TurboTax will not let me access my years prior taxes

[trujillogabby191]

he IRS needs my years prior tax returns, however, I cannot access them on TurboTax until I upgrade to plus AND pay to file my most recent taxes, however, I filed them elsewhere because TurboTax was inaccurate regarding my returns.. Turbotax won't let me access my prior returns without filing (again). Apparently, there is no customer service I can speak with. Can someone please help me?"

[CathyB]

https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/5574744

[janiceihannah]

Turbotax is a money HUNGRY and a DECEIVING company. They dry to drain every last cent from you while using their service. Stay away from them!

[E57C3788]

I am having the exact same problem, how dumb of me to rely on my previous returns saved on the Turbotax website. I cannot access them even though I have been a customer for 7 years. Turbotax is holding my records hostage to force me to file with their system, which costs me $100.00 to file. Highway robbery and mafioso tactics.

[morthnuravrgjosf]

I am having this exact same problem as well. I have been able to access my past tax documents with no issues in the past, but now they want to charge 30 dollars just for the privilege to see them. I really wish the government would reign this terrible, greedy company in. Honestly I don't even know why I'm writing this cause you all know they don't give a s*** about the people, only the money they can extort from them. Even worse is its TurboTax that's ruined my identity with the government and prevented me from getting my due returns for 4 years now and I've lost out on all the stimulus checks because of this **bleep**ty company. I hope the CEO rots in hell!

[xmasbaby0]

@morthnuravrgjosf You do not have to pay to access your past returns.  You are misunderstanding something.

  You have to access your own account and/or  print it for yourself using exactly the same account and user ID that you used when you prepared the return.

Start a 2022 return online and enter some personal information  so that the menu on the left opens up and lets you access your past year returns.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/01/270...

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

To get a copy of your previously filed returns prepared with online TurboTax https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900748-how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-return-i-filed-in-turbotax-online

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900748-how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-return-i-filed-this-year-in-turbo...

[Critter-3]

@morthnuravrgjosf 

You have tacked onto a thread that is more than 5 years old and the info is no longer valid.   Payment is no longer required to access prior year returns but you DO have to start the 2022 return for the side menu to open up ... takes about a dozen screens of basic info for that to happen. 

And when you do have access to all your prior return PLEASE  save the PDF files for all of them to your computer and also save them to a removable storage medium for safekeeping.  Then you will never have this issue again. 

[anaphylaxis]

This is no longer the case, my prior years tax returns are being held hostage by TurboTax. How is this legal? Lock up everyone at TurboTax.

[xmasbaby0]

@anaphylaxis This thread has had no activity since back in January 2023.   The obstacle you are going to hit right now is that the system has closed down for starting new 2022 returns online---the deadline was October 16 for that.   In order to access your past year returns, you need to access the exact same account with the same user ID that you used, and then "start" a new 2022 return online and go far enough into it to get the side menu to open up and let you get to your past returns.   But now the system is going into transition, and you will not be able to "start" even a fake new return until late November.

When you can get into the account

  You have to access your own account and/or  print it for yourself using exactly the same account and user ID that you used when you prepared the return.

Start a 2022 return online and enter some personal information  so that the menu on the left opens up and lets you access your past year returns.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/01/270...

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

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/1901659-find-your-tax-data-file-in-mac

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900721-find-your-tax-data-file-tax-file-in-windows

To get a copy of your previously filed returns prepared with online TurboTax https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900748-how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-return-i-filed-in-turbotax-online

SAVE YOUR TAX RETURN !

EVERY year before mid-October you should save a copy of your tax return as a pdf and print a copy of it for your records.  That way you will not be searching online frantically when you need it for a lender, FAFSA forms, your next tax return, etc. 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900937-why-should-i-save-a-pdf-copy-of-my-return

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899779-what-s-the-difference-between-the-tax-data-file-and-the-pd...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1912466-how-do-i-save-my-return-as-a-pdf-in-the-turbotax-software-... •

NOTE:  TurboTax and the IRS save return for seven years.  Returns older than seven years are purged.

[anaphylaxis]

I know this thread has had no activity. It's still a place for me to voice my concerns.

Thank you for also confirming that TurboTax is holding my previous taxes hostage unless I purchase the desktop version. I don't need the additional information. I will never use turbotax again. FreeTaxUSA is a much better service. There is no technological reason they can't show me my previous taxes. It is purely for their financial greed.

[TBaleno]

Thank you for providing no actual user help. The links you provided are broken, and the help article that's "up to date" tells you to click on buttons that don't exist on mobile or desktop. And per your systems, the ONLY way to talk to an agent is to have an active subscription, which I will not. 

At minimum this is an anti consumer process, and at worst you're hiding federal documents from the people who they belong to. This is why you lost a class action lawsuit and you still refuse to be better.

[VolvoGirl]

You have added on to an old thread.  

How to Access prior year online returns
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/00/270...

If you can't get the side menus to open up to access the prior year..... You need to start entering some basic Personal Info in 2023 for the side menu to open up. Just continue a little ways into 2023. I had to go though about 12 screens.

If you used the Desktop CD/Download program then the only copy is on your computer and not saved or stored online. So you need to make and keep your own backups.

Or request a transcript from the IRS
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

Or get a copy of your return using form 4506
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506.pdf

[DoninGA]

@TBaleno 

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

Start the 2023 online tax return by entering some personal information then click on Tax Home on the left side of the screen.

On the Tax Home webpage -

Scroll down to the section Your tax returns & documents.  Click on the Year and Click on Download/print return (PDF)

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.

Or go to this IRS website for free federal tax return transcripts - https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

For a fee of $43 you can get a complete federal tax return from the IRS by completing Form 4506 - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506.pdf

[TBaleno]

Hello,

I am logged in with the same account I used in previous years. I will NOT be entering any information to your system, as I shouldn't have to. I should be able to access my account and have an option to go straight to prior years documents. Locking it behind me starting my returns with your company is absolute nonsense. 

The idea that this is ok is a testament to how much your company pays senators to make tax laws worse for Americans.