TN Franchise & Excise Review

Tennessee’s Franchise & Excise returns are simple to submit but easy to file incorrectly. A missed deduction or incorrect entry can produce significantly overstated balances, and the Department of Revenue won’t flag or correct those mistakes. Instead, they accept the return as filed and continue collections, which may escalate to liens or levies.

Our F&E Review checks your filed return for accuracy and determines whether a correction is needed.

Who This Service Is For

This service is designed for Tennessee businesses that are required to file Franchise & Excise tax returns, including:

• Single-member LLCs (disregarded entities)

• Multi-member LLCs

• General and limited partnerships

• Small businesses that filed their own F&E return in TNTAP

• Anyone who received an unexpected balance, notice, or collection letter from the Tennessee Department of Revenue

Why These Returns Are Commonly Wrong

Franchise & Excise returns look straightforward, but TNTAP provides very little guidance on how the amounts should be entered. As a result, many businesses unknowingly submit returns with missing or incorrect figures—especially around business earnings and deductions. Even a single overlooked entry can create a balance that is far higher than the business actually owes.

Because the Department of Revenue does not verify the accuracy of the information entered, these mistakes are accepted as filed. The system treats the overstated balance as valid and moves forward with normal collection efforts unless the return is corrected.

What We Check During Your Review

During your F&E Review, we look for the most common filing errors that lead to overstated balances. This includes:

• Verifying that required deductions were entered correctly

• Reviewing business earnings and how they were reported

• Checking for amounts that were accidentally omitted

• Identifying entries that may have been entered in the wrong fields

• Making sure the minimum tax was calculated and applied properly

• Reviewing any notices or balances shown in TNTAP for consistency

You’ll receive a clear explanation of any discrepancies and whether your return should be corrected.

How the Process Works

Step 1 — Upload Your Documents

You’ll provide:

• A copy of your filed federal income tax return for the year(s) being reviewed

• A recent F&E TNTAP letter (we’ll provide instructions for retrieving one if you don’t have one on-hand)

The TNTAP letter allows us to access your previously filed F&E return, and the federal return provides the information needed to confirm whether your Franchise & Excise filing was completed accurately.

Step 2 — Professional Review ($100 per tax year)

We review your F&E filing against the information from your federal return, identify any errors that may have caused an overstated balance, and let you know whether a correction is recommended. You’ll receive a clear explanation of what was found and what it means for you.

Step 3 — File the Correction (Optional, $150 per tax year)

If a corrected filing is needed and you choose to proceed, we:

• Prepare the amended return

• Submit it through TNTAP

• Monitor its processing

• Notify you when the processing is finalized.

Total cost if a correction is needed: $250 per tax year. All fees are fixed and not tied to the refund amount.