turbotax file as submitted is gone. help!

[slideadams]

Taxes were submitted in March.  All complete, all good, refund received. Last week (mid-August) I received a W-2 from an employer where we thought we had not made enough to even receive one.  Oops, it was for $1100.  Don't know if it was lost in the mail or lost in their office.  Nevertheless, assume I need to file an amended return.  Upon opening my 2018 TT file, all the info is gone!  What can I do now?!?  How can I recover the info as submitted so that I can file an amendment?  Is my only option to get a copy from IRS so that I can reconstruct the whole thing?  God, that sounds awful!

[DoninGA]

You have to sign onto your 2018 online account using the exact same user ID you used to create the 2018 online account.

Close all TurboTax windows on your web browser (including this one).  Copy and paste the account recovery website link onto a new web browser window and run the tool.

Use this TurboTax account recovery website to get a list of all the user ID's for an email address.  Run the tool against any email addresses you may have used - https://myturbotax.intuit.com/account-recovery

If none of the user ID's received will access your 2018 account, then use the option shown in blue on the account recovery website, "Try something else"

If you used the desktop CD/Download editions installed on your computer, the only copy of your tax data file and any PDF's will be on the computer where the return was created.  TurboTax does not store online any returns completed using the desktop editions.

To access your prior year tax returns sign onto the TurboTax website with the User ID you used to create the account - https://myturbotax.intuit.com/

Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and on the section Your tax returns & documents click on Show.  Click on the Year and Click on Amend (change) return

[VolvoGirl]

Did you use the Online version?  That's common to end up with multiple accounts. First LOG OUT of whatever TurboTax account you're logged into right now. Then use this TurboTax account recovery website to get a list of user ID's for an email address. Run the tool against any email addresses you may have used
https://myturbotax.intuit.com/account-recovery/

If you used the Desktop CD/Download program then the only copy is on your computer and not saved or stored online.

OR are you in the Desktop program?  Go to File-Open and see what files show up.  If you used the Mac Desktop program it should still be there.  Did you make any backups?

How to find tax files on Mac

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-data-file/help/find-your-tax-data-file-in-mac/00/26206

[slideadams]

This was not the online version. :(

[slideadams]

Mac version.  Normally automatically backed up in my dropbox but when opening the appropriate file there it is empty - zero info therein. There is no other copy.  I did not save a copy under a different name. Thankfully I have a PDF but am thoroughly dreading the reconstruct if that is my only option.  

Also.  How big a deal with the IRS could it possibly be for a late received w-2 in amount of $1100?

[VolvoGirl]

If you are using the Mac Desktop program it automatically saves the .tax file so it should still be on your computer.  Unless you changed it.

[slideadams]

the .tax2018 file is there.  Upon opening it, it is empty.  It contains zero info.

[slideadams]

Just had a revelatory thought that I thought might solve my problem.  Dropbox keeps a version history of files. I restored the oldest version from there. Still empty.  :( 

[VolvoGirl]

@macuser_22 can you help?

[slideadams]

Thanks for your help VolvoGirl!