How do I access past Tax Returns? When I first logged in, I saw a menu for it. But it blocked me from downloading until I "choose Turbo Tax product" Chose free. Menu gone

[a-dog]

I just want to access past returns.  I'm using an accountant now.

[ee-ea]

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/00/270...

[mesquitebean]

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@a-dog wrote:
How do I access past Tax Returns? When I first logged in, I saw a menu for it. But it blocked me from downloading until I "choose Turbo Tax product" Chose free. Menu gone
I just want to access past returns.  I'm using an accountant now.

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See if this FAQ helps any:

FAQ:  How do I access my prior year return?

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

After reading that, are you able to get to the Tax Home page?

If so, scroll down the Tax Home page to the section "Your Tax Returns & Documents."  Expand that section and choose the tax year you want.   Then you can choose to "Download/print the PDF".

If you do all that, but don't find the particular return you want in that section "Your Tax Returns & Documents", then you may have multiple accounts and signed into the wrong one.    We can tell you how to look for multiple accounts.

NOTE:  Any returns prepared in desktop software (CD/download) will not be in an online account.

[a-dog]

Are you **bleep**ing with me?  WE'VE ALL SEEN THAT ARTICLE.  IT DOESN'T ANSWER OUR QUESTION BECAUSE NONE OF THOSE MENU ITEMS ARE VISIBLE. 

Why can't Intuit just be honest: they won't let you access past returns unless you pay for the latest product.  WHAT A SCAM.  Predatory practice.  I already paid you guys probably $1500 over the years.  what a bean-countery, miserly, cheap, predatory practice.  I hope you guys fail.  I will never use this **bleep** product again.

[mesquitebean]

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@a-dog wrote:

Are you **bleep**ing with me?  WE'VE ALL SEEN THAT ARTICLE.  IT DOESN'T ANSWER OUR QUESTION BECAUSE NONE OF THOSE MENU ITEMS ARE VISIBLE. 

Why can't Intuit just be honest: they won't let you access past returns unless you pay for the latest product.  WHAT A SCAM.  Predatory practice.  I already paid you guys probably $1500 over the years.  what a bean-countery, miserly, cheap, predatory practice.  I hope you guys fail.  I will never use this **bleep** product again.

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"You guys"

  You're asking for help in a user community forum--this is not a direct route to TurboTax Support.

 We have no idea what all you've seen or not any more than you know what I had for lunch today. 

I can certainly tell you how to contact Support if you prefer.

Perhaps you are not proceeding far enough to have the additional items in the left menu column."

You do NOT have to pay for a product to get your past returns, but you may have to answer some questions and proceed far enough that the left menu column items change.   Once you go through some initial screens the left menu items should change.

[a-dog · Accepted solution]

When they try to force you to buy a new product before access past returns, this window might show up:

Click the "Intuit Privacy" and it may take you to this page:

It reads to me that legally they cannot prevent you from accessing your data, so they make it as DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE and cajole and prod you to buy the new product first, but it seems that perhaps, LEGALLY, they are not allowed to.

What an evil, CHEAP, greedy, slimey policy probably designed by some blood-sucking lawyer or MBA bean-counter who can't figure out how to make money from simply PROVIDING A QUALITY PRODUCT.  I will never use Turbo Tax again after discovering this. 

Enjoy your death by 1000 paper-cuts business plan. 

[mesquitebean]

They can't force you to buy 2021 product first to get access to prior online returns, because Online TurboTax doesn't even charge one for their 2021 return until the end.   Online TurboTax is always "Start for free."

Don't try to get the return from that privacy page (your second screen image), which mainly offers one the opportunity to request all the data that Intuit has file on someone.  That screen looks outdated anyway, since it references "an immediate copy of the 2018 return."  .    Don't try to get the past return that way.

That first screen you provided also has a typo in it.  Looks like it was not updated from last year.  It says "To download your prior-year returns, just get started with your "2020" (sic) tax return in the product that is right for you."    It should say 2021.

It clearly says "just get started."   And your image has a blue button "Select a product on Tax Home."  What happens when you choose that blue button?  Can you proceed far enough that you eventually get Tax Home and Documents as tabs in the left menu column?

[fanfare]

"Chose free. Menu gone"

That's because there are no ancillary services with the Free Edition.

[mesquitebean]

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@ fanfare wrote: "Chose free. Menu gone"

That's because there are no ancillary services with the Free Edition.

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Free Edition users get access to their prior returns all the time if they are in the right account, and can even transfer data from 2020 into a 2021 return.   Up until 2018, Free Edition users who did not save a copy of their return prior to November of each year did have to pay in advance for a current-year paid product in order to unlock access to prior returns, but that has not been the case in recent years.

As you likely know, we forum volunteers see a LOT of people asking "how" to get a prior return--it's one of the most common questions in the forum each day.  But we seldom see a user having this much trouble to access a prior return.   In part it's due to the clumsiness of using a message board like this to try to resolve an issue that would be easier to effect in realtime, especially if one could follow along from screen to screen to see exactly what all is being experienced.

I don't know if user used 2020 Online TurboTax last year or not.  I only know he's trying to get some "past returns", but I don't know the tax years.   If he did prepare a 2020 Online return in that same account last year, it should recognize that and likely mention something in that regard.    However, some users end up with multiple accounts (User IDs) without realizing it.    So I don't know if this is his same account as past years or not.

@ a-dog 

In another thread, you mentioned (and posted an image) that you had a screen that said "Welcome, we're glad you're here" and had a blue "Let's go" button.  Did you click that "Let's go" button to get past some preliminary screens?    You didn't say if you actually tried to proceed with that button.  If not, can you get back to that "Let's Go" button and see if you are presented some preliminary screens that will make the left-menu column change?

If by proceeding as above, you are finally able to get to either the Documents menu (on the left) or the section "Your Tax Returns & Documents" (on the Tax Home page), if there is no evidence of the tax year return that you want in either of those sections, you could have multiple accounts, and we can tell you how to troubleshoot to look for other User IDs.

[phrederica]

Those instructions only work if you can find the first step.  I can't. I'm logged in.  I can see that I purchased TT for the last several years (I can see the product).  That's all I can find.

[VolvoGirl]

How to Access prior year online returns
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/00/270...

If you can't get the side menus to open up to access the prior year..... You need to start entering some basic Personal Info in 2022 for the side menu to open up. Just continue a little ways into 2022. I had to go though about 12 screens.

If you used the Desktop CD/Download program then the only copy is on your computer and not saved or stored online. So you need to make and keep your own backups.

Or request a transcript from the IRS
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

Or get a copy of your return using form 4506
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506.pdf