Does the turbotax software recognized my online turbotax account? I filed online last year, but bought the software this year...

[DavidD66 · Accepted solution]

TurboTax Desktop does not "recognize" your Online account; however, if you want to transfer your data from last year's Online return to the Desktop software, it's easy to do.  

You are going to start by creating a "mock" 2019 return in TurboTax Online.  This is so you can transfer the 2018 data that you have online into 2019.  Then, you will move the 2019 file from online to your desktop.  Then once you have installed the desktop software you will be able to open the 2019 tax file in desktop.

Start with these steps -

1. Log into your online account you used for 2018 and "start" a 2019 return
2. Use the transfer feature to transfer your 2018 data into your 2019 online return
3. Now, you should have a 2019 return in TurboTax Online with all of your information from 2018

Transfer from Online to Desktop

1. Save your online return as a tax data file.
2. Sign out of TurboTax Online.
3. Install your 2019 TurboTax software.
   • If you have not purchased TurboTax Desktop software, select the product you need to complete your return.
   • Important: If your return includes a state, make sure you also install the corresponding state program(s), otherwise you'll get Error 539. 
4. Once installed, choose File then Open Tax Return in the software.
5. Browse to where you saved your .tax2019 file, select it, and then select Open.
6. If you get an error, delete your tax data file and repeat these steps from the beginning.
7. Optional: Once you've confirmed that your online return opens properly in the software, you can clear your online return.

For additional information see https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/choosing-a-product/help/how-do-i-switch-from-turbotax-online-to-th...