Please bring back the running total refund/tax due at the top of the screen

[SusanY1]

This year, TurboTax Online reveals the refund monitor/outcome tracker for the first time when customers reach the Federal Review stage, right after they complete adding their income, deductions, and credits. Revealing the tax outcome at this step allows customers to view an accurate representation of their tax outcome and helps avoid confusion and fluctuations in their tax outcome.  

Why don't I see the tracker?

[jschaub2016]

Hi Susan,

Thank you for confirming that this is an actual change to the way turbo tax does things. Perhaps this response should be pinned someplace so we don't have to dig through all these posts to get an answer for the missing feature.

Unfortunatly, I don't see how this change is an improvment at all. It actually makes it harder to see what you owe during the process. I found the running total a killer feature because it helped me feel confident that I had added in a deduction accuratly. I could "see" the effect it had on my total in real time and that gave me piece of mind that is now gone. 

I don't see any benefit Turbo Tax making this change. Please give us back the old refund monitor/outcome tracker at the top of the page.

[JohnB5677]

This is the current official word:

You’ll see Explain my taxes and your refund amount or taxes due in the Federal Review stage of TurboTax Online. 

For accuracy and simplicity, we show these totals after you enter your income, deductions, and credits instead of showing how the numbers change at each step of the filing process.

[kstokes]

will never use turbo tax again unless they fix this

[pageturner]

I have that feature in my version.  No issue monitoring the changes as I work thru the data.

[ABQ1911]

The Expert answered

"Look just above the green progress line and see Explain my taxes > .  Click the arrow after the word taxes to see your refund/balance due amount."

That is more than obscure - and a ridiculous way to provide (or in this case hide) such valuable information for  us - the users.

[CatinaT1]

Here is a FAQ: Why don’t I see the tracker that shows my refund or taxes owed?

[woolywoman]

There is nothing above the green line. It is completely blank, no words or arrows or anything to click on. This is a huge blank space where this running total tracker for refunds or taxes due used to be for the past 20+ years I’ve been using TurboTax. This tracker was one of its best features! Why would TurboTax remove it and give a timer which shows just how much time I’ve wasted trying to find this tracker and/or see if there was some secret work around to get it back on the screen so it’d give me useful info as I add the individual data? (Time wasted: 1+ hours. ☹️)

[frusack]

There is no "Explain My Taxes" to be found

[DoninGA]

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@frusack wrote:

There is no "Explain My Taxes" to be found

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See this TurboTax support FAQ for the refund/taxes owed indicator - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/customer-complaints/dont-see-tracker-sho...

[Joshua0853]

I fully concur.

[aa38]

Update:

After completing my entire Federal return and the review process, the "Explain my taxes" section with the tracker of running Federal and state tax refund/due appeared, as some others have claimed.

Since my last post, Intuit also posted this response saying it was a deliberate change:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/customer-complaints/dont-see-tra[product... 

I still think it was a dumb change that treats us users as idiots.  It is obviously only an estimate until we complete all sections, and that estimate has value during the process.  They should change it back.

[kevwoolley]

Where exactly can you see "explain my taxes"  I'm not seeing that as an option on my screen.

I'd like to see a real time running total of what I owe or will get back in refund.

Please help.

Thank you!

[DoninGA]

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@kevwoolley wrote:

Where exactly can you see "explain my taxes"  I'm not seeing that as an option on my screen.

I'd like to see a real time running total of what I owe or will get back in refund.

Please help.

Thank you!

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See this TurboTax support FAQ for the tax refund/taxes owed indicator when using the online editions - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/customer-complaints/dont-see-tracker-sho...

[ewgrose]

it’s unfortunate intuit doesn’t realized how much the running total matters to users and how much value it provides them.  The reason for the change provided is very weak and show a lack of connection to the end user imho. We are doing our taxes ourselves. We are knowledgeable enough to know it’s an estimate. What customer wouldn’t want this feature as it was?