Why is my 2018 tax return blank?

[xmasbaby0]

You are probably in the wrong account.

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

Account recovery

https://myturbotax.intuit.com/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/1901535

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

[joshkim43]

Can’t recover my accounts 

[mesquitebean]

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@joshkim43 wrote:

Can’t recover my accounts 

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You didn't describe any roadblock if/when you tried all the steps above.    Which of the following are you not able to do?

And at the end I've include a  "Try Something Else" method.

You can have up to 5 accounts that use the same email address for notification purposes.  A User ID may be an email address, but it doesn't have to be.  It might be only part of an email address, or it can be anything at all.

To get a list of your User IDs and recover account access, you can use the tool at the link below.  Try using your phone number first.   After that, if necessary, then run the tool on your email address(es) you can access.

NOTE: Before running the account recovery tool below, log out of all Intuit accounts including this user forum, or you might end up in a loop.  Then clear your browser Internet cache, close your browser, then reopen it, and go to the link below.  You may wish to copy this link so you can paste it into the new browser session.

https://myturbotax.intuit.com/account-recovery

If still no luck after running that on your phone number and email address(es) that you can access,  here's another method:

Go back to the tool again, but this time leave the data field blank, and choose the small blue link that says "Try something else", and it will look you up by SSN and other parameters.

If you still can't find/access your accounts after all that, here's how to reach Customer Support:

Hours are 5AM-9PM Pacific (8AM-12 Midnight Eastern), 7 days/week

FAQ: What is the TurboTax phone number?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/what-is-the-turbotax-phone-number/00/25632

[TerukoL]

You will need to sign in using the User ID and password you created the account with.  If you no longer have that information please click here and fill out the account recovery request form. 

Please click the TurboTax Help link, listed below to recover your account if you remember one of the following linked to your account:

• Phone number (recommended)

• Email address

• User ID

.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/account-recovery/help/forgot-your-turbotax-online-user-id-or-passw...

[mesquitebean]

@ joshkim43 

Or are you in the correct account, but when you download the PDF to view, your PDF is blank?  You may need to explain more about what you are experiencing.

Log in, and at the Tax Home scroll down to "Your Tax Returns & Documents".  Expand that section and choose tax year 2018.   Does it show that the 2018 return was filed in that account?   If so, it should also say if it was accepted, rejected, printed, started, etc.   Which of those terms is shown there?

Or do you find no evidence at all of the 2018 return there? 

And what does "blank" mean?    Do you download a PDF and see the tax return forms, but there is no data in the fields?   Or are the pages completely empty of all text--i.e., just white pages?

[a139]

I'm having similar issue. I can print my 2019 tax return from turbotax online but when I download the .tax file and open it is blank. How can I obtain the .tax file for 2019?

[MichelleLO]

To clarify, did you prepare your return in TurboTax Online, and are saving your tax data file on your PC to open in TurboTax CD/Download software?

If so, please see How do I save my TurboTax Online return as a tax data file? for instructions. 

@a139

[a139]

Thanks for your reply. I've already done this. I downloaded the 2019 .tax file from turbo tax online but when I open it in the desktop software on my mac it is blank.

[mesquitebean]

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@ a139 wrote:

Thanks for your reply. I've already done this. I downloaded the 2019 .tax file from turbo tax online but when I open it in the desktop software on my mac it is blank.

What are you needing to do with the *.tax2019 data file in your desktop software?  Are you needing to finish an unfiled 2019 return, or are you needing to amend a 2019 return, or are you referring to 2020 software and need to transfer the 2019 data file into a new 2020 return?

I assume you have the 2019 desktop software installed on your Mac since you used the term "open" the file.   It can only be "opened" in 2019 software.   Was the *.tax2019 data file downloaded from the same online account in which you can view the 2019 PDF of your return?  Did you access the PDF and tax data file during the same log-in, or on separate occasions?    A blank *.tax2019 data file makes me wonder if you might have 2 different online accounts. 

[Anonymous]

The .tax file is not a file you can open. It is designed to be imported. You can open the pdf version of your tax return. See the instructions in our FAQ regarding how to access your previous years' tax returns filed with Turbo Tax. Once you click on download/print return (PDF), you can save it and/or print it.