Corrupt file still. TurboTax desktop doesn’t save files.

[bradgessner]

Even when I run TurboTax deluxe for windows as administrator, it still continues to save corrupt files. You can never reopen them.

I want a refund. Your software doesn’t work. You can’t save your tax file, close TurboTax, then reopen it without getting a corrupt file Error.

[DoninGA]

There is something local on your computer that is causing this problem, it is not a systemic issue with the software.

Use this TurboTax website to request a refund - https://accounts.intuit.com/app/oirr

Use this TurboTax website to look up a charge - https://accounts.intuit.com/app/oicl

[jcox7483]

See this long running thread

This is a core problem with this software that gets worse with each year/release.  More and more people are affected by it and as far as I can tell there is no actual solution provided, just a lot of copy/paste junk.  Including the totally useless link they keep posting to the support page where it remains absolutely impossible to create a ticket or to get to a real support person via the phone tree.  

The "fixes" such as "your file is encrypted" or "you have to login before saving your file" are totally incorrect.  The files that get created aren't just corrupt, they are actually completely blank - there is NO DATA TO RECOVER in them so there is no fix. 

[Mike9241]

very few threads about file corruption. if the issue was with the yearly app every user would be having this problem. Have you contacted support? if not you should. This forum has no way to determine what is causing your issue. it would seem your only options would be to move to online or migrate to a different app provider. I've been using desktop for over a decade and never have had a file corruption issue.  My system is over 10 years old but running windows 10 - 64 bit. 

[jcox7483]

I would absolutely LOVE to contact support, can you please inform me as to how I do so?  If you read that longer thread, I have attempted to do so for multiple years and I have been unsuccessful in reaching a human support person through any method.  The support site that gets linked points me to a phone number where none of the options will get me to help unless I want to pay for help filing my taxes which I don't.

Additionally, I've continued to look into this issue and have found that although the error states that these files are corrupt, they actually have zero content and in reality they are blank.  This means the problem is not with the reading of the file but with the creation of a blank file during saving. 

Your assertion that there would be more posts on this topic is inaccurate because the thread I linked is 8 pages long, covers multiple years, gets re-awoken every year, and is marked (and linked) as the solution for this issue whenever it's brought up - despite there be no resolution.  After searching, all the users having this issue are (like I was forced to do multiple years in a row) being forced to re-do their tax file in order to submit it - often having to do it in a single go because whatever this issue is affects multiple versions/years and causes your saves to be blank so you are unable to pick up working on your file later.  Many of the people in that thread were never helped and like me, they self reported as moving to other platforms because of multiple years of this issue.  If something like this happens on one version or one save, that might be a bug or a problem - if it happens over the course of multiple yearly releases going back many years now - it's a deeper issue with the software that needs to be investigated an not continually written off as "only affects a small number of people." 

[AirCombatGuy]

I'm having the same problem with TurboTax 2024. I spent two hours entering all of my income information, saved the tax file, and got out of TurboTax expecting that I would be able to resume the tax return the next day -- but when I got into TurboTax the next day and clicked on "Continue" I got the "Looks like your tax file is corrupt, we're having trouble opening your return" pop-up. I manually deleted the "2024 ... Individual Tax Return" file and spent another two hours re-entering my income information, saved the file, and got out of TurboTax. The next day, a repeat of the previous day's experience: another tax file corruption error. Contacted TurboTax help and spent another hour plus with a patient lady who had me uninstall TurboTax and re-install it. When I got into the newly re-installed TurboTax, it found the 2024 Individual Tax Return file but when I clicked "continue", I got the file corruption error again, so it isn't the install that is causing the problem. It appears that TurboTax itself is CREATING THE CORRUPT FILE. See incident ID: 1546693778. I'm "dead in the water" as far as getting my taxes filed; I'm starting to look at alternatives. I've been using TurboTax since tax year 1992, and this is the first time I've had a problem.

[JotikaT2]

Please see Troubleshoot TurboTax Desktop for Windows issues for some other possible solutions.

There is also another thread with some suggestions from SteamTrain that might help. 

If none of these help, you can always try contacting us again and ask for technical support.

@AirCombatGuy 

[jcox7483]

Alternatively, if you read this much longer and long-lasting thread, you will clearly see that there is a core issue with this software and once it happens for you, there seems to be no recovery and there is absolutely no support for anything.  You notice how this thread was never answered and my direct replies to community leaders directing me to support were ignored?  That's because there is no support.  I'm actually surprised you got a human, I tried many times over 2 years to get to a human and never could so it's positive to see they may have finally fixed that, although it sounds like it was a low level support person who is just following a script; re-installing is just a placebo and doesn't do anything.   There is a fundamental flaw that causes some customer's TurboTax to not actually save any data to the save file.  It reads as corrupt when you try to open it but if you examine the file itself you'll see that it has almost no size and opening it with a text editor it's almost blank, just a tiny bit of data is there.  No one ever notices that the file is blank because it has just enough data to open as corrupt in TT, but the issue is with TT not saving on some customer machines.  Once it happens it seems to be permanent.  

This comes up a few times each year and these two threads get revived from the dead again and again.  For a handful of people each year there is no fix and the only solution is to move to another software.  

I personally couldn't get a refund when this happened to me despite weeks of trying.  I tried calling any number I could find - it is never possible to connect with a human on any phone tree.  I tried Twitter - someone said they would look into it and then disappeared.  I obviously tried here - the only answer is a canned message and advice to call support which doesn't work because there is no support.  I ended up having to do a chargeback after 4 weeks of trying and having already filed my taxes with another provider. 

[AirCombatGuy]

An update on my "corrupted tax file" problem.

System is an HP Z2 G4 workstation with an Intel Xeon E2136 processor equipped with ECC memory. C: is a 512MB SSD, D: is a 2TB HDD. Windows 10, with current updates. Initial install of TurboTax was a download directly from TurboTax (I had always used CD installation in the past). Installation was to D:\TurboTax\Fed24 directory (as I have done in the past). Got through "income", saved the file, got out of TurboTax, got the "corrupted tax file" error next time I got into TurboTax and attempted to continue. Manually deleted the tax file, un-installed TurboTax, downloaded again and installed as previously. Got through "income" again, saved, got out, got back in, same "corrupt tax file" error when I attempted to continue.

Upgraded to Windows 11, downloaded TurboTax for the 3rd time, took all of the defaults and this time I have not had a problem. Just successfully filed both Federal and State forms. Don't know if the problem was hardware (no other indications), Windows, or the alternate installation location. 

I'm a senior software engineer, 40+ years experience, retired. As they say, YMMV...