't belong? For example, if the list in a business return contains Form 965-B you may have opened the Form 965-B menu, thus creating that form, but you didn't complete the form since it isn't needed. In that case, return to that menu and select the "Remove" menu line to remove it.
  2. Examine the PDF-printed copy of the return and check these two things:
  • Look for supporting statements with missing information, e.g., the details for an "Other" item with a blank description or a $0 amount. If there is such a statement, find that item's menu in the return and complete or delete the item, either of which will resolve the reject.
  • Look for a blank form. If any is found, visit that form's menu and either complete it or delete it. (Note that in the printed copy of Forms 1065 and 1120-S, Schedules L, M-1, and M-2 are often blank - this won't cause a document count reject.)
  • If the problem isn't found in Step 2, visit all the menus in the return that include a "New" button. Look for entries missing either a description or an amount. So, in a business return examine any menu line that begins with the word "Other" in the Income menu, the Deductions menu, and Schedules L, M-1, M-2, and, if completed, M-3 (found in Heading Information > Other Categories).
  • If you fixed the problem in Steps 1, 2, or 3, exit the return and retransmit.

    • After the above steps have been followed, if the return is still rejecting call TaxSlayer Pro Support for assistance at 706.868.0985.