How long does it take to download TurboTax?

Updated: 11/08/2011

Article ID: GEN12364

Download times depend on your ISP, your connection speed and modem, the download file size, and the quality of your phone line if using DSL or dial-up.

Wired broadband connections, such as cable or DSL, are much faster than dial-up and more stable than wireless connections. This speed and stability greatly reduces the chances of file corruption during the download.

For these reasons, we recommend a wired broadband connection when downloading and using TurboTax CD/Download software.

The table below shows estimated download times.

Version	File size	Cable¹	DSL¹	Dial-up¹
TurboTax for Mac (federal)	73 MB	4 min, 45 sec	6 min, 18 sec	4 hrs, 50 min
TurboTax for Mac (state)	Up to 18 MB²	1 min, 10 sec²	1 min, 33 sec²	1 hr, 11 min²
TurboTax for Windows (federal)	111 MB	7 min, 13 sec	9 min, 35 sec	7 hrs, 20 min
TurboTax for Windows (state)	Up to 16 MB²	62 sec²	1 min, 22 sec²	1 hr, 3 min²

¹Based on connection speeds of 2.048 Mbps, 1.544 Mbps, and 33.6 Kbps for cable, DSL, and dial-up, respectively. Your actual connection speed may be higher or lower. You can search the Internet for test connection speed to locate sites that enable you to determine your actual connection speed.
²File sizes vary by state. Times given are based on the largest state program (California individual).

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