# TurboTax import previous year: transferring last year's return

Source: https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/import-transfer/turbotax-import-previous-year
Publisher: Tax Software Desk (taxsoftwaredesk.com), independent editorial site
Topic: Imports, Files and Transfers
Last updated: 2026-09-19

> To use TurboTax import previous year, sign in to TurboTax Online with last year's user ID and the data carries over automatically. Desktop users start a new return and select Transfer Return to read last year's .tax file. A PDF of Form 1040 from another company also works, but brings over less than a TurboTax file.

## Key facts

- Online to Online: Automatic with the same user ID
- Desktop to Online: Tax Tools, Tools, transfer the .tax file
- Desktop transfer: Only on a new, empty return
- Fields a .tax file transfers: Over 100 (Intuit)
- Desktop PDF sources: TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct

## What TurboTax import previous year actually does

TurboTax import previous year is the transfer step at the start of a new return. It copies last year's personal details and carryover figures into this year's return so you do not retype them. Intuit says a tax data file carries over more than 100 fields, including names, Social Security numbers, addresses, employer details, dependents and carryovers.

The method depends on two things: which TurboTax product you used last year and which one you are using now. The sections below cover each combination, then the PDF route for people coming from another company. For W-2, 1099 and other form imports, start at the [TurboTax import guide](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/import-transfer).

## Online to Online: transfer last year's return automatically

If you used TurboTax Online last year and use it again, there is nothing to upload. Sign in with the same user ID you used last year and TurboTax pulls the prior-year data into the new return on its own.

If the new return starts blank, you are almost certainly in a second account. Sign out, run Intuit's account recovery tool with your old email addresses and phone numbers, and start the return in the account that holds last year's filing. [Downloading a prior-year return](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/import-transfer/download-prior-year-tax-return-turbotax) covers how to confirm which account holds which year.

## TurboTax Desktop import previous year on Windows

TurboTax Desktop reads last year's tax data file, whether it came from last year's Desktop or was downloaded from TurboTax Online. The transfer only works on a brand-new return, so do not select Continue on a return you already opened.

1. Open this year's TurboTax Desktop and choose Start a New Return, or select File, then New Tax Return.
2. On the Good News screen, select Transfer Return.
3. If TurboTax does not list last year's file, select Browse, change the file type dropdown to All Files (*.*), and find the file.
4. Follow the prompts and review each transferred screen.

Intuit warns that once you move past the transfer screens you cannot return to them. If something went wrong, start another new return and transfer again rather than trying to patch the first one.

### Which file to look for

The tax year 2025 edition reads a .tax2024 file. Following the same pattern, the tax year 2026 edition for the 2027 season should read a .tax2025 file, though Intuit has not yet published that edition's transfer article. Details on file names and locations are on the [TurboTax tax file](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/import-transfer/turbotax-tax-file) page.

## TurboTax for Mac and files from a Windows PC

On a Mac, choose File, then New Tax Return, select Begin, and pick Use a tax return that's on my computer. TurboTax searches for last year's file and lists it.

A file made on Windows works on a Mac. Copy it from the PC to a USB drive, copy it from the drive to the Mac desktop, then run the same steps. If the file is not listed, browse to the desktop and select it. Moving the software itself is covered in [TurboTax transfer to new computer](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/import-transfer/turbotax-transfer-to-new-computer).

## Switching from Desktop to Online: TurboTax transfer return

To use the TurboTax transfer return tool when moving from Desktop to Online, you need last year's tax data file on the computer you are using. A PDF will not work for this route.

1. Sign in to TurboTax Online on a computer, not a phone.
2. Start or open the return from Tax Home.
3. Select Tax Tools, then Tools.
4. Choose Transfer last year's TurboTax return from your computer.
5. Select the file and follow the prompts.

> **This clears what you entered:** Intuit says transferring into an Online return you already started clears the information you entered. Transfer first, then add this year's forms. Also remove any password from the Desktop file before uploading it.

## Can TurboTax import a PDF from another company?

Yes. The TurboTax import previous year PDF route is for people who filed with a different company. TurboTax Online accepts last year's Form 1040 or 1040-SR PDF from providers Intuit lists, including H&R Block, Credit Karma, TaxAct, ezTaxReturn, TaxSlayer and Liberty Tax or Tax Brain.

TurboTax Desktop is narrower. Intuit says it transfers basic information from prior-year PDFs generated by TurboTax, H&R Block or TaxAct software, and that Form 1040-SR is not supported for PDF transfer in Desktop.

### PDFs TurboTax will not read

- Password-protected PDFs. Save a copy without the password from the original software first.
- Scans or phone photos of a paper return, which are images rather than generated PDFs.
- A PDF from the wrong year. Desktop only accepts last year's return.

When TurboTax rejects the PDF it switches to guided manual entry. Keep last year's return open beside you for the carryover amounts. If an upload fails repeatedly, [TurboTax import not working](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/import-transfer/turbotax-import-not-working) lists more fixes.

## What does and does not transfer

A transfer gives you last year's facts, not this year's numbers. Every income form for the new year still has to be imported, uploaded or typed.

| Item | .tax file transfer | PDF from another company |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Names, SSNs, address, dependents | Yes | Usually |
| Employer names and IDs | Yes | Partly |
| Carryovers such as capital losses | Yes | Check by hand |
| Prior-year AGI for e-file signing | Yes, from a filed return | Check by hand |
| This year's W-2 and 1099 amounts | No | No |

What a prior-year transfer brings forward

Always check the prior-year AGI that TurboTax uses for your e-file signature. A wrong figure is one of the most common reasons an e-filed return is rejected, as explained in [TurboTax rejected AGI](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/efile-fixes/turbotax-rejected-agi).

> **Independence:** Tax Software Desk is independent and is not affiliated with Intuit, H&R Block, TaxAct, FreeTaxUSA, TaxSlayer, Block Inc. (Cash App Taxes), Wealthsimple, UFile or any other software company.

## Step by step

1. **Start a new return.** In TurboTax Desktop, choose Start a New Return or File, New Tax Return.
2. **Select Transfer Return.** On the Good News screen, select Transfer Return.
3. **Find the file.** Browse with All Files selected if last year's .tax file is not listed.
4. **Review.** Check every transferred screen, especially prior-year AGI.

## Common questions

### How do I transfer last year's return into TurboTax?

In TurboTax Online, sign in with last year's user ID and it transfers automatically. In Desktop, start a new return, select Transfer Return, and choose last year's .tax file.

### Why didn't TurboTax transfer my information from last year?

In Online, you are probably signed in to a different account than last year. In Desktop, you may have opened an existing return instead of a new one, or the file is on another computer.

### Can I import last year's TurboTax PDF into TurboTax Online?

Not if last year's return was made in TurboTax. Intuit says a Desktop return must be transferred as a .tax data file, not a PDF. PDFs are for returns made by other companies.

### Can I redo the transfer in TurboTax Desktop?

Not in the same return. Intuit says you cannot revisit the transfer screens, so start a new return with File, New Tax Return and transfer again.

### Does TurboTax transfer my prior-year AGI?

A .tax file transfer brings in the AGI from last year's filed return. With a PDF from another company, confirm the adjusted gross income figure against last year's Form 1040 before you e-file.

## Sources

- [How do I transfer last year's return into TurboTax Online?](https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/transfer-last-year-return-turbotax-online/L279eUvY2_US_en_US)
- [How do I transfer last year's return to TurboTax Desktop for Windows?](https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/transfer-last-year-return-2021-turbotax-windows/L0JcyjyrG_US_en_US)
- [Can I transfer last year's PDF into TurboTax Desktop?](https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/transfer-last-year-pdf-2021-turbotax-windows-cd/L3EOuaOAL_US_en_US)
- [How do I transfer last year's return into the TurboTax software for Mac?](https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/data-systems/transfer-last-year-return-2021-turbotax-software/L0SKCGkzn_US_en_US)