Locating Schedule A

[cgmartin]

I may have possibly deleted Schedule A.  I just started working on tax year 2019, which I downloaded last night.  It was there when I started, but it no longer appears on the left hand side under "Forms in My Return."  I can bring it back up under "Open Forms," but once I leave Turbo Tax (Deluxe), it goes away and I have to bring it up again the next time I use Turbo Tax. How can I save Schedule A so that it remains under "Forms in my Return?"

[TomYoung · Accepted solution]

I think you're describing pretty much "standard behavior" in TurboTax, i.e., if a Form or Schedule isn't needed as part of your income tax return then it's not shown, automatically, in the left hand side of the screen when you look at "Forms".  Maybe it was there immediately after the transfer of last year's income tax return but disappeared when you started entering itemized deductions and what you've entered isn't more than your standard deduction?

[tagteam · Accepted solution]

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@cgmartin wrote:
How can I save Schedule A so that it remains under "Forms in my Return?"

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Schedule A should be automatically saved (and appear under Forms In My Return) provided the sum total on the form has exceeded the standard deduction (or you otherwise indicated you want to itemize regardless of that total).

Please be aware that the program is still being refined at this point and some components may not be fully operational and/or functioning properly.

[PaulaM]

@cgmartin The entered data is still there but as TomYoung indicated, the form won't be displayed until it is needed.

[cgmartin]

Great.  I now understand.   I guess I did not delete it after all. What threw me off was that the Medical worksheet for Schedule A still comes up, but not the Schedule A itself.  Just for kicks, I will increase some numbers to get it to come back up. At this point, I am just plugging in some numbers and estimates to get an idea of what my bottom line will be. Thx.

[xyz6507]

You can find Schedule A whether you're taking the Standard Deduction or not by doing the following.  Go to the View menu, then choose Forms.  Looking at the left panel, Forms in My Return.  From above the list of Forms in My Return, pick OPEN FORM.  There will be a collapsible tree and when you expand that, you'll be able to open Schedule A, whether or not it's to be included in your tax return.

I had the same time-wasting problem finding Schedule A.  I wanted to see if I did itemize deductions, how many medical expenses I'd need to have before I'd get any tax credit for at least some medical expenses.  The Medical Expenses worksheet doesn't show that information/calculation.  In previous years, Schedule A would show up in the list of forms.  What Intuit ought to do is have TWO buttons at the top.  One is SHOW FORMS IN MY RETURN.  The other is SHOW ALL FORMS.  And if they're clever, when you open a form that is not required and will not be used in your filed return, Intuit could have a little message somewhere that reminds you the form is currently not needed in your return along with highlights in the return directing the user to look at the most relevant financial calculations on the form (vs. other forms, if necessary, with hyperlinks) that show you why you don't need to use that form.  As it is, with the 2019 version of TurboTax, especially for the availability of Schedule A, the user can't see the forest for the trees.  There is also no FEEDBACK button within the app to directly vote on features that are vexing.  Intuit sets up the hurdle of having to come to this site, logon, search, yada yada, just to submit some feedback on a much less than rewarding user experience with its app.

The error in the premise of not showing you the form is the decision ON THE BASIS OF INFO THUS FAR, YOU DON'T NEED THE FORM.  But what if you wanted to possibly  enter more info???  If you can't see the overall form and what expenses you might enter (other than slogging through the interview process, wading in the swamp and not getting a good view of the forest for all the trees and bog bushes), you have NO quick general idea of whether you really could take advantage of Schedule A.  FORM VIEW should make it easy and intuitive to work with any form you want to explore.  Not hide a form on the stupid AI premise you don't need it just on the info you've entered so far slogging along via interview....

Update:  I guess it's more than a year since I last used TurboTax.  As opposed to the view you get if you go View menu, Forms if you go to Forms menu, Open Form ...., you get all the forms including Schedule A, as the OP points out.  I still think that TWO buttons or a TOGGLE above the view of Forms in My Return to allow the toggling between Forms in My Return and All Forms would be good, particularly for once-a-year users of TurboTax like me who have trouble remembering from year to year where to go to find what.