Cannot import 2016 Desktop TT File into 2017 Web based Turbo Tax

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I Cannot import 2016 Desktop TT File into 2017 Web based Turbo Tax. I get this error even though I can still open the file with the 2016 TT Premier Desktop app.

The selected file is NOT a previous year tax file or it is corrupted. Choose a different file and try again.

EricG

Alumni - Intuit

You can try opening your 2016 return in TT Desktop and using "Save As" to create a new file. Then try importing the new file into TT Online.

paddyAuthor

Level 2

I tried all that. I was on the phone with several tax experts and technical support. I heard from the last person that the files are incompatible with the online system. If they want my online business, they need to make the files import.

jpmccormick

Level 2

I just encountered the same error of my 2016 TurboTax file (Mac download) being rejected by TurboTax online. The tech support agent I spoke to claimed that it's because the version of TurboTax 2016 that I used was downloaded onto my father's computer using his TurboTax account, and the same user account has to be used for both the previous year and the current year. I have never in my life encountered a software that cares where a locally installed software came from when it comes to ownership of the files it generates. Absolutely ridiculous.

AndreaC1

Level 11

I'm providing a couple different reasons this happens here below.

Is your .tax2016 file password protected? If so, you won't be able to import it into online with that password on it. You'll need to remove that first and then do the import of 2016 tax file.

To remove the password from a password-protected tax file you prepared in TurboTax CD/Download software, follow these steps:

Open the tax return you want to remove password from in the year software you created it in
Go to the File menu in top left of the computer and select Encrypt on a Mac
- On Windows PC select File and then Password
Fill out the information in the pop-up window and then select Remove Password.

Another reason you'd get this error is if you are attempting to transfer from the PDF file instead of the TurboTax data file, which has a .tax20XX filename extension. TurboTax Online does not support PDF transfer; only tax data file transfer. See here What's the difference between the tax data file and the PDF file?

So if you are using PDF instead of tax data file, refer to the Windows instructions or Mac instructions for how to find your .tax2016 data file to complete the transfer of that return into TurboTax Online.

Let me know if you have more questions and if this helps resolve that error for you.

jpmccormick

Level 2

Thanks for the suggestions, Andrea. Unfortunately, I did try removing the password already and have confirmed that the file I'm uploading is the .tax2016 one. The file is still rejected.