If I buy this year's (2018) Turbo Tax Deluxe from Costco will it sync with my online account?

[mesquitebean · Accepted solution]

No.  The desktop product will not "sync" directly with an Online account.  But there is some good news.  If you used Online TurboTax for your 2017 return, you can download your *.tax2017 data file from your Online account, and when you start a new 2018 return in the desktop product, you can transfer the 2017 data into your 2018 return.

The 2018 return you prepare (any PDFs and *.tax2018 data file) will be stored only on your computer or any backup media you use.  It will not appear in your Online account.  So you are responsible for archiving it safely and securely.

If you buy desktop Deluxe outside of TurboTax, such as Costco, be aware it comes in 2 versions--one that is a combo Federal and State, and one that is Federal-only.   If purchased from TurboTax, it is the combo version.  If purchased elsewhere, one has to be careful as to which Deluxe version it is.