- Save Your Tax File
Save Your Tax File
The tax file format allows TurboTax to work with your tax information:
- When you start your return, TurboTax creates a tax file.
- Each time you save your return, TurboTax stores the information you've entered in your tax file.
- TurboTax reads your tax file to transfer information to next year's return.
Although TurboTax stores a copy of your tax data file, we recommend that you save a copy, too.
Important: You can save your return in two formats: tax file and Adobe PDF. We recommend that you save your return in both formats. The steps below describe how to save your tax file. To save your return in PDF format, see Save Your Return (Adobe PDF File).
Note: TurboTax stores your federal and state information for the tax year in one file.
New for this year: TurboTax files saved in TurboTax Online or TurboTax for Windows will have the file extension .tax2008. (Prior-year tax files use the extension .tax rather than .tax2008.)
To save your 2008 tax file, select the TurboTax program you use, and then follow the steps:
TurboTax Online
Follow these steps:
- Sign in to TurboTax Online and open your 2008 tax return.
- Go to the Home tab on the TurboTax Online screen.
- Under "We can help you..." select Save your 2008 return to your computer.
- On the Download Your Tax Information screen, click Download My Tax Data.
- Save your tax file on your desktop (or another easy-to-remember location on your computer).
Important: On Windows, the tax file name must have the .tax2008 extension (e.g., 2008 Doe J Tax Return.tax2008). Note that prior-year tax files use the extension .tax rather than .tax2008.
TurboTax Software for Windows
Follow these steps:
- Open your return in TurboTax.
- On the File menu in TurboTax, select Save As.
- Save your tax file on your desktop (or another easy-to-remember location on your computer).
Important: On Windows, the tax file name must have the .tax2008 extension (e.g., 2008 Doe J Tax Return.tax2008). Note that prior-year tax files use the extension .tax rather than .tax2008. - Open the newly saved file in TurboTax to verify it opens properly.
TurboTax Software for Mac
Follow these steps:
- Open your return in TurboTax.
- On the File menu in TurboTax, select Save As.
- Save your tax file on your desktop (or another easy-to-remember location on your computer).
- Open the newly saved file in TurboTax to verify it opens properly.
Important: If you copy a tax file created with TurboTax for Mac to a Windows computer, rename the file with the .tax2008 file extension so TurboTax for Windows will recognize it. TurboTax for Mac will recognize a tax file created with TurboTax for Windows with or without the .tax2008 file extension.
