TurboTax Bugs

[chuckcobb]

The current version of Turbotax I’m using seems to have some bugs.  Information I enter into a tax form doesn’t transfer to the corresponding place in the step-by-step interview process.  I found this with 1099-MISC data and a couple of other places.  See these problems known?  What is the process for reporting bugs? 

[hbl3973]

chuckcobb,

I gather you are using a desktop version of TurboTax and switching between Step-By-Step and Forms views.  If you can provide one (or more) specifics, I will see if I can reproduce them and, if so, alert the powers that be.  I do know from experience that some form fields aren't meant to be entered directly but are filled in instead via a separate subschedule.

[chuckcobb]

I have seen it specifically with a 1099-MISC.  I entered data into a 1099-MISC form and when I went to the corresponding section of the step-by-step, the data I entered on the form did not show up.

[fanfare]

Using forms mode is not guaranteed to always give correct results.

That is why the step-by-step is strongly recommended,.

But check your actual forms and schedules for the desired amounts.

@chuckcobb 

Always print a copy of your completed tax return for your records, and review it carefully before e-Filing.
You will need it if you are audited by the IRS, or to amend if a TurboTax update changes your return or for any other reason,

AND, to find your AGI next year.

[chuckcobb]

That makes no sense at all.  The forms are what is submitted to the IRS and if the information on the forms is not consistent with what’s in the step-by-step, that’s a huge problem.  They have to be consistent and one should be a check on the other.

[chuckcobb]

I have found more bugs that seem to be related to how the Step-by-Step is synchronized with the forms:

• I had several 1099-INT's where the amount showed up in the step-by-step but the forms to support those numbers were completely missing.  Somehow the original 1099-INT forms had been lost but the totals from those forms were still showing up in the step-by-step.  When I re-created the 1099-INT forms, I now had duplicate entries in the step-by-step, even though there was only one set of forms.  I had to fix that by removing the entries from the step-by-step that were not connected to forms.
• I had several 1099-R's that I had entered directly on the forms that showed up correctly on the 1040,  My wife then went through the step-by-step to cross-check the information and as she was doing that in the step-by-step, something got screwed-up that the step-by-step information is correct but it is not consistent with what's on the forms and the forms are not showing up in the right place on the 1040.
  • I have one pension plan payment that is not showing up in the right place on the 1040
  • I have one IRA distribution that is now showing up as a pension distribution, and
  • The totals of both IRA distributions and pension distributions on the 1040 don't match what is in the step-by-step

This is a serious bug that needs to be fixed.  And please don't tell me that I shouldn't be entering data in the forms; that I should be doing all data entry in the step-by-step.  That's ridiculous for two reasons:

• The forms have to be complete and accurate because that is what is submitted to the IRS.
• If you import the 1099 data directly from a financial institution, it always goes directly into the form, and you have to validate it through the step-by-step process.

The capability to reconcile form data against the step-by-step process is an important and essential part of TurboTax that seems to be seriously broken and this needs immediate attention.

If there is a better way to report this bug other than here in this community forum, please let me know.

[hbl3973]

chuckcobb,

Just to be clear, neither fanfare nor myself are employees or contractors of Intuit, the maker of TurboTax.  We are just regular folks who get enjoyment out of helping others navigate taxes in general and TurboTax in particular more smoothly and accurately based upon our own experiences.  That said, I will go ahead and ask the powers-that-be to investigate and try to reproduce your experience, presumably with you help at some point.

[SuziM]

Hi @chuckcobb ,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We would like to look further into this for you, however, due to the nature of what you're stating, it would be best for you to call in to speak with someone. If you give us a call, a representative will be able to work with you to try to see where the mismatch is. Please follow this FAQ for contact information. 

[wajake41]

In both tax year 2019 and 2021 after my return was accepted by the IRS, I later opened these 2 tax reurns. In both cases the tax amount calculated by TT differed from that on my accepted return. In both cases TT updated the program when I opened both od these returns. In both cases this was done after the April due date. It appears that the updates caused this to happen. This tells me that to get an accurate tax calculation I had better file a 6 month extension every year for my returns in the future. Is TT that buggy?

[hbl3973]

wajake41,

I cannot see your returns, a very good thing, so I cannot determine what changed and why.  However, I personally file for an extension almost every year because a few 1099 tax forms always seem to be either late or corrected later.  Of course, filing and extension does not give me an extension on paying the tax due so I do send in a payment a bit larger than what I think I owe just to protect against post-April tax form arrivals and changes.