Notification and correction of E-filing rejections

• US 8,126,786 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2007
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Bober, Paul M.
• Primary Examiner(s): AN, IG TAI
• Application Number:
  US11/626,651
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• Field of Search: 705/31
• US Class Current: 705/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/207 Tax processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission

Abstract

An electronic filing system may electronically file a tax return created by a user using a tax preparation application. The electronic filing system may receive an error indication from a taxing authority identifying a specific tax return error. The electronic filing system may create an error notification including an error description, error solution, and mechanism for correcting the error. The electronic filing system may send the error notification to a device associated with the user. The device may not be the same device in which the tax preparation application created the tax return. The mechanism may enable the user to correct the error without the tax preparation application. The electronic filing system may receive an error correction sent from the user'"'"'s device according to the mechanism of the error notification. The electronic filing system may correct an error of the tax return according to the error correction.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable by the processor to;

receive an unfiled tax return from a tax preparation application, wherein the unfiled tax return is associated with a user;

electronically file the unfiled tax return with a taxing authority;

receive an indication from the taxing authority of an error within the electronically filed tax return, wherein the indication of the error comprises an error code;

interpret the error code to generate an error notification;

send, by an electronic filing application executing on the processor, the error notification in a first Short Message Service (SMS) message to a user device associated with the user, wherein the error notification directs the user to download an error correction application onto the user device, and wherein the error correction application is configured to;

execute on the user device to provide the user with an error correction interface;

prompt, based on an error description in the error notification, the user to enter an error correction to the electronically filed tax return using the error correction interface external to the tax preparation application; and

submit, to the electronic filing application, the error correction entered by the user using the error correction interface; and

receive, by the electronic filing application, the error correction provided by the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the error notification comprises an embedded reply-to address, wherein to receive said error correction comprises receiving a second SMS message sent from said user device to the embedded reply-to address, wherein the second SMS message comprises the error correction.

3. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by an electronic filing application executing on a hardware processor, an unfiled return from a preparation application, wherein the unfiled return is associated with a user;

electronically filing, by the electronic filing application, the unfiled return with an authority;

receiving, by the electronic filing application, an indication from the authority of an error within the electronically filed return, wherein the indication of the error comprises an error code;

interpreting, by the electronic filing application, the error code to generate an error notification;

sending, by the electronic filing application, the error notification in a first Short Message Service (SMS) message to a user device associated with the user, wherein the error notification directs the user to download an error correction application onto the user device, and wherein the error correction application is configured to;

execute on the user device to provide the user with an error correction interface;

prompt, based on an error description in the error notification, the user to enter an error correction to the electronically filed tax return using the error correction interface external to the tax preparation application; and

submit, to the electronic filing application, the error correction entered by the user using the error correction interface; and

receiving, by the electronic filing application, the error correction provided by the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the error notification comprises an embedded reply-to address, wherein to receive said error correction comprises receiving a second SMS message sent from said user device to the embedded reply-to address, wherein the second SMS message comprises the error correction.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the return is a tax return and the authority is a taxing authority.

6. A method, comprising:

using a preparation application to prepare an unfiled return;

submitting, to an electronic filing application executing on a hardware processor, the unfiled return for electronic filing, wherein the unfiled return is submitted to an authority, wherein the authority sends an indication of an error within the electronically filed return, wherein the indication of the error comprises an error code interpreted, using the hardware processor, to generate an error notification for sending, by the electronic filing application, to a user device of the user in a first Short Message Service (SMS) message;

receiving the error notification, wherein the error notification directs the user to download an error correction application onto the user device, wherein the error correction application is configured to;

execute on the user device to provide the user with an error correction interface;

prompt, based on an error description in the error notification, the user to enter an error correction to the electronically filed tax return using the error correction interface external to the tax preparation application; and

submit, to the electronic filing application, the error correction entered by the user using the error correction interface; and

receiving, by the electronic filing application, the error correction provided by the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the error notification comprises an error solution associated with the error of the submitted return, wherein the error solution indicates to the user a method of correcting the error.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the error notification comprises an error description that indicates to the user the specific error to be corrected.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said user receiving said error notification comprises the user receiving the error notification on the user device, wherein said user device is different than a device used to execute the preparation application.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the error notification comprises an embedded reply-to address, wherein said user correcting said error comprises the user sending, using the user device, a second SMS message comprising an error correction to the embedded reply-to address.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the return is a tax return and the authority is a taxing authority.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising program instructions computer-executable to implement:

receiving an unfiled tax return from a tax preparation application, wherein the unfiled tax return is associated with a user;

electronically filing the unfiled tax return with a taxing authority;

receiving an indication from the taxing authority of an error within the electronically filed tax return, wherein the indication of the error comprises an error code;

interpreting the error code to generate an error notification;

sending, by an electronic filing application, the error notification in a first Short Message Service (SMS) message to a user device associated with the user, wherein the error notification directs the user to download an error correction application onto the user device, wherein the error correction application is configured to;

execute on the user device to provide the user with an error correction interface;

prompt, based on an error description in the error notification, the user to enter an error correction to the electronically filed tax return using the error correction interface external to the tax preparation application; and

submit, to the electronic filing application, the error correction entered by the user using the error correction interface; and

receiving, by the electronic filing application, the error correction provided by the user.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the error notification comprises an embedded reply-to address, wherein said receiving said error correction comprises receiving a second SMS message sent from said user device to the embedded reply-to address, wherein the second SMS message comprises the error correction.