Mac OS Version for TurboTax 2021

[ldamario]

What Mac OS version will be required for TurboTax 2021? That is, I mean the version of TurboTax that will be released in late 2021 for doing tax year 2021 returns.

[macuser_22 · Accepted solution]

OSX !0.15 or later will be required.

[Critter-3]

Eventually this FAQ will show the 2021 system requirement  but you can see the year to year progression fairly well ...   https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/system-requirements/help/minimum-system-requirements-for-turbotax-...

[macuser_22]

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@Critter-3 wrote:

Eventually this FAQ will show the 2021 system requirement  but you can see the year to year progression fairly well ...   https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/system-requirements/help/minimum-system-requirements-for-turbotax-...

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The reason is that the Apple developer tools that must be used to produce new Mac software only supports the last 3 Mac software years and Apple will not support 10.14 after 2021, so software for 2022 (which is when the 2021 tax returns are filed) can only support what the Apple tools support.

[jimreese44]

So if the reason is the Apple developer tools only support the last 3 MacOS versions, then why can H&R Block support more than 3 prior versions for 2022 (2021 tax year)? Would it be because they retained an earlier version of the Apple developer tools that allows them to compile the source code to create versions that support more Apple customers than those lucky enough to have newer hardware supporting more recent MacOS versions? Why can't Turbotax do the same?

I've been a Turbotax customer for over a decade, as well as have some knowledge of programming, and to me this is a lame excuse, especially when H&R Block continues to support older OS versions. I am planning to switch to H&R Block and I am recommending a number of my Mac-owning coworkers who are in the same boat to switch. It seems Block is more interested in gaining our business than Turbotax is interested in keeping it.

[macuser_22]

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@jimreese44 wrote:

So if the reason is the Apple developer tools only support the last 3 MacOS versions, then why can H&R Block support more than 3 prior versions for 2022 (2021 tax year)?

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Management decision.  Older development tools will support older systems but not support Apples latest software features.   Also any incompatibility issues will not be supported by Apple for systems that Apple no longer supports.

Buy the software that fits your needs.

[Critter-3]

As with all other things it is the cost factor that is the deciding factor.  Intuit doesn't support older years because it is not cost effective to do so.  There are several things they don't support due to lack of need and unfortunately this is one of the items on the chopping block.  Windows 7 users had to upgrade 2 years ago so they are not immune.  You can use the online program instead if you don't want to spend a fortune getting a new Apple. 

The fact that Block supports the older MAC systems a couple years longer than TT doesn't mean they will do it forever ... your system will either need to be upgraded or replaced eventually.   The  aggressive forced retirement program that MAC employs makes their  OS obsolete every three years ... complain to them since they are the ones setting the bar. 

Currently block currently supports 10.13 and up only.  The 2021 requirement is not yet posted.

https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/support/software/technical-issues-software/software-system-requir...

TT system requirement is 10.14 and up ... although not posted the 2021 will require 10.15 ...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/system-requirements/help/minimum-system-requirements-for-turbotax-...

[jimreese44]

There's a utility called OpenCore Legacy Patcher described in the following article that will allow older Macs to install the latest MacOS Big Sur and therefore should enable users with older Macs to run Turbotax 2021 when it is released. I would suggest testing this first on a partition or separate hard drive from your current boot drive, so if it doesn't work it's pretty easy to undo without harming the current working configuration.

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-install-the-latest-macos-on-an-unsupported-mac-[phone number removed]

[macuser_22]

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@Critter-3 wrote:

As with all other things it is the cost factor that is the deciding factor.  Intuit doesn't support older years because it is not cost effective to do so.  There are several things they don't support due to lack of need and unfortunately this is one of the items on the chopping block.  Windows 7 users had to upgrade 2 years ago so they are not immune.  You can use the online program instead if you don't want to spend a fortune getting a new Apple. 

The fact that Block supports the older MAC systems a couple years longer than TT doesn't mean they will do it forever ... your system will either need to be upgraded or replaced eventually.   The  aggressive forced retirement program that MAC employs makes their  OS obsolete every three years ... complain to them since they are the ones setting the bar. 

Currently block currently supports 10.13 and up only.  The 2021 requirement is not yet posted.

https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/support/software/technical-issues-software/software-system-requir...

TT system requirement is 10.14 and up ... although not posted the 2021 will require 10.15 ...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/system-requirements/help/minimum-system-requirements-for-turbotax-...

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It is posted now in this FAQ:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/download-products/help/how-does-the-end-of-support-for-mojave-10-1...

[dmr0]

macuser_22 wrote:

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"The reason is that the Apple developer tools that must be used to produce new Mac software only supports the last 3 Mac software years and Apple will not support 10.14 after 2021, so software for 2022 (which is when the 2021 tax returns are filed) can only support what the Apple tools support."

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That is not what Apple says. Xcode is Apple's software development toolset. The latest version of Xcode is Xcode 13 beta. On the Apple webpage https://developer.apple.com/support/xcode/ under the heading "Minimum requirements and supported SDKs" it says that Xcode 13 beta supports producing applications that can run on macOS 10.9 (OS X Mavericks, released on October 22, 2013) through macOS 12 (macOS Monterey, set to be released before the end of 2021).

It is true that Apple only supports the three most recently released versions of the operating system, but Apple fully supports development tools that produce software to run on older versions of the operating system. (In fact, Apple's very latest version of their development toolset, which is required to support their not yet released version of macOS, continues to support deployment targets as far back as OS X Mavericks.)

Intuit is being hostile to (and hence alienating) their customers by failing to take advantage of Apple's supported development tools to produce versions of TurboTax that can run on all the versions of macOS that Apple's latest version of their development tools support as deployment targets.

[jimreese44]

Great response, macuser_22. Just goes to show Intuit doesn't understand Mac software development requirements in their decision-making.

[Critter-3]

Again it comes down to money ... Intuit doesn't see the need to chase an ever shrinking market for older MAC machines.  It costs extra to continue to write programs that can work with older systems so they don't do it and neither do their competitors ... most will drop older years soon after TT does.  What you can do is use the ONLINE version instead and that is the option Intuit thinks is sufficient for the MAC users.  

In the area of desktop and laptop computers, Microsoft Windows is the most commonly installed OS, at approximately between 77% and 87.8% globally. Apple's macOS accounts for approximately 9.6–13%, Google's Chrome OS is up to 6% (in the US) and other Linux distributions are at around 2%.

https://ostoday.org/windows/how-many-computers-have-windows.html#:~:text=In%20the%20area%20of%20desk....

[macuser_22]

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@jimreese44 wrote:

Great response, macuser_22. Just goes to show Intuit doesn't understand Mac software development requirements in their decision-making.

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TurboTax made the decision several years ago not to support any system not supported by the system manufacture.     They dropped support for older Windows versions when MS stopped supporting it.

Arguing with other users is not going to change anything.

[I also will not be able to run 2021 since I have an app that I need that is 32 bit and there is no 64 bit replacement for it (the author of the app died several years age). ]

[gbourdon]

I've been using turbotax since 1996, and I think this issue is going to be the one that pushes me off it.  As others have stated, the developer tools seem to support older releases, so it seems like it's intuit's decision to force us all to upgrade our OS every year. Of all the software I have on my Mac, TurboTax is the only one requiring me to move to Catalina.  Even if I decided to upgrade one of our family machines for this year, it's just pushing the problem out a year or two and constant narrow release support bothers me . I guess the sooner I move the better.  I love how the PC version still supports Windows 8.1 (from 2013).  Anyway, I may have to give H&R Block a try this year.... looks like they are supporting additional older releases.  

[Critter-3]

As with all other things it is the cost factor that is the deciding factor.  Intuit doesn't support older years because it is not cost effective to do so.  There are several things they don't support due to lack of need and unfortunately this is one of the items on the chopping block.  Windows 7 users had to upgrade 2 years ago so they are not immune.  You can use the online program instead if you don't want to spend a fortune getting a new Apple. 

The fact that Block supports the older MAC systems a couple years longer than TT doesn't mean they will do it forever ... your system will either need to be upgraded or replaced eventually.   The  aggressive forced retirement program that MAC employs makes their  OS obsolete every three years ... complain to them since they are the ones setting the bar. 

Currently block currently supports 10.13 and up only.  The 2021 requirement is not yet posted.

https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/support/software/technical-issues-software/software-system-requir...

TT system requirement is 10.14 and up ... the 2021 will require 10.15 ...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/system-requirements/help/minimum-system-requirements-for-turbotax-...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/download-products/help/how-does-the-end-of-support-for-mojave-10-1...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/download-products/help/how-does-the-end-of-support-for-mojave-10-1...