downloading from cd

[tpratorius]

I decided last year to do my taxes from buying the cd and downloading which was a big mistake because I wasn't able to connect it with all the years past that I did it online.  Now, I downloaded the cd and they cant find me in the system from last year.  I don't want to have to put all of the information in again.  What should I do.

[mesquitebean]

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@ tpratorius wrote:

I decided last year to do my taxes from buying the cd and downloading which was a big mistake because I wasn't able to connect it with all the years past that I did it online.  Now, I downloaded the cd and they cant find me in the system from last year.  I don't want to have to put all of the information in again.  What should I do.

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Last year you could have downloaded  your prior *.taxYYYY data file from your online account, and transferred it into your desktop software, so that you wouldn't have lost continuity with the data.   You didn't need to enter the data from scratch.   We could have told you how to transfer the data from a prior online return to a desktop return.

Are you getting ready to prepare a 2018 return in desktop software installed on your computer?    If you prepared your 2017 return in desktop software last year, you can transfer the *.tax2017 data file into your 2018 return.     Do you have the *.tax2017 data file from last year?

Are you using a Mac or PC?

"they cant find me in the system from last year."

Are you referring to your Online account?   If you prepared the 2017 return in desktop software last year, it will not be in an online account--it would only be on your computer or wherever you archived it.   As I asked above, do you have the *.tax2017 data file you prepared last year?

Or are you saying when you log into your online account, you can't find any evidence of any prior online returns at all; i.e, prior to 2017?   If that's the case, we can tell you how to look for multiple accounts, but the online account won't have the *.tax2017 data file if it was prepared in desktop software last year.

[tpratorius]

That is very upsetting to me because I tried everything in my power to transfer it.  I did file 2017 on a PC but not the same PC that I am on now.  I even did my brothers taxes last year and it wouldn't let me download his previous years.

[macuser_22]

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@tpratorius wrote:

That is very upsetting to me because I tried everything in my power to transfer it.  I did file 2017 on a PC but not the same PC that I am on now.  I even did my brothers taxes last year and it wouldn't let me download his previous years.

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If you used the desktop version and not the online versions then TurboTax would not have the tax file since it only exist on the PC that you filed from.    That PC should have a xxx.tax2017 tax data file (where xxx is the name of the tax file) that can be opened with the 2017 software. (You should have made a pdf copy of the tax returns for future viewing.)   Your TurboTax account would only have previous tax returns that were filed online and each that return requires a different account with it's own login and password.

[Critter]

When you use the downloaded version along with the extra features it has over the online version it also comes with the responsibility  to save your tax information as it is not saved online ...  saving the PDF & .taxfiles are a must along with backups on removable storage mediums just like any other important information you have since you never know when an OS will burn out. 

 

Save a Backup Copy of Your Tax File

To save a backup copy of your tax data file (.tax file) that can be opened and read by TurboTax CD/Download software, you'll need to choose your TurboTax product:

• TurboTax CD/Download software
• TurboTax Online

Similar-sounding—but very different—is saving a copy of your tax return as a PDF file, which is like a picture or "snapshot" of your tax return that you can view or print.

PDF files cannot be opened or read by TurboTax software, which means they cannot be used for amending or troubleshooting calculation issues.

Related Information:

• What's the difference between the tax data file and the PDF file?

 

 

 

Why should I save a PDF copy of my return?

Saving a copy of your return as a PDF (in addition to the proprietary tax data format TurboTax uses) lets you open, view, and print your return using the free Adobe Reader or Foxit Reader software.

This is a lifesaver if your tax data file gets corrupted or if you no longer have the TurboTax software to open it in. The government also accepts a paper-filed return printed from the PDF.

Please note that TurboTax PDF files cannot be "read" by the TurboTax software the way the tax data file can, which means they cannot be used for amending, troubleshooting calculation issues, or for full prior-year transfer capabilities.

For specific instructions, refer to the Related Information section, below.

Related Information:

• How do I save my 2018 turbotax online return as a pdf?
• How do I save my return as a PDF in the TurboTax software for Windows?
• How do I save my return as a PDF in the TurboTax software for Mac?
• What's the difference between the tax data file and the PDF file?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900937-why-should-i-save-a-pdf-copy-of-my-return

How can I protect the tax files on my computer?

Protect the sensitive information in your tax data files and tax-related PDF files with the following (the more, the merrier):

• If you're on Windows XP, upgrade to Vista or higher, as Microsoft has stopped patching XP
• Download and install the latest updates for Windowsor Mac
• Keep your firewall on at all times
• Install and run virus- and spyware-protection software (and make sure to keep it updated)
• Store your files in a folder where they cannot be shared
• Password-protect your tax file
• Use PDF encryption software to protect PDF copies of your return
• Never email your tax or PDF files

Another option is to move your tax and tax-related PDF files off your computer and onto a storage device which you can then store in a secure location.

Related Information:

• How do I password-protect my tax file in the TurboTax CD/Download software?
• What's the difference between the tax data file and the PDF file?
• How do I back up my tax file in the TurboTax CD/Download software?

[tpratorius]

how do I import my information from last year

[VolvoGirl]

You can transfer it.

There are two ways to transfer from an Online return into the Windows Desktop program

1. You will need to download the .tax2017 file from online. See this for how to download the .tax2017 file,
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-the-return-i-filed-i...

Then start a new return in 2018 (go to FILE - NEW) and the very first thing it should do is search your computer for all 2017 files. If it doesn't find it you can click Browse and point to where you saved it.

2. If you can't get or didn't save the .tax2017 file to your computer before online was shut down in mid Oct. or lost it, there is a way to do it by starting your 2018 return in the Online version, transfer into that and then you can switch and continue in the Desktop program without having to pay for the Online version. Here's how:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/choosing-a-product/help/how-do-i-switch-from-turbotax-online-to-th...

Transfer into Windows Desktop program
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/entering-importing/help/transfer-last-year-s-return-to-turbotax-fo...

[tpratorius]

So if I'm doing my taxes from a PC, it will never pick up last years information?

[VolvoGirl]

Oh, I may have missed how you did the returns last year for 2017.  Can't tell if you used the Online web version or the Desktop CD/Download program installed on a computer.  If you used the Desktop program you need the file ending in .tax2017 to transfer into 2018 (either to the Online or Desktop program).

[macuser_22]

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@tpratorius wrote:

So if I'm doing my taxes from a PC, it will never pick up last years information?

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VolvoGirl just told you how to transfer last years information in  the post right above your last post.

[peteni2]

I can't get my cd to download

[peteni2]

My cd will not download still

[VolvoGirl]

You mean to install?  Did you put the CD in the computer or an external CD reader?  

If you have WIndows 10 and the CD won't load see

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/bugs-and-error-messages/help/nothing-happens-when-i-insert-the-cd-...

Windows Troubleshooting Installation…..

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/troubleshooting/help/troubleshoot-installing-and-running-turbotax-...

[earlmt]

I am inserting the CD I bought for Home and Business TurboTax, hoping to start and finish my taxes before the deadline tonight. The CD will not download. The message is that "Windows is updating. Do you want to exit or wait?" If I wait, I have been waiting for the last 4 hours. If I exit, I cannot do my taxes. Where is the glitch? If I go onto TurboTaxHelp.com, I have to purchase a new edition for $96. Nowhere from the prompts of the CD does it ask me for my license code, so I can't show my ownership. I am unable to download as well. HELP!

[mesquitebean]

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@earlmt wrote:

I am inserting the CD I bought for Home and Business TurboTax, hoping to start and finish my taxes before the deadline tonight. The CD will not download. The message is that "Windows is updating. Do you want to exit or wait?" If I wait, I have been waiting for the last 4 hours. If I exit, I cannot do my taxes. Where is the glitch? If I go onto TurboTaxHelp.com, I have to purchase a new edition for $96. Nowhere from the prompts of the CD does it ask me for my license code, so I can't show my ownership. I am unable to download as well. HELP!

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I don't know what "turbotaxhelp.com" is, so I'd be wary of it.  And the price is suspicious, so I'd shy away from that site since it might not be legitimate.  Is that something you found through an Internet search?

It sounds like Windows Update installer is running in the background or stuck, preventing you from installing the CD.  I'm not a Windows expert, so I don't know what you need to do to stop it.   In any case, here's how to reach TurboTax Customer Support so they can help you in realtime with your issues:

Hours are 5AM-9PM Pacific (8AM-12 Midnight Eastern) 7 days/week.

You can use this contact form to get a phone number, or it may schedule a callback.
https://support.turbotax.intuit.com/contact