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Transfer last year's return to 2022 TurboTax for Windows

SOLVEDby TurboTax2012Updated January 13, 2023

TurboTax for Windows personal CD/Download desktop software will transfer last year's tax data file (.tax2021 file) or PDF from the 2021 TurboTax desktop or online software. It even transfers PDFs created in TaxACT or H&R Block tax prep software.

We'll transfer over 100 fields to help you get a head start on your return, including:

  • Names and other personal info
  • Social Security numbers
  • Addresses
  • Employer and business info
  • Income forms such as W-2s and 1099s
  • Credits and deductions
  • Refunds and tax owed amounts
  • Capital losses
  • Disallowed deductions
  • Credits carried over to subsequent years
  • Tax schedule information
  • E-file signatures if you successfully e-filed last year

Be aware that TurboTax does not transfer information that requires complex calculations, like depreciation.

  1. Launch TurboTax 2022 and click Start a New Return (or go to File in the upper left corner and select New Tax Return)
    • Don't select Continue, as transferring is only available on new, empty returns
  2. Click the Transfer Return button on the Good News! screen
    • You can also click Browse and in the pop-up window, select All Files (*.*) from the dropdown menu at the bottom. Then, in the left pane, browse to wherever you stored your 2021 return and click Open
  3. Still can't find it? It might be on another computer; see this article for help in moving it to this computer
  4. Follow any onscreen instructions. We'll give you opportunities to review, edit, or delete transferred info later on

Note that once you've gone past the Transfer screens, you can't go back to revisit them. If you need to re-do your transfer, go back to step 1 to start over with a new return.

  1. On your Mac, find last year's tax file and copy it to a removable device like a thumb or flash drive
  2. On your PC, copy the tax file from the device to your desktop or Documents folder
  3. Rename the tax file by right-clicking it, choosing Rename, and adding a .tax2021 filename extension to it
  4. Launch TurboTax 2022 and click Start a New Return (or go to File in the upper left corner and select New Tax Return)
  5. TurboTax should find your 2021 tax file. If not, click Browse, go to where you saved the file in step 2, select it, and click Open
  6. Wait for TurboTax to finish transferring the info over

If you used TurboTax, H&R Block tax software, or TaxACT to prepare last year's return, and you have the PDF soft copy, we've got info and instructions on how to transfer your return.

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