Error messages when attempting to open compressed files
When attempting to open a compressed file, such as a .zip file, you receive an error message that the file type isn't supported or that the file is corrupted.
Cause and Solution
Error messages when attempting to open compressed files can occur if you do not have decompression software installed on your computer.
To resolve this, search the Internet for "decompression utility" to locate and download one of the many free decompressors currently available. Two popular, free utilities are:
- WinZip for Windows (www.winzip.com/downwz.htm)
- StuffIt Expander for Mac (www.stuffit.com/mac-expander.html).
Help with compressed, amended returns
If you used our Free Tax Advice service to amend your return, we would have e-mailed you a compressed, password-protected PDF copy of your amended return to ensure the safety of your tax information. The format of your password is MMDDYYYYXXXX, where MMDDYYYY is the primary taxpayer's birthdate in month/date/year format and XXXX is the last four digits of the primary taxpayer's social security number.
For example, a primary taxpayer born on January 1, 1950 whose social security number ends with -6789 will have a password of 010119506789.
Should you still encounter problems decompressing or opening your file, contact us at the phone number in the e-mail message you received.