How do I make a copy and change something on my taxes just for informational purposes?

[rookietaxer]

I have already filed my taxes but I have a question.  I'm divorced and I'd like to check what my refund would have been if I claimed an additional child, vs my ex.  I DON'T want to amend or refile just curious b/c I get a tax benefit for the children and he doesn't.  How do I do this?  Thanks!

[DMarkM1 · Accepted solution]

Sign in to your TurboTax account.  Select the "Add a State" option.  This will allow you into your return to make changes without amending.  Be sure to change every back before exiting so that your return is still accurate.

[rjs]

You didn't say whether you are using TurboTax Online or the CD/Download TurboTax software.

TurboTax Online is not really suitable for what-if scenarios or other trial tax returns. In TurboTax Online there is only one copy of your tax return, and any change you make is saved immediately. There is no back-out or undo, and no way to exit without saving the changes. The only really safe way to try out a change is to do it in a different account. But then you would have to recreate your entire tax return in the test account. You also have to be careful to keep track of your different user IDs and passwords. You could add "test" to the user ID to clearly distinguish it from your actual account.

With the CD/Download TurboTax software there are two easy ways to try out the change without affecting your actual tax return. One way is to use "Save As" on the File menu to save a copy of your tax return with a different name. Then you can try out the change on the copy. The CD/download software also has a What-If Worksheet that lets you easily try out different scenarios using the completed return as a starting point, but without affecting the actual tax return, and it lets you compare the scenarios side-by-side. To use the What-If Worksheet switch to forms mode and open the What-If Worksheet.