Managing Acknowledgements (Acks)

When the IRS receives an e-file, it acknowledges receipt of the e-file by sending an acknowledgement, or Ack, to the EFC, which processes the Acks and makes them available in the program.

Each time you transmit a return or request acknowledgements, the program automatically updates the status for all your e-filed returns. If the IRS or a state rejects one of your returns, review and correct the errors, re-create the e-file, and then transmit the return again.

After you transmit the e-file, you should make it a best practice to Receive Acknowledgements periodically until you get a positive acknowledgement that the return is accepted. If you don't periodically receive Acks, you may miss an important acknowledgement that requires a swift response (e.g. a reject). For information on any known delays in Acks, check the ATX Blog.

Ack Timeliness

ATX tracks all e-files transmitted to the various IRS service centers and direct states. We ensure you receive Acks from these agencies in a timely manner. IRS and direct state acknowledgements generally take 24 to 48 hours from the time of transmission.

If returns are pending for more than 24 hours, we'll contact the appropriate IRS service center or state agency directly to quickly resolve any issues that may be causing a delay and will tell you when to expect acknowledgements.

If significant processing delays are encountered by a state or the IRS, information will be posted to the ATX support site.

State E-file Acks

If you have state returns pending for more than 5 days, we'll contact the appropriate state agency to quickly resolve any issues and provide you with up-to-date information about when you should expect to receive your acknowledgements.

When we request a re-hang of acknowledgements from the IRS or state agencies, we expect to receive the acknowledgements the same day. However, when there are additional problems requiring us to retransmit a batch of returns, we expect to receive the acknowledgements the next day.