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January 27, 2023
Question

TT 2022 Home and Business will not import previous year's return

  • January 27, 2023
  • 23 replies
  • 0 views

I have used TT for at least 20 years and thoroughly enjoy the application.  One of the features I particularly appreciate is my ability to import data from the previous year’s return.  Unfortunately, after purchasing and installing the 2022 Home and Business desktop (PC) version, I repeatedly receive an error message indicating that the import (from last year's PDF file) was unsuccessful.  I have reached out to Intuit customer support team.  As it turns out, the lady that I reached quickly realized that her knowledge related to using the program to deal with tax issues, and not what appears to be a serious technical issue with the application itself.  After some time, she was able to contact another agent whose expertise apparently focused on such issues. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that I could not speak directly with the latter agent, nor could she even see my screen!  The first agent had to act as a “middleman” and literally convey information back and forth to the other agent via chat.  Despite these issues, the agent tried her hardest but the steps recommended by the other agent failed to resolve the program, raising my concern about needing to invest hours of work to manually input last’s years data.  I was advised that the second agent had escalated the issue but to date I have not received any follow-up.  I would note the following facts:

 

  1. The PDF file was created by TT 2021.  It still opens and functions perfectly in Adobe Acrobat.
  2. The second agent suggestion that I rename and save the file with a different name failed to resolve the issue.
  3. I opted to uninstall and reinstall TT 2022 but continue to receive the same error message after the reinstall.  Two days of additional updates also failed to be helpful in regard to this problem.
  4. Hoping that I might be able to resolve the problem by re-installing TT 2021 and then creating a “.tax2021” file in addition to a new PDF, I located my Amazon order for last year’s program, but cannot download it unless I repurchase that version – which obviously makes no sense. 

I have written the VP's of customer success and technical matters but have not yet heard back from them either.  I am very concerned that I may have to spend many hours manually inputting last year's data.  Might anyone have any other suggestions?

 

Thanks

23 replies

March 12, 2023

I had the same problem, but I used the "Tax Return 21.tax2021" file as input (not the pdf), the transfer was deemed successful, but then when it tried to "verify the information is still correct", all fields were empty. Pretty confidence building when such trivial functionally does not even work!

DoninGA
Employee
March 12, 2023

@prufer wrote:

I had the same problem, but I used the "Tax Return 21.tax2021" file as input (not the pdf), the transfer was deemed successful, but then when it tried to "verify the information is still correct", all fields were empty. Pretty confidence building when such trivial functionally does not even work!


That file does not look like a tax file for an individual's tax return.

The normal tax data file from 2021 would have the last name and first initial of the taxpayer.  For example -

2021 Smith J Form 1040 Individual Tax Return.tax 2021

Critter-3
March 12, 2023

Make sure you save the file to your hard drive and not the cloud or a removable storage device ... the program cannot access the working files if they are not available on the hard drive. 

March 13, 2023

Having the same problem with the same version.  Long time user of Turbotax; first time TT could not find last years return.  My son uses my program to do his taxes; his previous is available.  When I search for a .tax2021 file all I find is his returns.  At a loss?

VolvoGirl
Employee
March 13, 2023

Is his name the same or similar to yours then it might overwrite your return.  You have to save each return with different names so you can tell them apart.  Like if your name is John and your son is also named John or even just the same initial,  it will save them with the same name so the second one will overwrite the first return.  Go to File-SaveAs and give it a unique name.

 

Here's an idea.  Do you still have 2021 installed?  Try opening 2021 program and see if you can get your 2021 return to show up in it.  Go to FILE - OPEN.  Then save it again with a name and place you can find.  Go to File - Save As.

 

 

Employee
March 14, 2023

IT IS NOW Mar 14 AND I HAVE SAME ISSUE WIITH TT PREMIER 2022. WILL NOT IMPORT 2021 INFORMATION TO 2022.

 

HAVE YOU ANY ANSWERS? WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR HELP. THANKS

March 17, 2023

I am having the exact same problem with Turbo Tax Premier.  I've also used TT for nearly 20 years, and each year the new program imports date from the previous year.  However, TT 2022 is not finding any files for 2021, and when I open TT 2021, expecting to see last year's file, there is NOTHING.  I know for certain that I saved my files in PDF, but I can't even find those on my PC.  Is TT 2022 wiping out all previous versions and files when it is installed?

 

DoninGA
Employee
March 17, 2023

@gmski Which operating system are you using, Windows or Mac?

 

By default, any saved tax data files and saved PDF's are stored in the TurboTax folder in your Documents directory.  What files are in the TurboTax folder?

March 17, 2023

Using Windows 10.  And the only files in my "Turbo Tax" file are 2019 and older now.

 

March 19, 2023

This year 2022 filing, I had the exact same issue. However, I attribute this to the fact that I didn't save last years return in the correct format to enable TT to access the file. My bad. could it be you had a similar issue? or if you used a new computor and maybe the file didn't exist on the hard drive? 

April 9, 2023

Has this been fixed?? The desktop version wants me to enter everything from scratch.  I want all my 2021 data for reference which has always been an initial question in the software.   I have also had to log on more than six times today (each time I follow link to another page and I am still unable to find specific extension filing information for a disaster county in California.  It appears to be automatic for California but federally it appears to be no different than a regular extension request.  I thought I would be on and off today with extensions and it has already taken me hours.  Urgh!

 

ASF01Author
April 9, 2023

As far as I know, despite numerous interactions with Intuit support, the issue was never fixed.  I had to prepare my 2022 return from scratch which proved much more cumbersome than I had hoped.  This has certainly been most disappointing.

Employee
April 9, 2023

Very sorry to learn you never able to import previous information. Unfortunately this confirms my opinion that TT quality has slipped. I do not know how to bring awareness of this situation to TT management. A disappointed as for years TT an example of quality, and support. I will be in touch should I learn of a way to contact TT about this problem.

 

April 10, 2023

I found this post when searching for "Unable to load last year's file". I have the same problem, but I still have the TurboTax software installed for EVERY year from 2012 through 2021, on my Mac.  I also have EVERY year's .TAX or .TAX2019, .tax2020, .tax2021, etc. file. Each year the import from the past year works flawlessly. This year there is some sort of a bug. It just does NOT work. I have restarted the software to no avail. It shows some of the older files, but not the recent couple of years. I called tech support and waited for 45 minutes. A guy answered the call and then I spent 15 minutes on hold while he tried to get a supervisor to help him. (He had no idea how to help me AT ALL - only through a supervisor.) Then he somehow disconnected our call!!! I called back and am waiting again to get help.

 

I have never had a SINGLE ISSUE with TurboTax in 20+ years!! Until today.

April 10, 2023

Also check that TT files end in .tax2021

  • Anything else doesn't appear to work for import.  Windows can hide extensions, so show extension and clear anything behind .tax20XX 

 

 

April 11, 2023

Turbo Tax lost my 2021 Home and Business Desktop/CD tax file which no one can seem to find anywhere on my

computer. Since I read the last post about the same issue, I wonder if there is an issue with that type of software.

I completed the 2022 version of Home and Business over several home sessions before the system said everything checked out . I then decided to wait an extra day before I submitted it to the IRS but I did print out 22 pages of forms that was to be sent. I then went back to submit the return the next day and there was no data there nor was tax year 2021 data anywhere to be found on my computer. Home and Business version could not bring up any returns!!! Support people said that I should re-load the CD and do the 2022 return again after I already spent many hours completing it. The MUST BE SOMETHING  WRONG with the software! It was not due to user error. I always click EXIT and SAVE whenever I stop to pause for a day or so.

NOTHING WAS SAVED and even my 2021 return is missing!!!!!!!

Are there hidden files I can't see? The file .tax2021 and .tax2022 can not be found!!!!!

 

Carl11_2
Employee
April 11, 2023

Turbo Tax lost my 2021 Home and Business Desktop/CD tax file which no one can seem to find anywhere on my computer.

When using the CD version the only place the file is stored is on your computer. The default location is in the documents\turbotax folder. The only way that file can be deleted is if you or some other person sat down in front of that computer and took action to delete it; be it intentionally, or accidentally.

It's also possible that if you have more than one login on the computer, the file was saved to the documents\turbotax directory of another login. So check that.

If you'll look at the C: drive in File Explorer, open the C:\Users directory. At a minimum, you will see 2 or 3 account names there.

C:\Users\Public

C:\Users\Default (this particular account may or may not be present)

C:\Users\[your account name]

You may also see account names that are garbage or don't look familiar. Those accounts are created by other software/firmware on your system, based on what you have installed. But if you see other "common sense" accounts, that indicates another user account may be set up on the computer. For example, if you see C:\Users\FLastname that would most likely be an account created by you or some other person who has access to your computer.

 

April 11, 2023

I can't import either.  Maybe something is wrong with their software this year.  I've never had a problem in the past.  I hope they issue and update and fix the problem

 

 

April 13, 2023

Go to File on top left side.

select Open Tax Return

select Start a new Return

select Start a new individual Return.

 

System will open old files for 2021.

 

You might have been selecting new return and should have selected Open Tax Return.

Hope this helps...

ASF01Author
April 13, 2023

Nope!  Not applicable.  Had to start from scratch.

April 13, 2023

Go to File on top left side.

select Open Tax Return

select Start a new Return

select Start a new individual Return.

 

System will open old files for 2021.

 

You might have been selecting new return and should have selected Open Tax Return.

Hope this helps...