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February 27, 2024
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Is a signed Form 8453-PE, E-File Declaration for Form 1065, needed to e-file a federal tax return using TurboTax Business software?

  • February 27, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 0 views
I'm not confident that I can e-file my LLC Partnership return using Turbo Tax Business, Form 1065, because Form 8453-PE, E-File Declaration for Form 1065, does not show as a signed form in the preview prior to submitting.

My TT Business software is up to date. I following all instructions to print, sign, make a pdf copy of the signed Form 8453-PE, and uploaded it to my LLC Partnership return. I have no error messages. The Electronic Filing Instructions for my 2023 Federal Tax Return states I “have signed Form 8453-PE and it was attached to the electronic file. No other signature document is needed.”

However, when I pulled up Form 8453-PE on the preview, it shows the unsigned Form 8453-PE that I previously printed to sign.  Is the form 8453-PE unsupported for e-file. The form 8453-PE is the signature declaration form for the return so it cannot be unsupported for e-file. This would make no sense that the Signature Declaration form would be unsupported. 

I’d appreciate someone please checking into this. This would mean every business return that used 1065 cannot e-file because every one of them would have a form 8453-PE Signature Declaration form attached to it.
Best answer by Anonymous_

@gssulte7 wrote:

However, when I pulled up Form 8453-PE on the preview, it shows the unsigned Form 8453-PE that I previously printed to sign.  


That is correct and I don't know how else to explain it.

 

The signed 8453-PE does, in fact, get attached to your return BUT the list of forms, preview, etc. do NOT show the signed form; the signed form should be saved somewhere on your computer (it is not saved within the program for viewing or printing as a PDF).

2 replies

February 27, 2024

The signed form (8453-PE) that you uploaded is saved on your computer.

 

The 8453-PE in your list of forms in the program and the saved PDF will NOT show the signature since those forms were not printed out, signed, scanned, and then uploaded to the program by you.

gssulte7Author
February 27, 2024

No, as I stated, I followed all instructions to print, signed it, scanned it to make a pdf copy of the signed Form 8453-PE, and uploaded it to my LLC Partnership return.

 

My TT Business software is up to date. I have no error messages. The Electronic Filing Instructions for my 2023 Federal Tax Return states I “have signed Form 8453-PE and it was attached to the electronic file. No other signature document is needed.”

However, when I pulled up Form 8453-PE on the preview, it shows the unsigned Form 8453-PE that I previously printed to sign.  

February 27, 2024

@gssulte7 wrote:

However, when I pulled up Form 8453-PE on the preview, it shows the unsigned Form 8453-PE that I previously printed to sign.  


That is correct and I don't know how else to explain it.

 

The signed 8453-PE does, in fact, get attached to your return BUT the list of forms, preview, etc. do NOT show the signed form; the signed form should be saved somewhere on your computer (it is not saved within the program for viewing or printing as a PDF).

April 15, 2025

Just updating to let users know that this behavior is also present in Business 2024 at least for 8453-C.  The signed PDF is listed in Attachments.  However, the uploaded file is not in the preview and saved copies.

 

Uploading and transmitting are separate processes.  So, the former does not guarantee the latter.  Showing the correct file in the preview and saved PDFs provides feedback to the user that the upload worked.  Indeed, this is expected behavior for most users.

 

On a related note, Business 2024 sometimes also displays a successful upload when it did not happen.  (E.g., entering an incorrect file path/location.)  Hopefully, improvements can be made.