Merrill - Unable to Import Information - "Please attempt to login again" error message - TurboTax Desktop 2024 (Windows)

[asteinberg001]

FWIW, and after a lot of expasperation, I began using TT online to test if the ML 1099 import issue was across all TT / ML “secure connections” or local to the Desktop (Mac) version.  Lo and behold, I was able to import ALL ML 1099s to the TT online version, leading me to believe the original issue reported in this thread is a BUG with the TT Desktop SW.  ML Support and through my ML advisor contend the problem is with TT.  Given the results of my test, I am inclined to agree.  TT support declines to acknowledge the issue and / or to work collaboratively with ML and me to identify the bug and resolve.  

Disappointing that after spending $$ to buy TT desktop SW, I will now need to start over with the online version to complete Fed/State filing and spend additional $s.  I will seriously consider my 20+ year TT relationship given this experience.  

[MVMacDave]

Thanks for the nice info about a possible bug in the Mac desktop version of the SW; I am also considering dropping my use of Turbotax after more than 30 years of use (pre-Intuit), considering their cost and support.

[januszb]

Update. After changing user ID and Pass for ML account, TT was able to access ML account. All 1099 were imported. 

A new problem surfaced. 1099 DIV,  was not added to divident calculation. Called TT support, shared screen. We  manualy entered 1099div in adition to imported one. This not only showed up in divident, but also helped to recognized the imported form. So now, I had doubled amount in dividents. I deleted manual entered 1099DIV. Imported 1099DIV was showing up correctly in dividents

[MVMacDave]

I changed by username and password and Merrill and tried importing again into Turbotax.  I had the identical problem-no import, no error message.  In a previous year I managed to import 1099 data twice, with duplicate entries, which Turbotax failed to catch, either with the imports, or with the error checking software.  What are we paying for here?

[rfq1937]

YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!  MAYBE THE CEO OF MERRILL LYNCH FORGOT TO ENGAGE IN EXCHANGES WITH THE TECHNOCRAT, KLAUS SCHWAB, CONCERNING POSSIBLE COMPUTER GLITCHES, I. E. INABILITY TO IMPORT INFORMATION FROM THE MERILL LYNCH SERVER.

[MonikaK1]

There have been many import issues reported by Merrill and Schwab customers this year.

If your financial institution is a TurboTax 1099 Import Partner, you would likely have been able to import your 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-OID, 1099-R, 1099-NEC, and 1099-MISC (without entries in boxes 8 or 10) by January 31, 2025, and likely have been able to import your 1099-B and 1099-MISC (with entries in boxes 8 or 10) by February 15, 2025.

However, if your brokerage issues a consolidated tax statement with several types of 1099s, which is common, you might not have been able to import any of your 1099s until February 15, 2025. 

If you can find out from your broker whether the statements are going to be coming out in phases, it is probably  better to wait to import until the final statement comes out. This is generally an issue with way the statements are presented rather than a software issue.

Check here for updates to the Help Article with this information. 

When importing, make sure TurboTax and Windows are both updated, and temporarily disable all anti-virus software (including modem).  Make sure your broker does not require you to allow 'third party access', which you may enable in your broker account, if this applies. Some users reported that disabling security software solved the issue. See this thread for other experiences and suggestions. 

In TurboTax Online, you can attach a PDF of your 1099-B; however, in TurboTax Desktop, here's How to Enter a Summary in Lieu of Individual Transactions, which only requires a small amount of data entry.

See this help article for more information on importing investment data.

We at Intuit TurboTax want our users to be completely delighted with their experience using our products and services, and successful in their financial lives and businesses. 

Once you file your return, as long as the settings to receive communication from Intuit don’t block it, you will see a pop-up message or receive an email with a survey asking you about your experience. We encourage you to leave your notes and comments there. “Voice of the Customer” notes and comments are read and acted upon.

If you are using TurboTax Desktop, you can also leave feedback at the Final Steps tab:

@rfq1937 

@MVMacDave 

[MVMacDave]

This is not very helpful.  I have been trying repeatedly since Feb 15, 2025 to import my Merrill investment information.  As far as disabling virus software, I have not needed to do this in 30 years of filing returns via Turbotax.  I have the same antivirus software now as when I filed my 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020 returns, and I did not need to disable the software to import brokerage data.  Another note, I was advised by Turbotax support that I needed to file by mail a hard copy of my 1099-B (110p) to the IRS before e-filing; now I am being told this is not necessary.  Which is correct?  Finally, in recent attempts to import 1099s from Merrill, I have been watching the Merrill log of log-in attempts for my account, and the log does not show any attempts by Turbotax to log-in attempts by Turbotax.  The log shows attempts by any computer or other device using my log-in information.  How is this explained?  It appears that Turbotax is not even trying to log in, and I never get an error message in Turbotax.  As someone who has used Turbotax since before it was acquired by Intuit, this is very annoying and frustating, has required enormous amounts of time on my part, and i am ready to abandon Turbotax and switch to another brand of software or a private accountant, with appropriate comments on social media.

[irene58]

Same problem. Nothing worked. I resorted to entering summaries manually. You are allowed to do this if your 1099B says 'cost basis reported to irs'. The detail goes to Form 8949 which carries to Sched D. These are the IRS instructions from Form 8949. Same for long-term. 

Note: You may aggregate all short-term transactions reported on Form(s) 1099-B showing basis was
reported to the IRS and for which no adjustments or codes are required. Enter the totals directly on
Schedule D, line 1a; you aren’t required to report these transactions on Form 8949 (see instructions) so see the instructions for each section.

Go to the broker page and select the broker but 'Skip import'.  You eventually get a choice of 'by line' or 'summary'.  Fairly easy if you don't have a lot. I couldn't wait on TT and ML to work together to resolve. I worked in IT for 30 years and we NEVER played volleyball with an issue. This is unacceptable!

[MVMacDave]

Thanks, I'll go with this approach, and abandon TurboTax; I think their near monopoly status has gone to their heads, and they don't try very hard to solve problems with their software.  My research indicates this is not a problem with Merrill, it is a problem with TurboTax software.  When I try to import dats, I get no import and no error message in Turbotax, and my Merrill log on account  access shows no attempt by Turbotax to log in using my account information.

[Mike9241]

Some financial institutions take down their servers for maintenance, especially on weekends. Try on Monday. 

There have been many threads concerning various institutions where the OP says they can't import from XYZ. 

It's puzzling because I was able to import from certain sites while others say they couldn't. I am using Windows 10 and Edge. In some, but not all, cases OPs have said using a different browser worked.

[JonK11]

I'm having the same problem with TurboTax Home & Business 2024 tax year on a Mac computer.  It won't import from Merrill.  I confirmed that my login credentials are correct.  When I try to import, it says "establishing a secure connections" but nothing happens.  Merrill confirmed that my account is OK at their end, and that numerous clients are having similar problems with the the TurboTax DESKTOP software.  This is clearly a bug in the TurboTax program that they need to FIX SOON!  The main reason I use it is so I don't need to manually enter my investment transactions.

[MVMacDave]

I have tried this import dozens of times, on different days and different times, always with the same result, no import and no error message on Turbotax.

[CatinaT1]

There was an update last night that MAY have solved your issue. Make sure you have the most updated software and try again.

[MVMacDave]

I just installed the update from last night-Mar 20, and it appeared to have solve the problem-I was able to import the data from Merrill successfully.  It appears there was a bug in the Turbotax software, and it would have been good if the support staff had acknowledged this and indicated Intuit was working on a fix and to be patient.  It also would have been nice if Turbotax had notified all their customers of the problem and said the same thing and notified them when it was fixed.   It would have saved me and likely many others a lot of time and aggravation.

[asteinberg001]

Thanks for the update about the SW bug fix.  I also installed and was (finally) successful to import from Merrill (the brokerage). I agree with comments about TT notifying its user community about existence of a bug and fix being worked on.  Doing so could have avoided rising levels of frustration and dissatisfaction.  For me this fix comes a bit too late, as I had used a work around of completing the imports using TT online and then saving and downloading the file to complete using TT Desktop.  Hopefully TT will take lessons learned from this experience and comments made by loyal TT users to better handle similar situations in the future.