Turbo tax desktop

[SarahSue8]

Hello TurboTax Support Team,

I am writing to provide feedback on my experience with the TurboTax Desktop version purchased through Costco this year.

To be candid, the desktop product feels significantly outdated compared to the online version. The user interface resembles software from the 1990s, and the help articles and guidance within the application were not sufficient for resolving many of my questions. I ultimately had to rely on external tools to find accurate answers because the in‑product help system was not effective.

Additionally, because the return I filed using the desktop version does not appear in my online TurboTax account, I now have an incomplete filing history for 2025. This creates unnecessary fragmentation and makes long‑term recordkeeping more difficult.

Given the maturity of the online platform, I strongly encourage Intuit to consider retiring the desktop version. If TurboTax continues to sell through Costco, a more customer‑friendly approach would be to provide a redemption code that allows customers to access the online version at the same discounted price.

Thank you for taking the time to review this feedback. I hope it helps improve the experience for future customers.

[M-MTax]

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@SarahSue8 wrote:

Given the maturity of the online platform, I strongly encourage Intuit to consider retiring the desktop version.

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They have a few things to figure out before that happens, but it's really only a matter of time before it does.

First, they need to offer some kind of discount to those desktop users who do more than one return (desktop allows up to 5 e-filed returns and unlimited print/mail returns).

Also, and more importantly, they need to combine Quick Entry and Forms Mode into Online TurboTax (like their pro products) because a LOT of users who buy desktop do so as a result of having direct access to forms. In fact, there are some options in desktop that are not even available in the online versions.

Regardless, Intuit isn't going to dump their desktop versions until the other major tax prep software vendors do so, primarily TaxAct and H&R Block.

[VolvoGirl]

@SarahSue8   Wow.  Your experience is totally different than all the posts I  read.   And this year since Turbo Tax Desktop 2025 requires Windows 11 and people have to switch to the Online version there have been lots of complaints and people don't like the Online version.   Have you used the Desktop program before?  They are trying to get people to switch to the Online version but most of us Desktop users don't want to. 

Did you try posting questions here in the forum? 

Desktop has many other features and advantages over the Online version. You can do more than 1 return. You can see and enter into the actual forms. It has a What-If worksheet. 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 Premium for investments.

And the Desktop program is always available even after the year ends. Which is good if you ever need to amend your return after online website is closed or get audited and need your tax records.

[SarahSue8]

I have not used desktop before and in previous years I had used the online version.  In previous years the online version did not have significant errors.  But given all the tax law changes these could have been introduced this year.   Yesterday I received a call from Brian, a Turbo Tax representative, telling me that the desktop version allows you to view the tax forms themselves.  Sounds like a great one for tax professionals but I personally did not use it.  IMHO the two versions should not have separate features, such as online having superior help and desktop having ability to view forms - the two apps should be similar in regard to features.  My experience was that help on the desktop version was very antiquated and could not answer the majority of my questions, the interface itself was outdated, and it had calculation errors for Oregon state taxes (it did not properly calculate lines 31 to 40)  In addition,  in order for me to ensure the online version has this years tax return so I had a full tax history online I first have to first download it from the desktop version and then re-upload it to the online version.  So manually post it - this is pretty lame.   As end users we should be able to to easily go back and forth between the online version and the desktop version year over year.  The two versions should easily be able to sync with each other and share all features.