After I completed and saved my 2019 Amended tax return in TT, re-opening my 2020 return seems to be treated as new.

[Nwesu]

After I completed my 2019 Amended tax return in TT, I attempted to re-open my 2020 return, but the 2020 TT opened asked me if I wanted to start to a return as if new. Why is this if I had previously partially or completed a 2020 return? It also asked me to select from one of two options of the 2019 return.

[KatrinaLO]

It's quite possible you have entered each tax return in a different account. Even though you only use one email address, it's possible that you have an additional account. You can check to see if you may have multiple Intuit accounts by following the steps in the below help article.

How many Intuit accounts do I have with TurboTax?

If you still don't find your tax data in your account, please reach out to TurboTax Customer Support for additional assistance. Please see the following information here for more details.

[Nwesu]

Thank you for your response. First of all, I should have mentioned that I used the CD version of each year's TT. Your response seems to indicate that I did my taxes online. Also, even though I was not logged in at the time and followed the instructions, I still encountered a circular login process, which eventually seemed to take me away from even being able to view whether I would have created multiple accounts but to a "pay for help" page.

Is there an example of my situation happening in the CD version? I have not seen this before and thought it might be because I amended the 2019 return. I expected to see just one entry for 2019. The second entry has the symbol "~" in front of it. What does that mean as TT would allow me to click on either? I was not expecting that, so I didn't want to click on either before posting my question. Both have the same date. 

[SteamTrain]

@Nwesu 

The squiggle "~" file is a backup file that TTX  creates....in case your computer crashes or shuts down (think laptop battery is empty) in the middle of a session. That ~ file is sometimes a few steps behind the main file, but can be used if your main file gets corrupted after an unusual shutdown.

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As to why the 2020 desktop software seems to be starting as-if you didn't already have a 2020 file to work on?

That can happen if you had to re-install the 2020 software.  i.e. it doesn't know the 2020 datafile exists (yet).  It might also happen if your 2020 lost the path to your 2020 file(s) for some reason.

If you have the .tax2020 file on your computer, you can normally just go up to the "file" menu item up top and select "Open Tax Return" and browse to your file to open it........but there is a BUT to that.

....the BUT..being that if your .tax2020 datafile has a state tax return in it, you may instead need to start a dummyfile first.....pretending it's a new one, and get far enough into the software such that you can download the state software you need...before you open that older file.  Make sure you use "Save_As" to name it as a dummyfile, so that it doesn't accidentally overwrite your real one.

[Nwesu]

Again, thank you for the response. Note: I do have all years of the Home & Business Federal & State CD versions installed. I think your response may be helpful except that even though I am fairly sure there is a state component in the 2020 return's datafile, I am not certain or clear about the reasoning behind creating a dummy file, especially since I now realize what the ~ symbol means. It would seem that I would select the other (first) file of the 2019 return files after the "welcome to Turbo Tax" page and clicking on "begin".  Of course, the concern is that I only have the choices of either opening a "new 2020 return" or "create employee W2s...".  (I don't have employees.) The only 2020 PDF (print version) that was saved is dated earlier than the 2020 datafile and contains only the Federal return. Also, how would I know that I've gotten far enough to "Save As" unless it's when it says that it is ready to create the state when there begins to show a "final" amount of state refund/owe? Additionally, in the past, I only remember the option to just "Save" and not a "Save As" option. Please clarify. I apologize for my lack of clarity. Thanks.

[SteamTrain]

The only reason to start a dummyfile...is if you don't have the state installed for that year's tax software.

For any new file you create in the desktop software, there should be a "Save-As" selection in the upper-left corner's File dropdown.....but it doesn't show until you have actually started a new file.

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But, you indicated you think you already have the state installed

...so...

You could still go to the upper left corner and select:

:<File<<Open Tax Return

...then browse to wherever that year's tax file is located to open it.

If the file doesn't open, and generates an error right away...then it is likely that your state isn't installed, but that depends on what the error is.

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[Nwesu]

As it turns out, I was able to click on the File dropdown and open the existing 2020 in a directory that had been accidentally moved under another directory. Therefore, it opened to the Ready to File page, as expected. I had previously thought to go to that directory and attempt to open the 2020 tax file but was not sure if it would open. That would have been next alternative. Thanks again for everyone who responded.