How can I download my free state, when TurboTax is unable to connect to the site (I have to update manually) and I purchased software through a 3rd party (Amazon)?

[slstarks]

I have TurboTax Deluxe + State installed on my Windows machine. I purchased it (as a download) through Amazon. I have to install updates manually because TurboTax is unable to connect to the site to automatically update. The manual updates work fine (I am connected to the internet). But now I want to download the software through my state, and that also depends on TurboTax connecting to the site. I don't see a way to manually download my free state. Can you direct me to a place to do that? The article I found from last year assumes I bought my software through your site, which I did not.

[TerukoL]

If you completed your state information in the Personal section, then you just need to select the state menu to begin the state. If you are still having problems after trying this, please click this link to contact our Customer Care department. 

[slstarks]

If I click on the state menu, and then click Start next to where it says the name of my state (California), I then get a pop-up that says "Let's Download and Install Your States." This process does not work. I get the following error:

"Could not connect to the update site. Error 42003: The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a receive." It says to make sure I am connected to the internet (I am) and to make sure my computer security (firewall, anti-virus) is set up to let the product check for updates (I temporarily turned off Windows Defender Firewall and restarted TurboTax, and it did not make a difference).

I have the same problem with automatic updates to the software but have always followed the alternate instructions to manually download the updates from a provided website and install myself. That works great. I would like to manually download my state software. Please let me know where to go to manually download the state.

[CassLO]

If your federal return has been not accepted yet, that may be why you cannot continue. Please use the instructions below to complete your state e-filing.

How do I e-file my state after I already filed my federal? 

Please check that your device meets system requirements. If it does not, the CD can download on up to 5 devices, so I recommend trying on another device.

How do I update my TurboTax CD/Download software program?

Download TurboTax State (Windows)

[slstarks]

Hi, I am not trying to file my state taxes. I am trying to download the software for my state.

I do not have a CD. I have downloadable PC software that I purchased through Amazon, which includes a free state download (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YH2PTCJ/). I don't have a second PC on which to install the software.

The article you linked "Download TurboTax State (Windows)" is relevant but it is the one I found before I posted. I can't do the first option (automatic updates/downloads don't work on my computer because TurboTax is unable to connect to the site, even if I turn off my Windows firewall) and I can't do the second option (because I did not purchase my software via your website). What is the manual option for downloading the free state when the software was not purchased through your website?

[CassLO]

Please see the TurboTax help topic below for assistance downloading:

Troubleshoot TurboTax for Windows downloading issues

[slstarks]

I discovered I can obtain more detailed information on the error. It says: "The client and server cannot communicate, because they do not possess a common algorithm." I found another discussion that said the problem is that my Windows 10 machine uses FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, and TurboTax does not:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/taxes/discussion/2018-turbo-tax-deluxe-will-not-download-federal-o...

If that's the case, and I am unwilling to modify the encryption on my computer due to security requirements related to other uses of this computer, please tell me how I can obtain a manual download of the state software that was included in my purchase.

[BrandiLO]

To best resolve this issue, please click here to get in contact with customer care. Please be sure to enter the correct product, edition, and a detailed description of your issue. If you see a message that says "We can't find an answer to your issue", please click the "Try Something Else" drop down. Once you fill out the form you will be given a service ticket number and a phone number to contact customer care.

[slstarks]

On February 10, I spent over an hour with Customer Care (3 different people; two of them each spent a half hour with me trying to resolve). After walking through everything I was supposed to try, they agree that it is not my connection or firewall and probably an incompatibility. I uninstalled and reinstalled with the administrator box checked in the program settings; I ran it as an administrator (I have administrative rights on my machine); I turned off and on my firewall; I enabled and disabled FIPS-compliant encryption algorithms. Nothing I do allows my software to connect to the TurboTax server to install automatic updates or download the state software.

I had the same problem with TurboTax 2018 last year (the first year I was using Windows 10) and ended up having to install on a very old laptop that runs Windows 8 in order to do my taxes. I just installed TurboTax 2019 on this old Windows 8 machine and indeed it works, albeit slowly and frustratingly due to the age of the computer. For some reason your software is not compatible with my Windows 10 machine. I don't know if it's because my machine is encrypted; my Windows 8 machine is also encrypted. This is very frustrating and possibly the last year I will be able to use your software to do my taxes because I don't know how long I can continue using a laptop from 2013 just to be able to run your software.

[EAGCTX]

This will fix the error.

2. If only .NET version 4.6.2 (and above) is installed, the latest .NET Framework requires you to toggle with stronger cipher using these registry keys:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v4.0.30319]
"SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v4.0.30319]
"SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001

3. If both .NET version 4 and 3.5 are installed, on top of the registry keys for .NET version 4,  .NET 3.5 would also require you to:

• Install the .NET 3.5 patch from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3154518/support-for-tls-system-default-versions-included-in.... 
• Toggle the following registry keys in order to support TLS  protocols:
  
  

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v2.0.50727]
"SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v2.0.50727]
"SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001

[slstarks]

Thank you! This solution (change to registry keys in .NET) worked. To recap for other users whose software cannot connect to update or download state, my error was:

"Could not connect to the update site. Error 42003: The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a receive." and, in details, "The client and server cannot communicate, because they do not possess a common algorithm."

I hope that TurboTax will add this to the information they provide through Customer Care.

[goadeff]

Thank you! The .NET registry changes helped me with a similar error 42010 when trying to automatically update TurboTax...

[Angjr1959]

How can I down load my state tax

[jchang96]

If you followed security best practice and disabled TLS 1.0 and 1.1 support, you will get such issue. Although most of browsers will (or already) depreciate the support of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 in their newest browser and most of websites have enabled TLS 1.2 support and use the highest standard as preferred choice, some back-end support systems may still use old standard as default. Use the registry to modify .NETframework parameters to force it to use the highest standard for encryption. See EAGCTX's post for details.

[Carl]

Just as a side note, I found another possibility that keeps the program from connecting to the update site. If you disable IPv6 on the network adapter so the computer only "sees" the IPv4 address, that's something else to try and check.

- CNTRL-R, enter CONTROL and press the enter key on your keybaord.

- Open the Network & Sharing Center applet

- Click the "Change Adapter Settings" link on the right

- Right click your Ethernet adaptor and select Properties.

- Remove the checkmark from the box for "Internet Protocal Version 6".

- Now OK out of everything. It should not be necessary to reboot.