This help page presents instructions on where to find Form 8606. It says to search for IRA Contribution Information in TurboTax Desktop: Select Search Topics. When I click on Search, a chatbot sidebar is loaded where I can choose for a predefined set of options. I am not able to enter text into a search bar.
I have also tried going through the IRA deduction settings, and am unable to trigger the program to include Form 8606. The reason may be that the form is not included in last year's return, and now the program believes I don't need 8606, but this form is important for tracking nondeductible contributions to an IRA over time. It should be OPTIONAL to include this. Has to program been designed so that it is only possible if you have made a nondeductible contribution in the year for which you are filing?
If you didn't take a distribution or make a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution then you are not required to file Form 8606. Please see Who Must File 2024 Form 8606 for details. TurboTax is following this rule.
You can see your basis on the IRA Information Worksheet.
My question was not about IRS requirements. It is about TurboTax software. I believe the answer to my question is YES. By design, TurboTax makes it impossible to voluntarily add Form 8606 unless a nondeductible contribution has been made. This is a major disadvantage.
Correct, you cannot add a Form 8606 in TurboTax if you aren't required to file Form 8606. TurboTax is just following the IRS requirements. TurboTax allows you to track your basis on the IRA Information worksheet.
So to followup - How do I add my basis to the TT IRS Tax Worksheets?
Filing a Form 8606 for no other reason than to show on lines 2 and 14 your existing basis from prior years is extraneous. The IRS wants your tax return to include Form 8606 only if you have a 2024 transaction that is required to to be reported on Form 8606. TurboTax still tracks your basis on the IRA Information Worksheet for your own recordkeeping and for use on a future Form 8606 when you do have a requirement to file this form.