MUCH of the 2021 program is still under construction and will be for a couple of months ...

Although the downloaded program becomes available every year sometime in  November with the online following sometime  in December  they are NOT fully operational programs ... they are only beta versions.  The final program and the state programs are never fully operational until late January at the earliest.  

http://taxpreparationsoftware.com/

ANY tax software released by any company prior to about January 15 is only released for marketing and market share.  No program is complete and ready to file until the IRS approves their final forms and then individually reviews each program's implementation of the form.  And some tax situations aren't able to be filed until February or March, again mostly due to IRS delays.

If you are trying to do some tax planning then use the fully operational 2020 downloaded version instead. 

This is my mini version of  a tutorial  that should be in the downloaded program: 

What is Forms Mode?

Forms Mode lets you view and make changes to your tax forms "behind the scenes."

If you're adventurous, you can even prepare your return in Forms Mode, but we don't recommend it. You may miss obscure credits and deductions you qualify for, and you may forget to report things that will come back and haunt you later.

Forms Mode is exclusively available in the TurboTax CD/Download software. It is not available in TurboTax Online.

Related Information:

• Why would I use Forms Mode?
• How do I switch to Forms Mode in the TurboTax for Windows software?
• How do I switch to Forms Mode in the TurboTax for Mac software?
• What is-the-meaning-of-all-the-different-colors-in-forms-mode

If you want to play around with different figures and tax scenarios without affecting your original return you can ….

• >>>In the TurboTax CD/Download software by creating a test copy: 
• 1.  Open your return in TurboTax. 
• 2.  From the File menu, choose Save As. 
• 3.  Give the copy a new name to distinguish it from the original (for example, by adding "Test" or "Example" to the file name). 
• 4. Click  Save. You are now safely working in the test copy and anything you do here will not affect the original. 
•  https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900642-how-to-make-a-test-copy-of-your-return

• >>  use the WHAT IF tool: 
• - Click Forms Icon (upper right of screen) or Ctrl 2 (forms view) 
• - Click on the Open Form Icon 
• - In the “Type a form name.” area type What-If (with the dash), click on the name of the worksheet - click on Open Form 
• - You will see the worksheet on the right side of the screen; enter the information right into the form 
• - To get back to interview mode - click on the Step-by-Step Icon (upper right of screen) or Ctrl 1

Once you have filed shut off the auto updater function and save the return and .taxfile.

It's always a good idea to make a backup copy of your tax data file, in case your original gets lost or corrupted. Here's how:

1. From the File menu in the upper-left corner of TurboTax, choose Save As (Windows) or Save (Mac).
2. Browse to where you want to save your backup.
   • Tip: If you're saving to a portable device, save it to your computer first to prevent data corruption. Then, after completing Step 4, copy or move the backup file to your device.
3. In the File name field, enter a name that will distinguish it from the original tax file (for example, add "Backup" or "Copy" to the file name)
4. Click Save and then close TurboTax.
5. Restart TurboTax and open the backup copy to make sure it's not corrupted. If you get an error, delete the backup and repeat these steps.

If you make changes to your original tax return file, repeat these steps to ensure your original and backup copies are in-synch.

Related Information:                             

• Retrieve a Tax File from a Portable Device
• What's the difference between the tax data file and the PDF file?

AND save it as a PDF so you have access to a copy even if you don’t have the program still installed and operational :

• 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?

AND protect the files :

• How can I protect the tax files on my computer?

*** Other clues to the downloaded program ***

In the forms mode ... double click  or right click on a box on a form to data source it ... sadly it doesn't work on all boxes. 

What's the meaning of all the different colors in Forms Mode?

When you look at an onscreen tax form using Forms Mode, you might wonder why one figure is blue and the one next to it is red or black.

These colors indicate the source of that data.

It is more than that...  see example below...

Line 12c:  Where did the 222 come from?  You can't click on it to find source because it is a simple sum

ERROR:  12c should be 28,000

ERROR:  14 should be 28,000

ERROR:  15 in this example does not exclude the 222

@Mooring10 

Yep...certainly that is wrong...but as @Critter-3  has already indicated, the software is still under construction, and may not be substantially useful in many areas until mid-late January.

Unfortunately, the early folks attempting to use the software find all the incomplete sections ...... problem is that we never know if this is a real bug, or just unfinished software.  In that particular area, I'm sure it's being looked at and will be dealt with sometime in the next 4 weeks.

If you want to report it anyhow, call Customer Support and get it logged in since we, as forum users, can do nothing. 

What is the TurboTax phone number? (intuit.com)

Also, Line 12b on Form 1040 not correct in Turbotax 2021

Line 12b on form 1040 is not allowing the upper limit of $600 for a joint filing.  It only allows up to $300 which is for an individual filing.

@Harvm

The software needs to know that you qualify for the standard deduction to properly report the Charitable Cash Contribution under CARES Act.

Federal 1040 line 12b Charitable Cash Contributions under CARES Act can be entered at either:

• Deductions & Credits / Donations to Charity or
• at the screen Charitable Cash Contributions under CARES Act immediately following Based on what you just told us, the Standard Deduction is best for you.

However, always pass all the way through both Deductions & Credits and Other Tax Situations.

At Deductions & Credits, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Wrap up tax breaks.

At Other Tax Situations, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Let’s keep going.

Remove the entry at Donations to Charity in 2021 by deleting the entry.

Remove the entry at the screen Charitable Cash Contributions under CARES Act by entering a $0.

ok this seems like nonsense.  I have repeatedly corrected my charitable deduction to 600 ( MFJ) and at the moment it is reflected on line 12b...and included in the total on line 14...but line 12c is blank?  what?  

If you wish to take the Standard Deduction and claim 600 for the Charitable Contribution Credit, please return to the Deductions & Credits section.  Scroll down to "Charitable Donations" and DELETE any cash entries you made there. 

The program will ask you for that entry at the END of the FINAL REVIEW. 

You may then enter 600 and it will stick. 

I think you missed what nanandkirby said which is line 12c is blank even though there are entries in both line

12a and 12b. I have the same issue when I print a PDF of my return. However, when I look at my return in Forms mode, line 12c is not blank and correctly shows the sum of 12a and 12b.

I see the same thing as pgh-dad. In forms mode, line 12c is correct. But in the pdf version, line 12c is blank, but subsequent lines are calculated correctly. This is obviously a software bug and should be reported asap.

On my form 1040-SR line 12c is blank instead of showing the total of lines 12a and 12b.  The correct number flows through correctly for the rest of the form, it just does not show on line 12c.  I have TurboTax Deluxe on Windows 10.

Please reach out to TurboTax Customer Support for further assistance with this issue.

What is the TurboTax phone number?

@pgh-dad

@GaryP9

@Teemoe

Even today (February 7, 2022) when I am already encouraged by TurboTax to submit my return, line 12c of Form 1040 is not yet filled in properly (Attachment1). All TurboTax updates have been installed on my system (Attachment 2).

Using Forms to look at TurboTax's internal  1040/1040SR Wks worksheet and its internal version of Form 1040, I found the following:

• Line 12c of 1040/1040SR Wks contains the value missing in the printed Form 1040 (Attachment 3).
• Line 12c of the internal TurboTax version of Form 1040 also contains the value it is supposed to contain (Attachment 4).

This leads me to the conclusion that the error occurs during the transmission from the internal Form 1040 to the actual Form 1040/1040SR.

Thus, the question arises if the same error occurs when the data is sent to the IRS. If so, the form (data) sent to the IRS is "imperfect" and may lead to a flagged tax return.

I don't like to send a faulty tax return to the IRS and will, therefore, wait until the problem has been resolved or I have received an assurance by TurboTax that the data will correctly be transmitted.

Even if the data were correctly transmitted to the IRS, we still need a correct printout for our own records.

Certainly, many people have experienced the same problem and the problem should be fixed immediately to avoid improper tax returns. As I can see from the discussions, the problem was already detected on November 21, 2021. Time to fix it.

Please click here to try the workaround  found in this Community thread posted by cr-stagg

Michelle, thank you very much for your speedy response. I appreciate it very much.

Because I have the download version of TurboTax, the workaround works for me. Since I am not obligated to use Form 1040SR, Form 1040 (rather than 1040SR) suits me well. Actually, I prefer it. Thanks again

Several people in this and another string have remarked that with the CD/Download version of Turbotax and using the SR version of Form 1040, line 12c is blank in the PDF print version. And one commenter said that print issue could be remedied by choosing the regular version of Form 1040 instead of the SR version. This actually works, but I am afraid that if I file electronically with this regular 1040 form, line 12c might still be blank when it is sent to the IRS (and therefore be flagged). I did preview the "official forms for filing" under forms view, and it shows that line 12c is NOT blank. This is encouraging, but it would be good for TurboTax to fix this bug anyway. I hope it can be fixed soon before I file my tax forms.

This issue has been escalated. We can assure you that the workaround does work, but we always appreciate feedback that helps to improve customers' experience. 

@GaryP9

Hi, Michelle,

thank you very much for your assurance that the workaround works.

By the way, I already submitted the tax return before I saw your post and it was accepted by the IRS.

I was very confident that there would not be any problems with Form 1040 for two reasons.

First, if there were a problem with Form 1040, there would certainly already be a lot of screaming on the forum or even on the internet.

Secondly, there are two possibilities how Turbotax could transmit the return to the IRS:

• It could send an actual copy of the printed return which correctly contains line 12c. Thus, no worries there.
• If could use a transmission protocol required by the IRS. The transmission would use the internal data file (not visible) in which Turbotax stored the data. Since Form 1040 and 1040/1040SR Wks in Forms mode and the printed Form 1040 all correctly contain line 12c, it is a safe assumption that the fields of line 12c are properly reflected in the internal data file. Form 1040 and 1040/1040SR Wks of Forms mode and the printed version are just external visualizations (views) of the internal data file. The transmission to the IRS would simply transmit field by field of the internal data file, each entry identifying the field and providing the value of the field. No calculations anymore.

Best regards

12c on Form 1040 is not populating at all.  However, line 14 is correctly populating by including the number that should be in 12c as of today.  Line 14 is the sum of 13 and 12c.

I need assurance that 1040-SR Line 12C is populated correctly since our state requires a copy of the federal return along with the state return.  A blank value there might be a cause for problems.  Please fix this very soon.

Joe,

you do not need to use Form 1040SR. You can use Form 1040 instead. GaryP9 described how to switch to Form 1040. You have to use Forms mode and change the appropriate setting in Info Wks. You can only switch to 1040 if you have the disk or download version of Turbotax.

When using 1040 instead of 1040SR, line 12C is correctly populated. I checked the various internal forms and the appropriate print version (PDF) of 1040 (not 1040SR) for my return. MichelleLO from Turbotax gave me the assurance that this workaround correctly transfers the data to the IRS and, I assume, also to the state tax boards if required. You can also look at my post concernig the possibilities how the data is transmitted.