Process Acknowledgments (Acks)  is the area of the application where the status and other information, on e-filed returns, is processed. When this option is selected, the program searches for any BBS Files or Message Acknowledgments (Acks) from the IRS, Bank, and State that have not been posted to the Electronic Filing (EF) Database. All, IRS, Bank, and State Acks are automatically posted to the EF Database. The status of the search is displayed in the labels on the screen. 


After all acknowledgment files have been posted to the EF Database, the acknowledgment is displayed on the screen in the Report Viewer. 


Print/Reprint Acks


    1. Select Reports > Report Viewer.
    2. Find the acknowledgment in the Standard Reports tab and click View. This displays the report for your review.
    3. Click Print.


Note

If you do not see new acknowledgments select EF > Transmit/Receive.



Existing IRS Files


If returns have been Selected for EF but have not been transmitted, the returns must be transmitted before processing acknowledgments. If the program finds an existing IRS File (returns that have been selected, but not transmitted), the options to proceed are:

    • Transmit the File – If this option is chosen, the Transmit/Receive screen is displayed. 
    • Already Sent – Post the File – If the file has already been transmitted, choose this option. The file is posted to the EF Database. 
    • Return to Menu – To return to the main menu without sending or posting the IRS file, choose this option.


Reviewing Old Acknowledgments


Follow the steps below to review old acknowledgments:

    1. Select EF > Process Acks.
    2. If there are no new acknowledgment files, a message box is displayed prompting you to view old acknowledgments. Click Yes. Old Acknowledgments are acknowledgments already posted to the EF Database. All, IRS, Bank, and State Acknowledgments can be viewed.



Note

Each acknowledgment type selected shows in the ACK Listing window. Each type has an acknowledgment total, and can be sorted by column name in ascending/descending order. Each list includes File Name, Ack Date, File Date, Batch, Ack Type information. 



    1. Choose Ack Type from the drop list of acknowledgment types. If there have been no acknowledgments for the selected type, a message box advising "No Ack files were found" is displayed.
    2. Choose Limit Days Shown to filter out acknowledgments with older file dates. The program defaults to Last Day, which includes acknowledgments from the previous day through current day. This value can be changed to: Last 3 Days, Last 7 Days, Last 14 Days, or you can review all acknowledgments processed for the selected Ack Type.
    3. You can choose one or multiple items by selecting the check box beside the file names in the Acks Listing window and click View. 

 


Note

When multiple items are selected, like items (IRS MeF, IRS Legacy, etc) are viewed in a single report viewer. Process the report as needed and click Exit to continue viewing all of the selected types. Use the Select All and Unselect All buttons to manage large lists easier.




Understanding Acknowledgments


When a return is transmitted, an acknowledgment is immediately received on the returns or batch of returns. There are two types of transmission acknowledgments:

    • B – Drake BBS rejected the return (due to error, etc.).
    • P – Drake is processing the return and transmits it to the IRS.

 


Note

• If the acknowledgment Code is a P then the return is being forwarded to the IRS. Normally the IRS acknowledges a return within 24 hours. If the acknowledgment code is an X then there was something wrong with the transmission. Refer to the acknowledgment report for detailed information.

• Returns receiving an A code are accepted, and returns receiving an R code are rejected. If a rejected acknowledgment is received on a return, the report contains Reject Codes used to identify items that did not meet the e-filing required conditions. The rejected items have to be fixed, the return recalculated, and then retransmitted.

• If there is a "?" listed under the name column of the acknowledgment, then the Ack File was not posted to your EF Database. If this happens, try Repairing Index files and reading the acknowledgment again.