How do I access my return from 2020?

davidwfilmguy — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 16:55:07 GMT

I need to get a paper copy of it.

Re: How do I access my return from 2020?

mesquitebean — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 01:19:33 GMT

This answer assumes your 2020 return was prepared in Online TurboTax. Any return prepared in desktop TurboTax will not be in an Online account. Here's how one would normally find past-year online returns and how to troubleshoot for multiple accounts (User IDs) if necessary. Many people end up with more than 1 account. The pathway to download the PDF depends on whether or not you have started an online 2024 return. I provide both scenarios below, so choose which one is appropriate for your situation.

If you have not yet started a 2024 online return:

Sign in to your account. What you see next depends on whether or not you have already started a 2024 return in that account. If your left column menu is minimal, and does not have a Tax Home tab displayed, that would imply you have not started preparing a 2024 return in that account. If you haven't yet started a return, it will start asking you some questions. Answer those preliminary questions (you don't actually have to prepare a return), and then when you are far enough into the process the left menu column will change, and you'll then see a Tax Home option. Do not click the Documents tab. Instead, click on Tax Home. Then on the Tax Home screen, scroll way down to the bottom to "Your Tax Returns & Documents". Expand that section and choose the past year you want. If your past returns are not shown there, then you likely have multiple accounts and signed into the wrong one. I'll tell you below how to troubleshoot.

If you have already started a 2024 return:

Log in, and if you've already started a 2024 return in that account, then it may already open at the Tax Home. If not, click the Tax Home tab in the left column menu. Do not use the Documents tab. At the Tax Home scroll down and expand "Your Tax Returns & Documents." If the past returns are not there, see the steps below.

If you do all that and can't find the past return, here's how to look for multiple accounts:

You can have up to 5 accounts that use the same email address for notification purposes. A User ID may be an email address, but it doesn't have to be. It might be only part of an email address, or it can be anything at all.

To get a list of your User IDs, reset password, and recover account access, etc., you can use the tool at the link below. When using the Account Recovery tool, try using your phone number first if you can still access it. After that, if necessary, then run the tool on your email address(es) you can access.

NOTE: Before running the account recovery tool below, log out of all Intuit accounts including this user forum, or you might end up in a loop. Then clear your browser Internet cache, close your browser, then reopen it, and go to the link below. You may wish to copy this link so you can paste it into the new browser session.

https://myturbotax.intuit.com/account-recovery

If still no luck after running that on your phone number you can still access and email address(es) that you can access, here's another method:

Go back to the tool again, but this time leave the data field blank, scroll down a bit, then choose the small blue link that says "Try something else", and it will look you up by other parameters.

Re: How do I access my return from 2020?

Mike9241 — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 01:17:59 GMT

Turbotax no longer supports opening the 2020 return. you have two options. 1) request either a copy of the return (form 4506) or a transcript (form 4506-T also available if you register online) from the IRS.

https://www.irs.gov/site-index-search?search=4506&field_pup_historical_1=1&field_pup_historical=1

2) to use at your own risk. upload the 2020 tax file and e-mail it to taxprinter.com (not affiliated with Intuit)

https://www.taxprinter.com/

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How do I access my return from 2020?

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