AvocadoDeliberator wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 8:35 pm
Hello, we have always used online options. For example, I will add a 25 off on my Amex platinum, then go through vanguard or fidelity and get additional 15/20 off.
Question: if you download a version, does it work the same way as the online option? Meaning you can save and come back and also can you use your existing login? I have over 16 years with TT and I can see all returns with my login. Don't want to lose that if I do from a pc version.
With the desktop version, you save your TT tax info to a local file on
your computer. The filename has a special extension, for example .tax2023, that indicates the tax year. So
as long as you keep copies of your TT tax files you can go back and look at them.
Of course you need the appropriate year version of TT software to read those files. So if you, for example, get a new computer someday and all you transfer from old computer to new are your data files (not applications), then you wouldn't be able to read those old .tax20xx files. This isn't necessarily a problem -- usually the only one you need is last year's when you're wanting to import it to begin a new year's return. And the new TT version knows how to read last year's .tax20xx file.
As a practical matter, a PDF of each year's return (including worksheets, etc) is very important, and you should be in the habit of generating and saving one of those at the end of each tax season.
I backup my important computer files, including the .tax20xx files and a PDF of each year's return.