I'm trying to access Forms view. Turbotax says the icon is in the upper righthand corner of the screen. NOT

[rjs · Accepted solution]

When you posted your question you indicated that you are using TurboTax Online Premier. See the product indicator to the right of your screen name at the top of the question. TurboTax Online does not have forms mode. Forms mode is available only in the CD/Download TurboTax software. In TurboTax Online the only way to see most of the forms is to print your tax return. However, you can view Form 1040 and Schedules 1 through 6 by following the instructions in the FAQ at the following link.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901539-how-do-i-preview-my-turbotax-online-return-before-filing

[ngmtt]

This in itself is a huge disincentive to using Turbotax online, any reason why Turbotax can't listen to user feedback and add an essential feature like this?

[thompsondc]

I have a Masters in Taxation, and I want to see what TurboTax Online is doing with my taxes BEFORE paying.  The UI for TurboTax is pretty awful and doesn't give me confidence that it's properly completing my return.  Is there really no way to look at what it wants to file BEFORE I agree to pay?

[xmasbaby0]

@thompsondc You can see your Form 1040---but you will not have direct access to any other forms etc if you have not paid.   Forms mode is only a feature of desktop software.   If TurboTax allowed users to see all of the forms and schedules without paying first, how do you think they could prevent people from just copying it all down and sending it in on paper without ever paying?    Users of the CD/download have already paid, so they have direct access to all of the forms.

PREVIEW 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901539-how-do-i-preview-my-turbotax-online-return-before-filing

Click on Tax Tools on the left side of the screen. Click on Tools. Click on View Tax Summary. Click on Preview my 1040 on the left side of the screen.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/printing/help/can-i-print-a-copy-of-my-turbotax-online-return-befo...

[mm80sf]

I  could not agree more with the comment about forms.  There are many users among us who are sophisticated (sometimes even tax professionals) and we need to be able to see and manipulate forms.  The "payment" explanation makes no sense.  Intuit is a leading software company  -- can't they add a watermark?! Even so, after I paid I was still unable to view forms like I used to in the desktop version.  I had to select print, download to my desktop, and then scroll around nearly 200 pages, and then go back to the online input to figure out the fix. I had to do this 3-4 times in order to get it right. I even paid for live help and they were surprised I had no forms access (she didn't know this after first).  Not only that, there are numerous issues with K-1 inputs.  For example, self-employed health insurance and 401(k) and pension contributions.  There are "dummy inputs" in the K-1 area.  After inputting the date, TT tells us that we "may need to input the information somewhere else" but it does not tell us where. Why not make those live?  They are reported on the K-1 and that's where they belong.  Again, 2 different live help agents could not solve this.  I eventually found the inputs under a separate business income screen.  At least link this area to the K-1 input.  The deductions in my case are very significant (high five figures).  Finally, and perhaps most frustrating, is there was no place to enter the State income tax deduction "workaround" for California.  The so-called "SALT" deduction that got legislated in early 2022.  Again, the live help agents could not help me and we ended up force feeding it into a random "other income" (K-1 line 11) with a negative number. This was another high 5-figure item. I expect much more from a leading software company based in California.  And to bring it back home, the explanation regarding forms makes NO SENSE.  Add watermarks or disable printing.  

[xmasbaby0]

@mm80sf When you use the CD/download software---which has Forms mode--- you have purchased and paid in advance for the software.  When you use online TurboTax, you pay at the end----AFTER you have registered.   And if they made forms mode available to online users, what do you think would prevent unscrupulous folks from simply getting all of the paper forms from the IRS site, and copying them from the online program without ever paying TurboTax for the tax preparation?   

If you want the use of Forms mode as you prepare your return, use the CD/download.

[mm80sf]

Also, for 2021 I purchased Turbo Tax Self-Employment Online, with Live help add on for another $200.  I believe I invested enough money to have the software work properly for me and have form view, without feeling like Intuit is worried that I am trying to scam them.  Most people out here are honest, hard-working people paying for a service they expect to function without "parental controls" (for lack of a better word). 

Most frustrating was the fact that the live help (1) did not know about this forms blocking (we spent 20 minutes searching for them first), (2) did not know that the K-1 deduction inputs  for self-insured health ins. or 401(k) were NOT LIVE (or where to enter them and why the K-1 screen inputs are not live), or (3) where to enter the CA State tax payment for the SALT (state and local tax) workaround, which is a huge tax issue for high income earners in California.  At one point live help said I should just file since I cleared the Turbo Tax review screens. " I insisted I need to see the forms because the refund/tax due numbers seemed way off.  When I finally got to the forms, I saw that ~$160K in legitimate deductions were missing.   This issue needs to be addressed or I and others cannot continue to use this product.  

[VolvoGirl]

All good reasons to use the Desktop installed program instead of the online version.  Especially if you are a tax person or a more knowledgeable user.  Desktop has many features and advantages over the Online version.  You can do more than 1 return.  You can see and enter into the actual forms.  And you can use a lower version because all the Desktop versions have ALL the same forms.  You just get more help in the higher versions.  In online you have to upgrade to enter certain kinds of income.  Like Premier for investments.

And you will always have access your return after online closes like to amend or to get a copy or prepare estimates during the year and for tax planning.  Lots of reasons.

[mm80sf]

Hello Champ, thanks for the response.    What is the reason that Forms view (not print) can't be available on the online version.  It seems Turbo Tax wants customers to use the online version. 

I used the desktop version for Mac for years.   However, a few years ago I was told that I needed to buy a new Mac (not an insignificant purchase) in order to use the most recent desktop software.  My prior iMac could not operate the most current Mac operating system and Intuit stopped developing for the prior IOS.  So on the one hand, Intuit is staying current with the technology.  That's why I find it ironic that it cannot make the forms available online.  Can you please try to answers these:  Why can't forms be made available with a DRAFT watermark?  Why aren't the K-1 inputs for health insurance and 401(k) live (and why doesn't it create an error when we input a large number on the K-1 screen for a deduction but it doesn't hit the 1040 at all)?  Doesn't give users like me a lot of confidence.  Where is the SALT tax payment supposed to go (the SALT tax payment is a state tax payment made at the entity level (a partnership) for partners for estimated state income taxes)?  Three different live help people could not help me.  I called the day after I filed to ask if I did it correctly and the live help agent had no idea what I was talking about. 

[mm80sf]

Volvo Girl, thanks for the response. HOW ABOUT A PAY FIRST OPTION TO GET FORMS, for the online users?  

 I was led to believe a few years ago that Intuit was steering people to the online product (no more downloads, easy data retention and transfer to next year's return, no software issues). Also, because I was not ready to purchase new $2000 iMac just to file my taxes since nothing was wrong with it (kind of defeats the purpose of using Turbo Tax to save $$), I opted to use the online version staring 2 year ago.  The forms explanation given just does not make sense.  Intuit is a leading software company.  Surely they (or Salesforce, etc) can help them implement something like a watermark or give us a view/preview of the form so we can jump back and forth. I literally had to print to PDF, save to my desktop and click through 200 pages, and then go back to the input screens 4-5 times.  I had live help with me and they thought it was nuts.  There must be a better way, like paying first.  Also, the K-1 input is not well designed and live agents agreed and couldn't figure it out.  What have customers input all that data on the K-1 screen with the codes and descriptions and not have it be live?  Why tell us that we "MIGHT need to input somewhere else" but not tell users where?  I am not here writing to complain.  I am trying to make this topic know to Intuit so they can try to address it to improve the product.   This is a pretty huge issue.  And please, do not tell me the desktop version is an option and PLEASE, Champ, do not say again that Intuit is worried about cheats.  I have suggested two valid alternatives. If there are specific reasons those suggestions are not possible, I am very interested to hear that.  Thank you.  

[VolvoGirl]

Yes you can always pay online early for a couple good reasons.  First you will lock in the current price.  The price will go up during the year and usually increases on March 1.  To pay early say you want to print and it will make you pay first.

[VolvoGirl]

A watermark would not work for forms.  If you could print before paying you could just hand copy the forms onto blank forms to file.  Then nobody would pay.  It's like if you want to download to a lower online version you have to clear and start over.  

[mm80sf]

If I pay in advance for Turbo Tax online now or next April or whenever (I am usually on extension), are you saying that I will access to Forms View while I am preparing the return? 

You seem to care and have knowledge (I cannot tell if you are an Intuit employee).  Do you have an explanation for the K-1 issues? Specifically, why does TT have us input the numbers for self-employed health ins. and 401(k) and not put them on the return?  What's the point of of that?  It seems to serve no purpose.  Also, why doesn't TT have a direct link (jump to) to the place where the software wants us to put that data?  

I know Intuit values accuracy and making the user experience easy. The above doesn't promote EITHER of those things and actually works against them.    I am not trying to be argumentative or critical. I just don't understand it. 

[mm80sf]

Ok, so your answers make it clear that the overriding policy/concern at Intuit is to counteract bad actors.  This seems to be a priority over accuracy (as my case proves).  Live Help repeatedly told me to hit e-file.  Had I done that, the numbers on the filed return would have been WAY OFF.  Now I understand why Intuit is actively making it HARDER to see the return in any shape or form (they worry people will copy/reproduce the info somehow).  But I am still not clear if I pay first (which I would have no problem doing), will that automatically make the forms view option appear on the left side of the screen like it does in the desktop version?  Or does it just allow users to print/preview?  This year I had to print to PDF/save to desktop and then redo that all over again 4-5 times after making changes, to see if it was done right.   It was tedious and time-consuming.  Is my question/issue making sense?