Save time and effort by transferring last year's tax return to 2017 TurboTax
for Windows.
You can transfer a tax data file such as .tax2016 (from TurboTax), .t16
(H&R Block at Home) or .ta6 (TaxAct).
You can also transfer a PDF of your 2016 return, whether you used other tax
software, an accountant, or tax service. More info.
If you successfully e-filed your return last year, we'll even transfer your
e-file signature so you won't have to re-enter your AGI.
Transfer from TurboTax for
Windows, TaxAct, or H&R Block
- Open
TurboTax 2017 and choose Start
a New Return from the TurboTax File
- Don't open an existing
return by selecting Continue.
When your
2016 tax file appears on the Good
News screen, select it and click Transfer Return.
- If
you don't see last year's tax file, select Browse and in the
new window, select All
Files (*.*) from the drop-down in the lower right
corner. Then browse to wherever you stored your 2016 return and open it.
- Still
can't locate it? It might be on another computer. You'll need to move it to your current computer.
After the
transfer is complete, check the screen for any special instructions. If
none, select Continue.Now save
your new tax file to ensure you don't lose any info and continue to follow
the on-screen instructions,You'll
also have a chance to review, edit, or delete transferred
information later on.
Please note that once you've gone past the Transfer screens, you can't
revisit them. If you need to re-transfer, start fresh with a new return by
following the steps above.
Transfer from TurboTax for
Mac
- On your
Mac, find last year's tax file and copy it to
a removable device such as a thumb or flash drive.
- On your
Windows computer, copy the
tax file from the device to your desktop or My Documents.
- Rename the
tax file by right-clicking it, choosing Rename, and adding a .tax2016 file name
extension to it.
- Open
TurboTax for Windows and select Start a New Return.
- TurboTax
will search for 2016 tax return files on your computer and should find it.
If not:
- Select Browse and go to
where you saved the file in Step 2.
- Once
located, select the file and click Open.
Wait for
TurboTax to finish transferring the information over.
You can then review transferred information and add, edit, or delete items
as necessary. More info
Transfer from TurboTax Online
If you have a copy of your 2016 Online return in .tax2016 data
file format, just follow the first set of instructions above.
If you don't, use this workaround:
- Go to TurboTax and
start a 2017 Online return using the same login you used last year. This
will transfer your 2016 data over.
- After the
screen has loaded, select the Tax Tools drop-down
menu in the left-hand column, and then select Tools.
- In the
pop-up window, select the Save
your return to your computer.
Now, open the .tax2017 file (which contains the
transferred 2016 info) in TurboTax for Windows:
- Open your
TurboTax 2017 program.
- From
the File menu,
select Open
Tax Return.
- Browse to
where you saved the .tax2017 file,
and then click Open.
(Optional) Review, edit, or delete the info that transferred over.
Transfer from PDF
If you used other tax software, or an accountant or tax service last year
and you have a PDF of your return, here's information and instructions on transferring your
return.
If you have dependents, you'll need to revisit the dependent topic to ensure
their info transferred correctly. You can revisit this by going to the My
Info tab and selecting You & Your Family.
Related Information:
