topic Re: Turbotax deleted my return! in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Turbotax deleted my return!

budherre — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 10:52:56 GMT

I had a 1040 all ready to file. I printed it and closed Turbotax, intending to file it later. When I tried to open it again, it was gone. There is no trace of it on my computer. What happened? How can I get it back?

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

MichelleLO — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 22:12:53 GMT

Were you prompted to save your return before closing out of the program?

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

budherre — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 03:18:58 GMT

I honestly do not remember. The really strange thing is that when I went to the recycle bin and attempted to restore the deleted tax2019 files to the Turbotax folder they disappeared too! Would Turbotax have anything to do with that?

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

MichelleLO — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 19:04:08 GMT

Did you by chance run a search for your .tax file? If not, you may want to try that. Please see Find your tax data file (.tax file) in Windows for more information.

If you are still unable to find it, please reach out to TurboTax Customer support via the Contact Us link below for further assistance:

https://support.turbotax.intuit.com/contact/

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

weagled — Wed, 27 May 2020 15:07:42 GMT

I filed my return and saved it. Turbo tax deleted my return and and possibly replaced it .I have a pdf copy how do I restore it

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

Critter — Wed, 27 May 2020 15:20:01 GMT

You cannot restore from a PDF ... but using the PDF you can rebuild the return.

And the TT program cannot delete any files since it doesn't house them ... they are stored in your hard drive. If you did an upgrade to WIN 10 that program sometimes hides files in the trash ... look thru your entire computer's hard drive.

This is my mini version of a tutorial that should be in the downloaded program:

What is Forms Mode?

Forms Mode lets you view and make changes to your tax forms "behind the scenes."

If you're adventurous, you can even prepare your return in Forms Mode, but we don't recommend it. You may miss obscure credits and deductions you qualify for, and you may forget to report things that will come back and haunt you later.

Forms Mode is exclusively available in the TurboTax CD/Download software. It is not available in TurboTax Online.

Related Information:

If you want to play around with different figures and tax scenarios without affecting your original return you can ….

>>>In the TurboTax CD/Download software by creating a test copy:
1. Open your return in TurboTax.
2. From the File menu, choose Save As.
3. Give the copy a new name to distinguish it from the original (for example, by adding "Test" or "Example" to the file name).
4. Click Save. You are now safely working in the test copy and anything you do here will not affect the original.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900642-how-to-make-a-test-copy-of-your-return

>> use the WHAT IF tool:
- Click Forms Icon (upper right of screen) or Ctrl 2 (forms view)
- Click on the Open Form Icon
- In the “Type a form name.” area type What-If (with the dash), click on the name of the worksheet - click on Open Form
- You will see the worksheet on the right side of the screen; enter the information right into the form
- To get back to interview mode - click on the Step-by-Step Icon (upper right of screen) or Ctrl 1

It's always a good idea to make a backup copy of your tax data file, in case your original gets lost or corrupted. Here's how:

From the File menu in the upper-left corner of TurboTax, choose Save As (Windows) or Save (Mac).
Browse to where you want to save your backup.
- Tip: If you're saving to a portable device, save it to your computer first to prevent data corruption. Then, after completing Step 4, copy or move the backup file to your device.
In the File name field, enter a name that will distinguish it from the original tax file (for example, add "Backup" or "Copy" to the file name)
Click Save and then close TurboTax.
Restart TurboTax and open the backup copy to make sure it's not corrupted. If you get an error, delete the backup and repeat these steps.

If you make changes to your original tax return file, repeat these steps to ensure your original and backup copies are in-synch.

Related Information:

AND save it as a PDF so you have access to a copy even if you don’t have the program still installed and operational :

AND protect the files :

How can I protect the tax files on my computer?

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

null111 — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 16:50:30 GMT

Same thing happened to me! I was almost finished and now I only get the option to start over. I have used TT for YEARS and now this will be my last time. I am not sure if it had to do with the 'CRITICAL' updates I was flagged to install before accessing it but in any case I HAVE LOST ALL MY HOURS OF WORK. Judging by the comments below, TT cannot fix it and is not admitting to any error on their part. Not a vendor I will work with going forward.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

Critter — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 19:03:00 GMT

When using the downloaded/CD version you are prompted to save the return everytime you close the return. You also have the option to save the return anytime you wish ... I always suggest you do so when you finish a section since only the online version autosaves automatically.

Program updates do not lose saved tax files ... do a system wide search for anything ending in *.tax if you did indeed save your progress at some point.

And if the update was to WIN 10 then those have a tendency to put things in the trash so look there as well.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

Carl — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 19:24:25 GMT

Assuming you are using the CD version of TurboTax that you physically installed on your computer, it is absolutely impossible for anyone but you or someone with physical access to your computer to delete anything from your computer. It's also possible (and highly probable) that you did not save your return before closing the program.

With the CD version of TurboTax, your .tax2019 file is saved by default in the documents/turbotax directly unless you take physical action to change that location.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

TO_123 — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 04:51:21 GMT

This just happened to me for a return I started in February. I opened up TurboTax to print and it prompted me to update. After update I opened TurboTax it asked me to enter in my License Code again. Now it tells me I need to enter Mandatory Personal information and my returns are gone.

Searching my computer for a .Tax file only shows previous years. I had a 2019 file saved on my laptop but now my 2019 returns are not on file.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

kniyer — Sun, 12 Jul 2020 21:54:26 GMT

Happened to me today.. I spent hours putting all the details for my Tax Return for the past few months and I tried opening my return today. I was prompted for an update and I confirmed it and when it restarted I was left with an empty Tax return that was back dated to 29th November 2019. All data is gone..!!! I tried all the tricks and nothing worked. Never experienced anything like this with HR Block or TaxACT. I would assume the software before updating something should atleast make a backup of the files. I got a good deal and decided to try turbo-tax only to get a nightmare experience. Now I have only three days to start entering data from scratch. Thank you Turbo TAX.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

rrr7 — Sun, 12 Jul 2020 22:06:58 GMT

This just happened to me. I have searched my entire PC and cannot find my tax file anywhere. I know that I saved every time I exited because I was able to return and re-open it often when I first worked on it in June.

To echo the above, I have lost hours of work. I cannot believe this. I have used TurboTax for years but cannot continue to use a product that would do this. I am also wondering if the critical update I just downloaded somehow deleted my tax file.

Just registered for help which provided me a phone number to try. It said the wait time is currently 1 hour and 18 minutes. Of course I'm not going to get in queue for that. Argghh!

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

Silverfoxy — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 02:07:28 GMT

It did the same to mine I tried to access my tax return this year that I already got payed for but it was missing and its asking me for another w-2 I don't understand this even if it's done they should keep it in thier systems

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 00:49:15 GMT

So there is no solution for this other than to make sure you don't accept updates and check your Recycle folder?

I thought I was losing mind until I found multiple support threads with the exact same problem I experienced. I even have my email from TT on the efile status which proves that I actually did have a tax file at one time. I needed to amend the return but now I have to go collect all of my supporting docs again and re-enter everything. Seriously considering a lawsuit here.

For the so called 'experts' on this forum that have commented that this cannot happen, you are totally wrong. It has happened across multiple product lines (Business Tax in my case). Still stunned that this could happen at all and just angry that there seems to be no resolution for this.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

Critter-3 — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 01:01:16 GMT

If you are using WIN 10 then make sure all updates are installed by rebooting the computer at least 3 times ... then open the program and search for any .tax2019 files to open ... make sure to look in the trash/recycle as WIN 10 has a habit of putting the file there and a search will not find them.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 02:30:51 GMT

Not sure if a Windows update has anything to do with this since there are reported instances that have nothing to do with Windows updates. Since it was awhile between my initial filing and trying to retrieve the file to edit, I could have had at least one Windows update during that time since Windows 10 auto updates unless you tell it not to. But let's say that it does have something to do with Windows (I doubt this) - the problem has existed for at least two years. Intuit has not had time to work with Microsoft to get this fixed? Having your tax records deleted must not be an important issue for Intuit? This is borderline criminal.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

mesquitebean — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 03:03:47 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Not sure if a Windows update has anything to do with this since there are reported instances that have nothing to do with Windows updates. Since it was awhile between my initial filing and trying to retrieve the file to edit, I could have had at least one Windows update during that time since Windows 10 auto updates unless you tell it not to. But let's say that it does have something to do with Windows (I doubt this) - the problem has existed for at least two years. Intuit has not had time to work with Microsoft to get this fixed? Having your tax records deleted must not be an important issue for Intuit? This is borderline criminal.

I've seen other users report it occasionally, but compared to other issues in a problem-resolution community forum, thankfully it is not as common. In a user community forum like this, only people with problems will be posting, while millions of other users of TurboTax who have no problems won't post here. So that's the sense in which I say it is less common. And the cause is not clear and may not be the same for each person affected.

And there's never been a good explanation. Every PC is different with different OS features/customizations, software configurations, etc. Here's something else to try:

Many Windows users set up multiple local Windows user accounts on their PC, such as having an Admin account and a second (or third) user account for various purposes or various family users. If you have more than one Windows user account, you need to log into each Windows user account, and do the search of the computer and Recycle Bin in each account. For example, if I have an Account A and B, have worked on my return in Account A, then later I'm in Account B and launch TurboTax, it will not find the *.taxYYYY data file, nor will a search.

During return preparation I always save a copy of the in-progress *.tax data file to a flash drive after each work session, as a "just in case" maneuver.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 04:46:04 GMT

I think you are vastly underestimating the extent of this problem.

1. Less than 5% of the actual people that have a problem take the time to report the problem. Most people will deal with this by redoing their taxes from scratch or from a PDF or printed copy.

2. The vast majority of people who file their taxes never look at them again. If people need to provide a tax return, they will get it from printed version or PDF file, not from going back into Turbo Tax. So the 'millions of users' could have a problem that they simply don't know about.

3. Just in the first 3 links of search results for this topic shows over 30 people reporting this same problem with many of them providing details that are remarkably similar. There are 9 other links on this same support topic that I did not even bother going through.

Unfortunately for me, I auto delete my recycle bin on a schedule so I was unable to recover the file from the location most commonly mentioned. Just pissed off beyond belief that this problem has been widely reported for years and NOTHING has been done about it.

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

circeo35 — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 18:31:26 GMT

My return was just deleted. I spent over 20 hours entering my information and my computer rebooted and it was gone. I have never had this happen before. I hate this software after 20 plus years of using it. I will look for better options next year. You suck TurboTax!

Re: Turbotax deleted my return!

Critter-3 — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 19:06:29 GMT

Ok... hate to tell you this but if you did not save the return before the program closed then the work is gone. When using the downloaded version it is your responsibility to save as you go either by manually asking for a save as you finish sections or when you close the program you will be prompted to save your progress. If the program was closed because of a reboot then you did not see the warning. If you save as you go then you don't have to worry about a program interruption ... worse you need to redo is the last section not the entire return.

This is my mini version of a tutorial that should be in the downloaded program:

What is Forms Mode?

Forms Mode lets you view and make changes to your tax forms "behind the scenes."

Forms Mode is exclusively available in the TurboTax CD/Download software. It is not available in TurboTax Online.

Related Information:

If you want to play around with different figures and tax scenarios without affecting your original return you can ….

>>>In the TurboTax CD/Download software by creating a test copy:
1. Open your return in TurboTax.
2. From the File menu, choose Save As.
3. Give the copy a new name to distinguish it from the original (for example, by adding "Test" or "Example" to the file name).
4. Click Save. You are now safely working in the test copy and anything you do here will not affect the original.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900642-how-to-make-a-test-copy-of-your-return

>> use the WHAT IF tool:
- Click Forms Icon (upper right of screen) or Ctrl 2 (forms view)
- Click on the Open Form Icon
- In the “Type a form name.” area type What-If (with the dash), click on the name of the worksheet - click on Open Form
- You will see the worksheet on the right side of the screen; enter the information right into the form
- To get back to interview mode - click on the Step-by-Step Icon (upper right of screen) or Ctrl 1

It's always a good idea to make a backup copy of your tax data file, in case your original gets lost or corrupted. Here's how:

From the File menu in the upper-left corner of TurboTax, choose Save As (Windows) or Save (Mac).
Browse to where you want to save your backup.
- Tip: If you're saving to a portable device, save it to your computer first to prevent data corruption. Then, after completing Step 4, copy or move the backup file to your device.
In the File name field, enter a name that will distinguish it from the original tax file (for example, add "Backup" or "Copy" to the file name)
Click Save and then close TurboTax.
Restart TurboTax and open the backup copy to make sure it's not corrupted. If you get an error, delete the backup and repeat these steps.

If you make changes to your original tax return file, repeat these steps to ensure your original and backup copies are in-synch.

Related Information:

AND save it as a PDF so you have access to a copy even if you don’t have the program still installed and operational :

AND protect the files :

How can I protect the tax files on my computer?

Always remember to shut off the auto update function once you have filed your returns and do not do any updates unless you have safeguarded the PDF & .taxfiles to a removable storage unit for safekeeping. Click on ONLINE then Update Preferences.... don't be afraid to click on all the menu headings to find all the goodies that are hiding.