TT 2018 online prompted me to import my 2017 tax return PDF (created by TT), but still asked me to enter fields manually later on. Does it have a problem reading in PDFs?

[ca123]

Longtime TT download software user. Trying TT online for the first time for 2018 returns. It prompts me to import previous year's (2017) return. I point it to the PDF my downloaded software had generated (it won't accept my .tax2017 file). However, later on in the process, for some calculation or other, it asked me to enter a whole bunch of fields from the 2017 return manually, which was a pain to do. Does it have a problem reading in that PDF?? If I'd stayed with TT download for 2018, would it have been able to read all of what it needed from the tax2017 file? Hmm, not yet convinced to move from download to online (online costs more too!).

[CalebB · Accepted solution]

Not all information that feeds into a tax return ends up in the final PDF - there's often supporting information etc that is included in the .tax file that is not in the PDF.

If you have the .tax file from 2017, you are able to transfer the data into TurboTax Online from the .tax file (though you can only do it at the beginning of the process). To do so, once you are in the tax return, click the Tax Tools button on the left hand side, then click Tools below that.

In the Tools Center popup (see screenshot) click the "Transfer last year's TurboTax return from your computer" link.

[ca123]

@TurboTaxCaleb Thanks so much! I'd never have noticed that (it only prompted me for the PDF). However, when I do follow your steps & point it to my .tax2017, it then says "The selected file is NOT a previous year tax file or it is corrupted. Choose a different file and try again." It isn't corrupted (I just opened it in the 2017 software). I hope it's not because it was created with TT Premier downloaded software, and I'm currently using TT Deluxe online, i.e. Premier vs Deluxe?

[CalebB]

hmmm, no the version of the online software shouldn't affect whether its able to be transferred in. Is your tax return (.tax2017) password protected? If so you should remove the password before attempting to transfer it in.

[ca123]

@TurboTaxCaleb Bingo – it was password protected, though I could open it fine in TT w/out it prompting me for a password. In any case, after I clicked the "Remove Password" button from File > Encrypt, TT Online could import it fine. Thanks very much Caleb!!

[CalebB]

Awesome! Glad to hear it!