Help! My E-file keeps getting rejected with "WagesNotShownAmt" XML schema error

I've been trying to submit my taxes electronically since yesterday but I keep hitting a wall. Every time I submit, I get a rejection email with this weird error: Issue: Business Rule X0000-005 - The XML data has failed schema validation. cvc-complex-type.2.4.a. Invalid content was found starting with element 'WagesNotShownAmt'. One of '{"http://www.irs.gov/efile":WagesLiteralCd}' is expected. It also says: Field/Xpath: /efile:Return[1]/efile:ReturnData[1]/efile:WagesNotShownSchedule[1]/efile:WagesNotShownSch[1]/efile:WagesNotShownAmt[1] This might as well be in another language! I have two different W-2s and I've entered everything correctly as far as I can tell. Why is it saying "not shown"? I saw an old post suggesting it might be related to punctuation in the forms, so I went through and removed everything except spaces and hyphens. Still no luck after checking everything three times. Do I have to give up on e-filing and mail this thing in? My refund is pretty decent this year and I don't want to wait forever to get it. Has anyone run into this specific error before? UPDATE: I figured it out! Posting the solution in case anyone else gets stuck with this same issue. I had put my total wages in both the white box on the left side of Line 1 AND in the column on the right. Apparently you're only supposed to put the final number in the right column. When I cleared out the white box on the left and only kept the number in the right column, the system accepted my return immediately. Such a small thing causing so much frustration!

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18 comments

Jacob Smithson

•8M

XML validation errors can be super confusing if you're not a programmer! What happened is that the tax software was trying to create the electronic file for the IRS, but the format was incorrect because of how you entered the wage information. The IRS e-file system has very strict rules about data formatting. In your case, the system was expecting a certain format (WagesLiteralCd) but found something else (WagesNotShownAmt) because you had values in both fields. Line 1 on tax forms often has a description field (the white box on the left) and the actual value field (the right column). For e-filing purposes, you're correct that only the right column should contain the value. This is actually a pretty common issue that doesn't get explained well in most tax software. The software should have prevented this kind of error, but sometimes these validation checks aren't built in properly.

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Jacob Smithson

•8M

Generally, you should only put numbers in the designated amount fields (usually on the right). The description boxes on the left are typically for writing in what the amount represents when it's not already pre-printed on the form. Most tax software will actually prevent you from making this error or will automatically move the numbers to the correct field. It sounds like you've been lucky so far that your returns were processed correctly despite this. The IRS systems have become more strict with validation in recent years, which is why you're seeing these errors now when you might not have before.

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Maya Patel

•8M

After struggling with nearly the exact same error code last month, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it literally saved my sanity. I was getting rejection after rejection with XML validation errors that made zero sense to me. The site lets you upload your tax documents and it analyzes them for these weird technical errors that most of us would never catch. For me, it found that I had entered some wage information in the wrong field format (similar to your issue) and also that one of my W-2 entries had a period in the employer name that was causing validation problems. The analysis highlighted exactly where the errors were occurring and how to fix them. I made the changes and my return went through immediately.

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Maya Patel

•8M

It works with pretty much any tax software because it analyzes the actual XML file that gets submitted to the IRS - that format is standardized regardless of which software you use. You just need to download your return as a PDF before submitting and upload that for analysis. You don't give them any login info at all - that would definitely be sketchy! You just upload your tax PDF, they analyze it and point out issues, then you go back to your tax software to make the corrections yourself. They don't make changes for you or store your full return information. Think of it more like a spell checker for tax returns that focuses on technical formatting issues.

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Aiden Rodríguez

•8M

Just wanted to say taxr.ai really worked for me after seeing the recommendation here! I was having a similar XML error (something about invalid dependentSequenceNumber format) and was ready to just mail my return in frustration. Uploaded my draft return PDF to the site, and it immediately pointed out that I had accidentally put a slash in my dependent's last name instead of a hyphen. Fixed it in my tax software, resubmitted, and got accepted within an hour. Saved me weeks of waiting for a paper return to process!

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Ava Kim

•8M

If you're still having issues or get rejected again, I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to talk to an actual IRS agent. I had a similar XML rejection issue that I couldn't figure out even after multiple attempts, and waiting on hold with the IRS was impossible - kept getting disconnected after 1+ hour waits. Claimyr got me connected to an IRS rep in about 20 minutes who walked me through exactly what the error meant and how to fix it. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Basically they wait on hold for you and call when an agent is ready. The IRS agent explained that these XML errors often happen with wage reporting fields and gave me specific guidance for my tax software.

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Ava Kim

•8M

They use a system that basically waits on hold for you through their technology. Instead of you sitting there listening to the hold music for hours, their system does it and then calls you when a real person answers. The IRS phone system is definitely terrible, that's why this service exists in the first place. They have multiple lines calling simultaneously and can get through more efficiently than an individual repeatedly calling. When I used it last February, I got a call back in 23 minutes even though the estimated hold time was over 2 hours. The craziest part was the IRS agent actually knew exactly what the XML error code meant and solved my problem in about 5 minutes.

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Emma Garcia

•8M

Well I stand corrected! I was super skeptical about Claimyr actually being able to get through to the IRS, but after getting another e-file rejection yesterday, I decided to try it. Honestly expected it to be a waste of time or some kind of scam. I'm shocked to report that I got a call back in about 35 minutes with an actual IRS representative on the line. The agent was able to look up my specific rejection code and explained that I had entered my estimated tax payments with the wrong date format, which was causing an XML validation error similar to what the original poster experienced. Fixed it and my return was accepted this morning. Never would have figured that out on my own!

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Layla Mendes

•8M

It depends on the specific field in the tax software. Some fields accept decimals, while others require whole numbers only. The problem is that most tax software doesn't warn you about this until you try to e-file and get rejected. For example, estimated tax payment fields typically want whole dollars only, no cents. But some deduction fields might accept exact amounts with cents. The IRS e-file specifications are incredibly detailed about which fields accept which formats, but regular taxpayers never see these rules. That's why these errors are so frustrating - we're basically being asked to comply with technical specifications we can't see.

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