How do i switch from self employed software back to just standard turbotax mid return? i dont want the self employed anymore and i dont want to start over

[CarolynB · Accepted solution]

Hi. The only way to switch the version of TurboTax you are using is to clear your return and start over. You can do this as long as you have not paid for or registered your product yet. If you decide to do this follow these steps:

• Sign in to TurboTax Online and open your return by clicking the orange Take me to my return button
• Click My Account and select Clear & Start Over
• Answer yes to Are you sure you want to clear your return?
• After your entries have been cleared out, we'll prompt you to select a TurboTax product so you can start over from the very beginning

If you're signed in under last year's login, once you clare and start over we'll automatically transfer last year's info over if you select the PLUS upgrade, Deluxe, premier or Self-Employed. Federal Free Edition (without PLUS) does not include the year-over-year transfer feature.

[rkennerbrent]

Absolutely ridiculous that you make people waste hours of their time by starting over just because they don't want to pay for self-employed.  Also can't navigate to where I left off anymore. won't be using your product again. I was a loyal customer for more than ten years.

[VolvoGirl]

One thing you can do is buy a lower version of the Desktop program like Deluxe.  Then you can switch from Online without starting over.  You can download the .tax2018 file from online for free and open it in the Desktop program (any version).  And the Desktop program has several other features and benefits over the Online version too.

How to switch to Desktop
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901476-how-do-i-switch-from-turbotax-online-to-the-turbotax-softw...

After you get the program installed the first thing to do before you open your tax return is to update the program and install any state programs you had. Then open your file. So you first might need to start a fake return to be able to download the state program (go to FILE - NEW).

You can buy the CD/Download here,
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/cd-download">https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/c...>

[AJNeeper]

It still has my filing as self-employed after clearing.

[HerrSeng]

I agree that the only way to change to standard from self-employed is to "clear out" data and start over. So my question was: what happens if I don't? The answers per a supervisor on a phone call to the help line is this. 1) it costs about 60$ more for the self-emp'd package, 2) the Q/A process and forms the self-emp'd pkg offers will all be zero or not applicable, 3) the IRS won't care since there is no status change on their end - ie no taxes or costs associated with being self-employed, just the possible business-related expenses or deductions that the turbo tax software guides you to. So I am left with deciding: continue filing with the SE'd software and fix it next year? or weigh the additional software cost against the value of my time to clear out my data and start over with the (Free or) Deluxe package. 

[LZ33]

This is total BS, predatory, and downright annoying. You should be ashamed of yourselves!

[david22312332]

Can I at least start a new tax return on a new form and copy all the answers from my filled-out Self Employed form? That's doable right?

[Critter-3]

Of course ... if you have not yet paid for the online program you can abandon that account and open a new one in a lower program under a different UserID & password.  However you would lose the option to transfer in the prior year data ... you would have to start from scratch. 

To truly clear and start over you must first click on the CLEAR & START OVER option then LOG OUT of your account and go to the TT online options page here and choose a different program.  Start that program and only then log in to secure this choice.   https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/online/

Or convert to a downloaded version ... you only need the Deluxe in that case since all the downloaded programs handle all the same forms/situations.  Choose Basic if you don't need a state return or the option to import from It's Deductible.    https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/cd-download/

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/choosing-a-product/help/how-do-i-switch-from-turbotax-online-to-th...

OR if your AGI is $73K or less you can choose one of the 8 IRS FREE FILE options available thru the IRS here:  

https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free

[Anonymous]

This does not work.  It immediately takes me to "What version of Self-Employed do you want" page. There is no "select a TurboTax product so you can start over from the very beginning" prompt. 

You're about to lose a customer if you think I'm going to fill EVERYTHING out and then hit Clear and Start Over. 

[xmasbaby0]

@Anonymous Sorry----that is how it works if you want to downgrade to a less expensive version of the software.  You lose everything if you use clear and start over.   You can use Self-Employed even if you  have other income sources.   If you have entered so much already that you really do not want to lose it, then decide if your time is worth the extra expense to just stick with Self-Employed---or to switch to a different software and start over.

CLEAR AND START OVER

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2586254-how-do-i-clear-and-start-over

[VolvoGirl]

@Anonymous  Have you filled it out?  Have you paid for the online version yet?

If you want to use a lower version without losing your entries,  one thing you can do is move your Online file to a lower Desktop program and continue without paying for Online or needing to reenter your info. All the Desktop programs have the same forms.  You just get more help and guidance in the higher versions.  Plus the Desktop programs have several more features over online.

To continue in the desktop version see this…….

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/choosing-a-product/help/how-do-i-switch-from-turbotax-online-to-the-turbotax-software/00/26129

After you get the program installed the first thing to do before you open your tax return .tax file is to update the program and install any state programs you had. Then open your file. So you first might need to start a fake return to be able to download the state program (go to FILE - NEW).

You can buy the CD/Download here,

https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/cd-download

[Anonymous]

There are so many problems with this answer... 

"Have you filled it out?" 
No, and I'm not going to.

"Have you paid for the online version yet?"

No, and I'm not going to.

Desktop Version?  Not going to happen. TurboTax can fix their online. 

"You first might need to start a fake return to be able to download the state program"
Seriously?   

"You can buy the CD/Download here"
They can't get their app to work without tricks, why would I pay for it?  Or is it working as designed to force people to pay for it?  🤔

[DoninGA]

If you are stuck using the Self-Employed edition that is because of what you selected for the type of tax data you need to enter on the screen Tell us a bit about you and your taxes

If you do not want the Self-Employed edition, clear the return and start over.

On the screen Tell us a bit about you and your taxes just select you Have a Job (W-2) and Continue.  That will place you in the Free online edition.

If you have tax data that is not supported by the Free edition, the program will ask you to upgrade to the next available edition, ie Deluxe, Premier or Self-Employed.

[Critter-3]

Better yet,  if your AGI will be $74K or less then wait for the IRS FREE FILE  options to open up mid January and use one of them.   https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free