- Transfer Last Year's Tax Info from Online to Desktop
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Transfer Last Year's Tax Info from Online to Desktop
Updated: 10/21/2009
Article ID: 2295
Note: TurboTax Online is closed for Tax Year 2008. We are now preparing TurboTax Online for Tax Year 2009. Click here to read more.
With TurboTax, you can automatically transfer relevant information from last year's tax return into your 2008 return. In this article, we'll explain how to transfer from your TurboTax Online 2007 tax return to TurboTax 2008 for the Desktop. For additional transfer information, see Transferring in TurboTax.
Note: Transferring and importing are different procedures. Importing brings information into TurboTax from financial software, such as Quicken or QuickBooks, or from financial institutions, such as your brokerage firm or payroll provider. For information, see Importing into TurboTax.Before you start
- Be sure to update TurboTax software before you begin to ensure you have the latest forms and features installed.
- You need your 2007 TurboTax Online return saved to your computer as a .tax file.
Note: If you didn't save your 2007 return as a .tax file, you can't automatically transfer your 2007 online return to your 2008 desktop return. You can work around this by transferring your 2007 online return to a 2008 online return, and then saving that information as a .tax2008 file so you can open it in TurboTax 2008 desktop.Transferring from Online to Desktop
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To transfer from your TurboTax Online 2007 tax return file to TurboTax Desktop 2008:
- Open the desktop version of TurboTax 2008.
- Click the Start a New Return button to start a new tax return, or use the File menu to select Open Tax Return. (If you've already begun entering your return, any existing information will be lost when you transfer.)
- When asked "Do You Want to Transfer Last Year's Info?", click Yes then Continue.
- A window will pop up allowing you to navigate to your tax return file on your computer's hard drive. Browse your computer to locate your tax return file, click on the filename then select Open.
- Select Transfer Return, and then select OK to confirm the transfer.
- The relevant information is transferred from your 2007 return to your TurboTax 2008 return. You can now review transferred information and add, edit, or delete items as necessary. (See Review, Edit, or Delete Transferred or Imported Information.)
Transferring from Online to Desktop without a 2007 .tax file
You can transfer your 2007 online return to a 2008 online return, save that information as a .tax2008 file, and then open that file in the TurboTax desktop 2008. Here's how:
Transfer your 2007 Online return to 2008 TurboTax Online
- Go to http://turbotax.intuit.com and choose the version you want (Free Edition, Deluxe, Premier, or Home & Business).
- On the right side, under "Already a Customer?", enter last year's User ID and Password, and then click Sign In.
- Accept the License Agreement.
- On the "Welcome Back" screen, you'll see TurboTax automatically transfer relevant information from your 2007 return.
- After the data finishes transferring, you can review, edit, or delete the transferred information.
Create a .tax file for your 2008 return
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- On the Home tab, click on the Program Options link.
- Select Save your 2008 return to your computer.
- Click the Download My Tax Data button.
- Save your tax file. (We recommend saving it to your My Documents folder or another folder that you can easily remember. The file is saved with a .tax2008 extension.) Your file is now downloaded to your computer.
- Install the same state product on the desktop version of TurboTax.
Opening your 2008 .tax file in TurboTax Desktop
Important: You must install the same state product on the desktop version or you will receive error 539 (desktop product did not open your return correctly).- Open the TurboTax 2008 desktop product.
- If you have not done so already, install the same state product on the desktop version.
- Go to the File menu and select Open Tax Return.
- Navigate to the folder where you saved the .tax2008 file in step 4 above.
- Select the .tax2008 file, and then select Open.
Transferring after you begin your return
If you decide to transfer after you begin your return, follow these steps:
Important: It's a good idea to transfer before you begin entering data into TurboTax. When transferring, TurboTax removes any existing information you've already entered into the program.- Start TurboTax 2008 and open your return.
- From the TurboTax View menu, choose Forms. This will switch you over to Forms Mode.
- From the File menu, choose Transfer 2007 Tax File. Click Yes on the popup screen.
- Select the 2007 return you want to transfer from, then click Open. TurboTax will transfer the data over, replacing any existing data.
- When finished, choose Interview from the View menu to return to Interview mode.
Important Notes About Transferring
For more information, see Transferring in TurboTax.
- Transfer your information into a new TurboTax return. If you've already started your 2008 return, any information you've already entered will be lost when you transfer.
- Your state must be installed before transferring to the desktop product or you will get an error.
- Always transfer from a prior year before you import information from financial software, such as Quicken or QuickBooks, or from financial institutions, such as a payroll provider or mortgage lender.
- You can only transfer information from one tax return. Information from additional returns must be entered manually.
- You can only transfer information from the prior tax year. For example, you can only transfer 2007 tax information to TurboTax 2008.
- .PDF files cannot be transferred. A .PDF file is a picture of your tax return, used primarily for record keeping and is not a data file. Be sure to save your tax return as a .tax file for transferring purposes.
- Personal return information cannot be transferred to a business return (or vice versa).
- You cannot transfer from prior year's Tax Freedom returns.
