Jackson Hewitt Messed Up on My Return

[shangrilaomaha]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Nebraska.
My fiance and I went to Jackson Hewitt in January 2016 to file our tax returns. After careful review, the tax preparer advised us to file married joint and this would be the best way to maximize our return. So we filed as married. I am a full time student at UNO and while the school was processing my financial aid for the 2016 year, they discovered the mistake and advised me to fill out a 1040X amended return with me as head of household like I had done the previous years. So today I took off work and gathered my return that I already received in which i already spent the $8000 tax return that I had and already been funded, and went to the Jackson Hewitt headquarters off 72nd and Pine to meet with the district manager. After they redid the taxes they say now that I owe the IRS $2800. They admitted the mistake and said they fired the CPA rep that made the mistake, but I would have to pay $2800 back to the IRS after the amend. I advised them this is their mistake and they are responsible to pay anything extra as a result of their mistake. Their motto is 'We will pay 100 of all costs' associated with mistakes on your return if it is a result of their own negligence. So after I told them I wasn't signing anything and I wanted to seek legal council, they kicked us out of the store and locked the front door because we mentioned the word 'Lawyer'. Now I am risking losing all financial aid from my school because I am unable to provide a 1040X amended return. This clearly was their mistake as they

 

[Proserpina]

How often do you and your fiance file your taxes together?

 

[justalayman]

I believe they state they will pay penalties but you are stil responsible for the actual taxes owed b


And what don't you understand about being married. Either you are or you aren't. Common sense would have told you you can't file married since, well, you aren't married.

 

[Proserpina]

I believe they state they will pay penalties but you are stil responsible for the actual taxes owed b


And what don't you understand about being married. Either you are or you aren't. Common sense would have told you you can't file married since, well, you aren't married.

Yup. And Nebraska is not a common-law state, so that's out, too. It's unclear why the agent would have been under the impression that the two individuals in front of him/her were married when the basic intake information would clear that up right away. It's just as unclear why OP didn't question the agent's suggestion at the time (though I do have an idea).

But OP seemed to have been cut off mid-post so we'll have to wait.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

https://jacksonhewitt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1665/~/what-is-the-gold-guarantee%3F

"Unless you paid for the Gold guarantee, they are only responsible for reimbursement of penalties and interest charged by a taxing authority. ..... For an additional fee, you can purchase the Gold Guarantee for extra, worry-free coverage. If you purchase the Gold Guarantee and a taxing authority notifies you of an error on your tax return, contact Jackson Hewitt, present your Gold Guarantee Certificate, and we'll work with you to resolve the issue which may include reimbursement for any additional tax liability or reduction in your refund amount up to $5,000."

 

[Zigner]

https://jacksonhewitt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1665/~/what-is-the-gold-guarantee%3F

"Unless you paid for the Gold guarantee, they are only responsible for reimbursement of penalties and interest charged by a taxing authority. ..... For an additional fee, you can purchase the Gold Guarantee for extra, worry-free coverage. If you purchase the Gold Guarantee and a taxing authority notifies you of an error on your tax return, contact Jackson Hewitt, present your Gold Guarantee Certificate, and we'll work with you to resolve the issue which may include reimbursement for any additional tax liability or reduction in your refund amount up to $5,000."

The OP signed off on the return with a married status...this isn't a math error buried in the return. I doubt the "Gold Guarantee" will cover this.

[SUB]From http://www.jacksonhewitt.com/In-Store-Tax-Prep/Products-and-Services/[/SUB]
Coverage under the Gold Guarantee does not apply to the following situations (“Exclusions”): (i) you provided incorrect, incomplete or false information; (ii) your tax refund was reduced or not received as a result of a tax lien, judgment, support order, unpaid student or government-related loans, back taxes, or any other collection activity; (iii) you are unable to substantiate a deduction, credit, or other position taken on the covered tax return (whether it be a failure to produce sufficient documentation or otherwise); (iv) you failed to timely file the tax return or pay the taxes shown as owing on such return; (v) fraud; and/or (vi) for Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax preparation and related ACA services...

 

[tranquility]

At some point, one must look at one's return and correct things obviously false. While the purported "CPA rep" may have been mistaken about the OP's marital status, in a situation like this, even the most green and uneducated tax preparer would not make the legal mistake here absent fraudulent intent. Unless the guy is going to get a kickback based on the amount of refund, no one would make this error unless there is a factual misunderstanding. The taxpayer is the only one who could catch such an error. And, should have.