I Lost my Saved Tax Return After today's update

[santaner]

A few weeks ago I was almost done with my 2024 return and it appears from the result then I have to pay additional tax so I held off on filing.

Today when I opened TurboTax program to finish, the previous tax file was lost and what comes up are files that does not resemble the previously saved ones. 

Using samsung laptop with Windows 11pro

[mesquitebean]

Have you searched your entire system for all data files ending in *.tax2024?   Also look in the Recycle Bin, Windows One Drive, and other backup systems it might have been saved to or moved to by the update.

This sort of thing always scares me every year.   We occasionally (but not commonly) see users post a similar dilemma after an update.    I've gotten in the habit that after every session working on my return in the desktop software, I save another copy of the *.taxYYYY data file on a flash drive as a "just in case" maneuver.

Also see ADDENDUM in next comment below.

[mesquitebean]

ADDENDUM:

Also, if you find a tilde file (with an~), e.g.   ~taxreturn.tax2024, that is a temporary backup copy that TurboTax creates every so often.   Sometimes that's helpful in recovering a file.

And if you have multiple Windows user accounts on your computer, you might search in each user account.  Sometimes a user tries to open the program and work on it in the wrong Windows user account.

[cbj152206]

This happened to me as well, using the online version. I had everything entered in late January early February, all of my backup, I just needed to do a final review. I logged in today to finish, and it lost pretty much all of my work besides the income documents I uploaded. I have to redo everything now.

[mesquitebean]

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@ cbj152206 wrote:

This happened to me as well, using the online version. I had everything entered in late January early February, all of my backup, I just needed to do a final review. I logged in today to finish, and it lost pretty much all of my work besides the income documents I uploaded. I have to redo everything now.

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The discussion in this thread so far has been about the desktop version.   You're using the online version, which is a different ballgame.   It's possible that you could have multiple accounts without realizing it--even if you think you don't.  I'll tell you how to check below.   That would be the first step to troubleshoot.   If that doesn't come up with anything,  I've also provided info below on how to phone Customer Support, if needed. I would not start over until all avenues are exhausted.

NOTE:   Before taking this route, also see the info I left you in a separate comment that follows this one, about another possibility.   It might be that you are in the right account, but that the interview is closed (which can be reopened).

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.

If that didn't work to explain it, here's how to reach  Customer Support.  Support hours are 5AM-9PM Pacific, every day this time of year.

FAQ: What is the TurboTax phone number?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/what-is-the-turbotax-phone-number/00/25632

[mesquitebean]

@cbj152206    Or here's another possibility:

You didn't describe what you see when you log into your account.    What are you seeing at the Tax Home when you log in?    If TurboTax thinks that you were finished, it may have closed the interview.    At the Tax Home does it act like it thinks you already filed, or does it act like it wants you to start a return?

If TurboTax thinks you already finished, you can open the return interview back up to continue working on it.   To do that, at the Tax Home look for a link "Add a State."   That doesn't really add one, but opens the return interview back up.

[cbj152206]

It lost my place for my deductions, and my state which I had already done. I never filed anything, but was very close to the end.

[mesquitebean]

@ cbj152206   

That image does show a return was started in that account.   I don't see anything wrong on the image that you posted.    However, on that image, the return is not open.   You have to open the return to get a full left column menu.    You open it by choosing one of the below:

What happens when you click on the "Continue" button to get back to the Investments & Savings interview?  Or what happens if you click on the Income button, or the Deductions & Credits button?    Either of those routes should open the return interview, and the left column menu should change.

As for the state return, you won't see much about it without opening the return back up first.   When you open the return interview back up, you should see a State tab in the left menu column.   Once you do that, click the State tab in the left menu column, and see if there is evidence of your state return.

You can speak to TurboTax Support, if you wish.  Here's how to reach them.   It will be easier for them to question you in a realtime conversation and, hopefully, figure out what you are experiencing. 

Support hours are 5AM-9PM Pacific, every day this time of year.

FAQ: What is the TurboTax phone number?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/what-is-the-turbotax-phone-number/00/25632

[cbj152206]

When I click Continue, or start to enter information again, the left menu never changes. When I worked on the return months ago, I could see Federal, Wages, Deductions, State, etc on the left menu, but now nothing ever changes from the picture I already posted.

[mesquitebean]

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@cbj152206 wrote:

When I click Continue, or start to enter information again, the left menu never changes. When I worked on the return months ago, I could see Federal, Wages, Deductions, State, etc on the left menu, but now nothing ever changes from the picture I already posted.

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Sometimes you have to scroll the left column menu to get it to show the subtabs.  Or may have to click on Federal tab to get it to expand to show the subtabs.   Maybe you've tried all that already.

In any case, you can phone TurboTax Customer Support to discuss your issue using the contact info I provided in my comment above.

[dell5dell]

Subject: TurboTax Update Wiped Out My Entire File – Extremely Frustrating Experience

On the evening of April 16, 2025, at 9:33 PM, I completed the business portion of my tax return for both my wife and myself—over 10 hours of work.

The next morning, April 17, 2025, at 7:23 AM, I opened TurboTax, and a software update prompt appeared. I allowed the update to complete and then reopened the program. My tax file appeared in the usual location (upper left corner), with the same name, so I opened it—only to find it completely blank. None of the information I had entered was there. Everything was gone.

How can an update completely wipe out a file? But that’s exactly what happened.

I have over 10 years of experience using both Quicken and TurboTax. After spending 1 hour and 43 minutes on the phone with Intuit Customer Service, I was told there’s nothing that can be done—I would have to start over from scratch. Out of frustration, I searched online and discovered that this issue has been affecting many users since at least March 2025. Yet Intuit still hasn’t fixed the problem or even provided a simple warning like:
“Before updating, please back up your file to a USB drive or external source.”

Quicken prompts users to create a backup before updates or major changes, and displays all available backup files if something goes wrong. TurboTax, however, offers no such safeguard.

Thankfully, Florida extended the tax filing deadline to May 1st, which gives me some breathing room. But this experience is unacceptable. TurboTax has let down its users with poor software management and a complete lack of communication.

Very disappointed. Do better, TurboTax.

[mesquitebean]

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@ dell5dell wrote:

Subject: TurboTax Update Wiped Out My Entire File – Extremely Frustrating Experience

On the evening of April 16, 2025, at 9:33 PM, I completed the business portion of my tax return for both my wife and myself—over 10 hours of work.

The next morning, April 17, 2025, at 7:23 AM, I opened TurboTax, and a software update prompt appeared. I allowed the update to complete and then reopened the program. My tax file appeared in the usual location (upper left corner), with the same name, so I opened it—only to find it completely blank. None of the information I had entered was there.

Sorry you had all that trouble.  I'm a fellow user.  Are you using the Windows or the Mac version?   Sometimes the data file is still present on the computer but may have become dissociated from the TurboTax interface; i.e., the shortcut to the file that's inside TurboTax.   You didn't mention how you looked for it, so you may or may not already done the following:  Did you search your entire computer system for any file ending in  *.tax2024 (the tax data file?)     If using Windows, the default location for the data file is in the Documents\TurboTax folder (or wherever you initially chose to save it), but it may have ended up in another location on your computer.    A couple of users even reported in the past that theirs was surprisingly found in Windows OneDrive, or do you have any automatic backup?   Also check the Recycle Bin in case it got moved there.

Also if using Windows and have multiple Windows user accounts, perform those same searches in each Windows user account.

Also your searching might encounter a *.tax2024 data file beginning with a tilde ~ such as ~*.tax2024.    The tilde files are temporary backup tax data files, that sometimes come in handy, and can be opened like any other 2024 data file.

Since seeing these kinds of weird reports over the years, I've gotten into the habit of backing up my *.taxYYYY data file after every session that I work on the return.   I send a copy to a flash drive every work session.

[rkilroy75]

Same thing just happened to me today, April 20th.  Fortunately I had already filed and was just logging in to update my e-file status, but instead found that my entire completed file was gone.  This is ridiculous.

[mesquitebean]

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@ rkilroy75 wrote:

Same thing just happened to me today, April 20th.  Fortunately I had already filed and was just logging in to update my e-file status, but instead found that my entire completed file was gone.  This is ridiculous.

"logging in to update my e-file status, but instead found that my entire completed file was gone."

Please explain what that means and how you prepared your return.   For instance, did you use Online TurboTax to prepare your 2024 return (web browser version), and now when you log in there's no evidence of it, and it's acting like it wants you to start one?   If that's your situation, then you likely have multiple accounts, and we can help you find the one with the return.

Or did you use desktop software, and now when you launch the TurboTax program on your computer, at the main screen in the interface is there no longer a rectangular shortcut icon to the *.tax2024 data file?    And a thorough search of your computer has yielded no discovery of a *.tax2024 data file?    If that's your situation, are you using a PC or Mac?

[rkilroy75]

Desktop TurboTax Premium software on Windows.  There is a link to my file, however it has an old save date and contains no data.