How can I recover a deleted tax return?

[xmasbaby0]

@joyce1 

You can look for your rejected 2019 return in the exact same account with the same user ID that you used when you prepared it.   Unless you had an extension for tax year 2019, you are too late to receive a 2019 refund now; the refund has been forfeited.   However if you owe tax due, the IRS still wants to be paid with interest and penalties.

You cannot use online to work on it or make changes.   If you need to change anything you will need to use the CD/download on a full PC or Mac.   And the return will have to be filed by mail; it cannot be e-filed.

  You have to access your own account and/or  print it for yourself using exactly the same account and user ID that you used when you prepared the return.

Start a 2022 return online and enter some personal information  so that the menu on the left opens up and lets you access your past year returns.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/01/270...

Many people have multiple TT accounts and forget how to access them.  Log out of the account you are in now.

Account Recovery

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901535-forgot-your-turbotax-online-user-id-or-password

Or did you use the desktop version of TurboTax?  If so, the files are on your own hard drive or any backup device you used like a flash drive.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901486-how-many-turbotax-accounts-do-i-have

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901659-find-your-tax-data-file-in-mac

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900721-find-your-tax-data-file-tax-file-in-windows

To get a copy of your previously filed returns prepared with online TurboTax https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900748-how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-return-i-filed-in-turbotax-online

SAVE YOUR TAX RETURN !

EVERY year before mid-October you should save a copy of your tax return as a pdf and print a copy of it for your records.  That way you will not be searching online frantically when you need it for a lender, FAFSA forms, your next tax return, etc. 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900937-why-should-i-save-a-pdf-copy-of-my-return

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899779-what-s-the-difference-between-the-tax-data-file-and-the-pd...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1912466-how-do-i-save-my-return-as-a-pdf-in-the-turbotax-software-... •

NOTE:  TurboTax and the IRS save return for seven years.  Returns older than seven years are purged.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2559403-how-do-i-finish-a-prior-year-return-that-i-started-in-turb...

[xmasbaby0]

@joyce1 Unless you requested an extension  back in 2020 for the 2019 return, you have forfeited the refund.   

  You have to access your own account and/or  print it for yourself using exactly the same account and user ID that you used when you prepared the return.

Start a 2022 return online and enter some personal information  so that the menu on the left opens up and lets you access your past year returns.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/01/270...

Many people have multiple TT accounts and forget how to access them.  Log out of the account you are in now.

Account Recovery

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901535-forgot-your-turbotax-online-user-id-or-password

Or did you use the desktop version of TurboTax?  If so, the files are on your own hard drive or any backup device you used like a flash drive.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901486-how-many-turbotax-accounts-do-i-have

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901659-find-your-tax-data-file-in-mac

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900721-find-your-tax-data-file-tax-file-in-windows

To get a copy of your previously filed returns prepared with online TurboTax https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900748-how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-return-i-filed-in-turbotax-online

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2559403-how-do-i-finish-a-prior-year-return-that-i-started-in-turb...

[xmasbaby0]

@joyce1 I clicked your username and see that you asked about this back in October of 2021, and received replies from multiple volunteers on this user forum.   You received information two years ago about how to look for your 2019 return and file it by mail;  it is puzzling that you are here two years later asking about the same tax return.   

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/after-you-file/discussion/please-help-me-access-the-2019-return-i-...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/taxes/discussion/please-help-me-find-the-documents-that-were-finis...

[Pete61]

used downloaded version

[Cynthiad66]

We'd love to help you complete your tax return, but need more information. Can you please clarify your question?  Deleted from TurboTax?  What year?

If you need to recover a tax return from previous years, you have a few options. Watch this video to find how to recover past years' tax returns.

@Pete61 

[sunapee]

it is a 2023 intuit home & business return that i deleted.

[DoninGA]

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@sunapee wrote:

it is a 2023 intuit home & business return that i deleted.

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To access your prior year online tax returns sign onto the TurboTax website with the User ID you used to create the account - https://myturbotax.intuit.com/

Start the 2024 online tax return by entering some personal information then click on Tax Home on the left side of the screen.

On the Tax Home webpage -

Scroll down to the section Your tax returns & documents.  Click on the Year and Click on Download/print return (PDF) or Click on View adjusted gross income (AGI)

If you used the desktop CD/Download editions installed on your computer, the only copy of your tax data file and any PDF's will be on the computer where the return was created.  TurboTax does not store online any returns completed using the desktop editions.

Or go to this IRS website for free federal tax return transcripts - https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

For a fee of $30 you can get a complete federal tax return from the IRS by completing Form 4506 - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506.pdf

[VolvoGirl]

@sunapee   The 2023 tax data file ends in .tax2023.   And you should have also saved your return as a pdf file.   Which one do you need?  Are you on Windows or Mac?   In Windows they should be in your Documents in a Turbo Tax folder.   How did you delete it?  Did you check the trash or recycle bin?   Search your whole computer.  

If you don't have the main .tax file you might have one that starts with a Tilde sign ~ like  "~your name.tax2023”.  That file is if your computer crashes or your real file gets lost or deleted or corrupt so you can restore it.