I have an enhancement request for TT that I think would be helpful to many and not a lot of development. It relates to end-of-year planning and next year estimation.

[shamrock66]

I have been using TT for 20yrs and every year this is an issue.  I have a moderately complex situation and there are many carry forward figures each year.  In year-end planning in November and December the new forms are not completed and don't work together so I use the prior year's software under the assumption that most tax rules will be similar from year to year.

Unfortunately, I have to override many items to account for my carry forward information. Additionally, I try to estimate the next years taxes in a similar fashion.   My suggestion is that TT could create a program that takes the output of file of TT and format it to the file format of the input for that year's software.  This simulated/pseudo file could be then fed back into the software for the current year(naturally the file would be ID'ed appropriately). The initial load would give results under the assumption that nothing changed, but minor adjustments from there would easy.  This could be used for current year end planning as well as estimates for next.

[april-orgren · Accepted solution]

I agree!!! I would love to have the ability to do test scenarios. I never really know for sure what our income is until after our taxes are complete, and by then it's too late to do year end adjustments. Like you, I try to use last year's software for test runs and then have to start over when the current year software is ready.

[SweetieJean]

TT desktop already has a "What If" feature.

Part of the problem is that TT must wait until the IRS (and the states) approves TT's versions of the tax forms before they can release them,which often does not happen until at least January.  In addition, there are sometimes tax law changes made by Congress and/or the state legislatures at the very end of the tax year.

[shamrock66]

Of course they don't have the forms, nor do they have the programming by Nov-Dec.  That is why the need to use the prior year's software with all the integrated forms.

[Anita01]

If you have the desktop version, you can always go to the File tab and do a save as and rename the file to something else, then change whatever data you want to make a test return

[shamrock66]

I know this but that only uses the input of the previous year as input.  We need the output of last year to be the input of the simulated.  You solution only works if there are no changes to carryovers (e.g. depreciation accumulation, business credits, passive loss carry forward etc.)

[Anita01]

Using the Carryover Worksheet from 2015, for example you could open a new file and take the carryover numbers in the 2015 column, which are carryover balances to 2016, and just go down the new blank 2014 column and enter the old file's 2015 column numbers.