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Minnesotans Who Already Filed With TurboTax Play Waiting Game

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesotans aren't the only ones who can't file their state tax returns through TurboTax.

The company is now temporarily suspending e-filing in all states over fraud concerns.

On Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Revenue announced it would stop accepting the state returns from filers using TurboTax.

The decision came after two Minnesotans reported that someone had already filed in their name.

When Allie Heutmaker used TurboTax to file her taxes on Thursday, she thought she was done with that annual process.

But after learning that the Minnesota Department of Revenue blocked TurboTax filings, she spent all morning online and on the phone waiting for answers.

"I'm expecting a refund to come and, now, this happens. So it's just really annoying and frustrating," Heutmaker said.

And she's not alone. The decision to block TurboTax filings will impact a portion of the more than 270,000 people who've already submitted their taxes in Minnesota.

"I feel bad for everybody it's affecting, but I would feel 100 times worse if it was just me," she said.

Officials with the Minnesota Department of Revenue say they took the rare move to protect personal information.

Assistant commissioner Terri Steenblock says the department's system was not breached, and the issue is with TurboTax.

Now, the revenue department is waiting for TurboTax's parent company, Intuit, to find the source and solve the problem.

On Friday, Intuit announced in a written statement that it doesn't think its system was hacked.

"They believe that the information used to file the fraudulent returns was obtained from other sources outside of a tax preparation process," Steenblock said.

In the meantime, those who've already used TurboTax may notice their state filing as pending. There's no need to refile -- they're just being asked to wait.

"Once we begin accepting those returns, it will flow through the system like they normally do," Steenblock said.

Those who've already filed through TurboTax, and had their state filing accepted, will have their taxes processed without delay.

While Allie can't do anything to speed up this year's return, she already has plans for next year's tax season.

"Next year, I'm gonna go to H&R Block or some other tax person. This is the last time," Heutmaker said.

Intuit is offering identity protection services and free credit monitoring.

The Minnesota Revenue Department is only blocking individual TurboTax filings.

Intuit has several other programs used by professional tax preparers. Those systems aren't impacted by this issue.

If you have questions about TurboTax, you can call this toll free hotline: 1-800-944-8596.

To see Intuit's entire written response, click here.

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