TurboTax

File with experts
File your taxes
Experts at your fingertips

An expert helps with your taxes, or does them for you
TurboTax Expert Full Service

TurboTax Expert Assist

TurboTax Self-Employed
Prior year taxes
File myself
File myself
Do it yourself

We'll guide you step-by-step
TurboTax Do It Yourself

TurboTax Self-Employed

TurboTax Desktop
TurboTax Free

Activate your product

Prior year taxes
Business
Business
Business taxes

Get your T2 corporate return done right, your way
TurboTax Business

TurboTax Business Desktop
Tax situations
Tax situations
Tax situations

Find extra guidance for your big life moves
For investors

For 25 and younger

For self-employed

For new to Canada

For life changes
Resources
Resources
Resources

Explore tax tools, get tips, and read reviews
Personal income tax calculator

RRSP savings calculator

Learning hub

TurboTax support (FAQ)

TurboTax community
Pricing

Level 1

Question

Missing 2019 tax data file after turbotax software updates were applied

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
April 15, 2020
18 replies
1 view

4/14/2020 - I launched the 2019 turbotax business program on my Windows 10 PC. turbotax updates were applied. I wanted to open a return and continue where I left off. I clicked Continue a Tax Return,but no files were found! The turbotax file folder on my PC was empty. Did the turbotax update process delete the tax data file?

TurboTax Business Windows

csh2000cfj

Level 2

After upgrading TurboTax Deluxe this morning, I lost all my entries for 2019. What gives?

Ies

Level 5

Still no answer.

Ies

Level 5

I am 98% done with met 2022 return from downloaded TT; did an update just now and the TT file is gone. Looked at instructions here to find without luck. What is the solution, Intuit?

Yes. What is the solution?

ljpstuff

Level 2

2019 TT Home & Business - started/nearly completed in January. Went to work on it last month and all data is gone. Sitting at $0 and wants everything entered from scratch. This happened after I opened the software on my MacBook (purchased CD/download with license #) and then TT said I need to do an update to continue. I have searched every possible place for the file. It does not exist that I can find. Please assist!

gpoebear

Level 2

Happened to me too! Thanks Turbo Tax.

mistyw

Level 2

Same thing happened here! I thought I was going crazy until I found this thread. Grrrrrr....So many hours of work to redo! TurboTax, this may have cost you some customers for next year!

Ies

Level 5

The same thing just happened to me. I updated TurboTax and my tax returns for the past 4 years disappeared completely. I need to file an amended 2021 return and there's nothing there. What happened with the update?

swood30

Level 2

Yea. This is a real sore point for me. No apologies. Not even trying to make up for the fact that Turbotax screwed us. If it is any help, you can request the transcript of past returns from the IRS by signing up/into your personal portal.

Your Online Account | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)

Shawn_D

Level 2

The same thing happened to me for on my Mac. As recently as last week I was able to work on my return just fine. Today I launched TurboTax 2019 to do a final review and file, but all my data has been lost. It seemed like it was starting over from the initial 2018 data import. I even tried restoring an older version of the tax return file from a backup, but the data is still gone.

tvrichar

Level 2

This just happened to me as well. Any response from TurboTax?

rsa14

Level 2

Days of work lost. Been using turbotax for past 8 years and this is obviously a MAJOR ISSUE.

I will be switching to different software next year, unless they somehow figure out how to restore - but if the update deleted my data, not sure how they can do that.

Honestly, this is so upsetting thinking of pursuing them.

BillM223

Level 15

@rsa14

Have you tried a "brute force" search?

Do a Search on the entire C: drive (just for filenames, not file contents) for *.tax2019, if that is the drive you saved your tax files on before.

Let the Search run, it may take a bit depending on the number of files.

When your tax file is found, be very sure to note the exact directory that it is in - Windows uses a lot of User\ and My Notes and My Documents and other folders so that the tax file isn't always where you (or TurboTax) thinks it is.

Once you have the exact file location, you can click on File in TurboTax, then Open Tax Return and click on the hard to see link Find a Tax File. On the next screen, enter the full path and filename.

Once you have pulled up your tax return this way, TurboTax should remember its location.

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post. **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"

mtfarley1

Level 2

Same thing happened to my 2019 Premier for Windows tax files. I cannot find them anywhere. Hours of work gone. Will look at tip at bottom of this thread.

ng35

Level 2

When I opened my 2020 return I could not get a copy of my 2019 return. I had to purchase a new computer and the 2019 return was not saved. I think it may be under Gunter NH 2019 so does not match my 2020 file.

I was sent a cod 071041. Can you please help me

Thanks

mesquitebean

Level 15

@ ng35 wrote:
When I opened my 2020 return I could not get a copy of my 2019 return. I had to purchase a new computer and the 2019 return was not saved. I think it may be under Gunter NH 2019 so does not match my 2020 file.
I was sent a cod 071041. Can you please help me
Thanks

I don't fully understand your situation. How did you prepare the 2019 return and your current 2020 return? Did you use desktop software (CD/download), for both your 2019 and 2020 returns?

If you're using desktop software, then in order to transfer a 2019 return into a 2020 return, you have to have the *.tax2019 data file on your computer. Are you saying you did not save a copy of the *.tax2019 data file because it was on an old computer, and you didn't archive it anywhere? In desktop software, the user is the only one who could save a copy. If you need to view the 2019 return, what about a PDF--did you save a 2019 PDF to at least view?

Why are you mentioning a code? What kind of code--did you submit a diagnostic file to TurboTax Support for some reason?

espressomachine

Level 2

Same thing happened to me, and mine was completely done. It was completed (in March), saved, and I "printed" it to PDF. Opened the evening of the new deadline to file, was prompted to update — which I did — and when it was done, my .tax2019 file was gone.

I was, and still am, extraordinarily pissed, as I have to pay penalties because Intuit is supremely bad at producing quality software. From not being able to import any info from QBO into Turbo Tax, to now TT deleting my return during an update, I can’t tell you how much I hate using Intuit software, and this might just finally be enough to push me to endure the pain of switching everything to another company that isn't completely incompetent at what is ostensibly its core competency.

ski-dc

Level 2

So, I just tried to open my 2019 return as well and my files are all missing after the update as well. Has anyone received any resolution to this issue? How could an update delete the existing tax files? That is absolutely insane and worthy of a class action lawsuit.

Critter-3

Level 15

Was this that huge recent WIN 10 update ? If so look in the trash ... sometimes they get hidden there.

Prim8Pal

Level 2

I just installed Turbotax deluxe 2020 and discovered that my 2019 tax file had vanished (needed for 2020 to extract data from previous year's tax return). Not only that, but since my backup portable drive is connected to my computer, I found that my backup was deleted also!!!! I don't know when this happened and whether it was the result of a turbotax update or a windows. I did a file search of my computer including the recycle bin, and the files were not there. (I did clean up my recycle bin about four months ago so it might have been there at the time). Now I only have the paper copy of my tax return and hope that I never have to amend it.

This is terrible and Intuit needs to recognize this is a problem and find a fix.

Prim8Pal

Level 2

Update: I called turbotax support to see if they could help me. They said that this is a know problem and they are working on it, but apparently not very hard judging from the length of time since this was first reported on this thread.

What's really annoying is they sent me a link where to the IRS where I could request a copy of my old return, and the email with the link had the title "case resolved" !!1 No, it is not resolved. Turbotax deleted two copies of my file and they were unable to restore them or even fix the software problem that caused it.

Susan001

Level 2

What happened to 2019 data. I said”update” and then all disappeared

MichelleLO

Level 15

@Susan001 Please see the TurboTax FAQ Find your tax data file (.tax file) in Windows for assistance with locating your 2019 data. If that doesn't work, please reach out to TurboTax Customer Support for further assistance.

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post. **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"

Prim8Pal

Level 2

As I mentioned in one of my replies above, I contacted Turbotax support after trying the steps recommended in in the find your tax file link. They admitted the disappearance of files is an ongoing problem. They made no attempt to help me recover my files and only provided a link to the IRS where you can ask for a paper copy of your return. What's really annoying is that the email with the IRS link had the title Problem Solved. This appears to be an ongoing issue based on this thread and Turbotax has NOT solved the problem.