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Using Forms Mode in TurboTax

Updated: 2/17/2009
Article ID: 2961

Important: Forms Mode is exclusively available in TurboTax Desktop (CD-ROM and download) versions. It is not available in TurboTax Online.
 

Forms Mode vs. Interview

In TurboTax Desktop versions, you can prepare your return either via the Forms Mode or via the Interview.

  • In Forms Mode, you enter information directly onto your tax forms. TurboTax provides minimal guidance in completing your return. (Most TurboTax customers do not use Forms Mode.)
  • In the Interview, TurboTax asks about you and your tax situation using easy-to-understand language. Behind the scenes, TurboTax completes the relevant tax forms you need to file your tax return. 

We recommend that you use the default Interview method to ensure that nothing is missed.

Switching to and from Forms Mode

To switch from Interview to Forms Mode, select Forms from the View menu.

forms-mode

This will open a list of the forms, schedules, and worksheets that TurboTax has already created for your tax return.

  • To open a particular form, click its link. In the example below, the user wants to open Form W-2: Wage and Tax Statement.
  • To add a new form to the list, click the Add Form button.

choose-form

To switch back to the Interview, click the Back to Interview button in the lower right corner of the TurboTax screen (pictured below) or select Interview from the View menu.

back-to-interview

(The Close Form button merely closes the form without switching you back to Interview Mode.)

Note: Whatever method you decide to use to prepare your return, we recommend that you stay with that method. Excessively switching back and forth between the two methods may cause your tax file to become corrupted.
 

View the form associated with a screen

To view the tax form underlying the screen you're on, click the Show Tax Form button in the gray bar at the bottom of the screen.

show-tax-form

This will display the associated form, if any, in the lower third of the screen. You can adjust the form window's size by clicking and dragging the narrow, pale gray "dividing line" between the form and the interview screen, as shown below.

split-view-screen

To return to the Interview or Forms Mode, click the Hide Tax Form or Go to Forms buttons, respectively.


 

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