TurboTax requires Activation every time that I start the program. I have only 2 left !!

[YT76]

Hi. I installed TurboTax Deluxe 2024 (Windows PC) about a month ago. Now I went to use it again and the program asked me to activate it again, which I did. Then it showed that I have used 2 of 5 activations. Then I loaded my TurboTax Deluxe 2023 tax return in order to look at what I filed last year and it shows that I used 3 of 5 activations. I am scared to load the program again as I have only 2 activations left. What can I do? I tried chatting with support but all I get in an AI robot. I cannot leave a phone number because I am abroad and the TurboTax system does not register foreign phone numbers. I also cannot call TurboTax support because waiting on hold for an hour will cost me a fortune. Any help would be much appreciated.

[XAM330]

Google search (Turbotax keeps asking me to activate every time I open it) This was what I put in the search.
There seems to be many for this problem. Hope it helps.

Here are a few links to some of the answers that came up. If none help you then try the google search above for more links. I hope the links here work since Turbo is claiming invalid and removed. If they do not work just do the google search above.

1 How can I fix TurboTax requesting license activation on every launch?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/install-products/turbotax-2019-turbotax-...

2  TurboTax 2023 keeps asking for Activation Code

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/taxes/discussion/turbotax-[product key removed]g-for-activation-co...

3  Error code 603: All the available activation for that code has been used
This error means the product has reached its activation limit, so you'll have to buy a new product.

If you're asked to enter your license activation every time you launch Turbo Tax, these instructions can help fix the issue.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-product-orders/error-code-603-ava...

[XAM330]

I checked my post and the links worked. But I am in the U.S. so hope they work wherever you are.🙂

[YT76]

Thank you for your response. I appreciate it!

Yes, I already tried Google and ChatGPT before I posted to the community. I tried the suggestions to no avail.

The only thing that got my attention was that some people commented about having USB devices plugged in.

One of the internal drives in my PC started dying a couple of weeks ago. This is just an additional storage drive and not the drive where TurboTax is installed. I replaced the bad drive about a week ago. Could this change have effected the activation somehow? The new drive was assigned the same drive letter as the bad drive that it replaced.

Anyway, TurboTax continues to ask for activation every time it is opened. This 2024 edition as well as the 2023 edition. I only have 2 tries left so I am afraid to use them up before I can get my taxes done.

[XAM330]

If it where not the fact that so many seem to have this problem I thought it might be that you are in a different country or time zone. I was trying to log on to a bank after being in a different time zone and I could not do it until I noticed my clock was wrong. When I changed the clock I was able to log on....... Go figure that one. I had a problem many years ago and just turned off the antivirus and fixed a issue. This year 2024 was the first time I did not get a disc from TT and had to follow the same as you but I don't recall anything being a problem, The only difference was I had to log on to the TT website before it would work. Apparently this was the first year that if you want the disc you have to buy it separately. I think TT needs to have a support page where you can post directly to tech people and get answers and notification of problems and corrections. Wish I could help more.

[YT76]

Hi, I didn't think of the time zone aspect but TurboTax has many overseas users... expats, military people, and many that simply live and work abroad. I haven't had issues with any other software or financial websites.

I've been using the digital download version (from Amazon) for several years now with no issue, but 2024 is the first year that I've experienced these activation issues. What's strange is that when I open the 2023 edition it counts this an an additional activation as well.

As I only have 2 activations left, I guess that my only option is to use one to open 2023 and take a few snapshots of the forms that I used and then use my last activation to open 2024 and fill my forms in one shot with no breaks. And then I'll never be able to open the file in the future.

For a company that employs over 18,000 people across 8 countries I'd expect Intuit to offer some official tech support and not just rely on their silly "AI" chat robot and the goodhearted people in the community. Even their website is complicated. It took me a long time and a few Google searches just to be able to find the fake "help chat" and to figure out how to post a question in this community. 

Perhaps next year I'll look into tax software from another company.

Thanks again for your time and willingness to help.

[mesquitebean]

@YT76 

Yes, any little change in configuration will require a new activation.  I know it's nuts.   For some people even having a USB drive plugged in can trigger it, or if a USB was present when it was installed, but is no longer present, that can trigger it, too.

If you run out of activations, another way to reach TurboTax Support from overseas is if you have social media, you can direct message a TurboTax support agent at X/Twitter or Facebook.

Direct message a Support agent:

https://x.com/TeamTurboTax

or
https://www.facebook.com/turbotax

[YT76]

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it a lot!

That's so crazy that they capture so much information about our computers. Isn't the CPU serial number or some other aspect enough? 

What I don't understand is why it keeps using an additional activation every time that I start the program, after I already used an activation following the internal data hard drive swap. And why does it count activations in the 2024 edition when I open the 2023 edition?

Thanks a lot for the links as well. I didn't know that they can be contacted via FB.