TurboTax amended return transfers incorrect values from original return, causing non-zero starting amount in refund monitor and incorrect original amounts in form 1040X.

[jdickins11]

I started an amended return in TurboTax Deluxe.  After confirming I'd already filed my return and I needed to amend my 2018 return, the initial update screen has a "Why did the refund monitor just change to $0?" link.  At this point the refund monitor showed $5 on the first update screen, not $0 as it should.  The 1040X form as displayed by the Print Center showed an incorrect AGI on line 1 column A.  The incorrect AGI apparently caused TTax to calculate (rather than transfer) an incorrect original Tax Liability on line 6, column A. Likewise TTax calculated and used an incorrect value for the original return "Overpayment" on line 18.

Why? This sure looks like a bug with no easy workaround.  Unfortunately, TTax doesn't show any worksheets with its calculations for form 1040X, giving me no way to find our "why" TTax was doing this so I might be able to make it work.

Since form 1040X does not appear in TTax "Forms" there is no way to trace back or override incorrect values.  My solution was to make a copy of the original TTax file and use TTax to put in my corrected 1099-DIV values to get amounts for 1040X "Correct" amounts.  Then I filled out 1040X by hand, entering "Original" amounts in column A from my original return, the "Correct" amounts in column C from the copied and corrected TTax return, and manually calculated "Net change" values for 1040X column B.

Assuming this is a bug, maybe this will help someone else.  If it isn't a bug, I'd like to know why.

[ch_9999163]

I have the exact same problem. I received an 1099-INT form lately from a bank which does not mail the from on-time. So I started an amended return with TurboTax Deluxe 2018 (Mac). In my case, the refund monitor showed $18 on the first update screen, not $0 as it should. I checked the generated Form 1040X and found out the cause is that the box A (original amount) of line 1 on 1040X (AGI) is $150 lower on my originally filed 1040. 

[79wahoo]

I had to do the same.  The 1040X did not have the correct numbers from the original return so I had to fill one out by hand.  Has to be a bug in Turbo Tax.  

[Robert J]

I had a similar problem with my 2019 return.  Followed all instructions on how to amend my previous return, but the Turbotax auto-entered original amount for Itemized deductions did not match the original amount by several thousand dollars.  Good thing I took the time to check the numbers manually against my original return.

To resolve the problem, I also manually created the 1040-X form for submission to the IRS.

I called the phone support on two different days--each time wasting 10 - 15 minutes.  The first time, I connected with a rep who couldn't help and forwarded me to a number in which I had to pay $100 for support.  The second time, after 10 minutes of useless voice-response interrogation, I was connected to a CPA-qualified rep, or at least I thought I was.  The voice asked for my name several times, claiming that they (it?) could not hear me, and then hung up.  I like turbotax, but the support from Intuit seems to be non-existent.

[mfhny]

Turbotax is incorrectly calculating an amended return for 2019.

The numbers as originally filed are not pulled forward correctly.

Very frustrating!

[homesteader1]

Like 5 others before me,  c'mon TurboTax, step up to fix this problem or issue refunds to everybody.  You guarantee a product that does no errors and this is a big error. 

Pre-amble: I have already read the two posts below. I know the refund meter is supposed to go back to zero for the amendment (so please don't post that as the answer).

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/after-you-file/discussion/1040x-original-amounts-are-wrong-why/00/....

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/after-you-file/discussion/turbotax-amended-return-transfers-incorr....

Doing an amendment for 2019 with TT Deluxe, TT corrupts all the numbers on the 1040X "Original Amounts" Column A, so that they do not match the original return that was filed. Why?

Here's how I attempted to amend my 2019 tax file:

1) I ran TT2019 on my laptop, and allowed the program to do any updates.

2) I opened my 2019 TT file, which had not been touched since taxes were filed about a year ago. I viewed forms to ensure numbers matched the paper TT generated and I sent to the IRS. At this point the refund meter correctly said $zero because I had elected to apply my 2019 refund to the following year taxes, so the refund was zero.

3) I selected "Other Options" and "Amend". Immediately, the refund monitor jumped to a $729 refund. I changed NOTHING and NO number was input yet and it changed, so I suspected something is broken. (This is where everybody else notes that the refund meter should correctly drop to $zero, before any amended numbers are entered.)

I entered the one number I had to amend (income on a 1099-R changed). TT generated a correct new 1040, and the GUI showed correct old and new "Adjusted Gross Income" and "Tax Before Credits".

HOWEVER...

The refund monitor continued to show a number that does NOT match the correct refund Line21a shown on the forms view of the 1040. And, frustratingly, the 1040X is not visible in the forms view, so I can't trace where the bad info is coming from. Instead the refund-meter continues to show a refund exactly $729 higher throughout the rest of the process. Regardless, I continued pressing through the buttons to check the amended return, and there were no errors.

When I printed the new amendment package to the IRS, all the "Original Amount" Column A numbers on the 1040X were corrupt and were NOT the original filing numbers as they were supposed to be. I have no clue where they came from.

The Column C "Correct Amount" numbers are correct except at the bottom where they depend on the prior over payment (Line 18), which TT again corrupted compared to the original filing.

I don't really care about the "refund-o-meter". I DO care that I can't get TT to do Col A "Original Numbers" correctly. How do I get a good 1040X from TT?

[AmyC]

We have a known issue with IRA distribution not transferring to the Modified AGI worksheet for the 2019 amend. Yours sounds more extensive with the original numbers thrown off.

The software does allow you to prepare up to 5 returns. You could:

• create your return completely in the program as a new return
• fake a new tax form. To do this, start a new return. Then switch to FORMS mode and type in numbers that match your original return on the 1040. This would give you the correct starting point. Then you could switch back to input mode and create the amended return. 

@homesteader1

[homesteader1]

@AmyC,

Thanks for your thoughts. However, I think you've misunderstood the complaint.  After amending, the 1040 form has all the proper (amended values) on it, ready to be filed with the IRS.  The 1040X does not.

Did I understand you saying I should re-enter all my data again with a totally brand-new return?   Sheesh!!  It does me no good to re-enter an entirely new tax return (hours) to get a "new starting point", and then again enter in all the amended data.  I already have good 1040 forms.

The problem is TT is incapable of creating a valid 1040X.  In my case, at least 8 numbers in 1040X Col A and Col B were wrong.  The IRS would laugh at me if I filed this without manual review.  Even the TT review function finds nothing wrong with it.  

It was easier to just do the 1040X myself after I used TT to make an amended 1040 (which has correct amended numbers).

If TT has a known issue about correct numbers not transferring to the AGI, uh.. then that sort of violates the guarantee that TT does all calculations correct. Why does TT not fix the problem or refund costs for users experiencing this problem?

[ilh19]

@AmyC, do you have any idea when this will be fixed? I submitted a tax return amendment last year and just received a notice from the IRS stating that the numbers for the original tax return were incorrect. Now I'll need to manually fix the 1040X form. 

[TiffanyL]

Did you use TurboTax Online or TurboTax Desktop to prepare the amended return?

[ilh19]

I used the desktop app for TurboTax Premier @TiffanyL 

[AkinaLO]

Please contact TurboTax support for assistance over the phone. 

What is the TurboTax phone number?

[homesteader1]

@TiffanyL  I used TurboTax Desktop to prepare the original and the amended return and the 1040X.  The original return and the amended return are correct.  The 1040X has bad numbers all over it, and I had to manually create the 1040X.

[homesteader1]

@AkinaLOThanks for the pointer to "contact TurboTax support"; the link you provided more clicky web pages that take me in a loop back describing the problem and offering other forum posts.

Anyhow, What can be said other than what has already been said by multiple aggrieved customers in this thread?    I don't really have a question for support other than, "Why doesn't Turbotax Fix the erroneous 1040X problem, or else respond according to the terms of your guarantee that Turbotax generates accurate tax forms?"

This is taking HOURS of many customer's time.  It's clearly a software fault.  Recommend you fix it or we'll all end up looking for a different software provider.   It will create lots of grief if someone innocently sends in a 1040X that TT has gotten all wrong.

Please let me know if/when I can get a patch to the TT program that does 1040X correctly.

[dennisjansen]

I have TT home and business.  Filed 2020 taxes in February, then need to file an amended return.  Same issue as above -- TTax fills out the 1040-X incorrectly just as described above.  The cover page where TT gives filing instructions and "Tax Return Summary" is also incorrect.

Really, TT?  You have known about this problem for several years and have not fixed it?  And you do not warn your customers of the problem, you just blithely tell them to go through your "amend your return" process.  You could at least tell us of the problem and that we should fill out 1040-X manually.

This is worse than incompetent.  And shows a blatant disregard for your customers.