TurboTax password reset not working: how to get back into your Intuit account

Why a TurboTax password reset is not working

A TurboTax password reset not working almost always falls into one of three cases. The one-time code expired or was cancelled, the account is in a short lockout after too many wrong entries, or the code is going to a phone number or email address you can no longer open. Each case has a different fix, so identify yours before you request more codes.

TurboTax Online uses your Intuit Account, the same sign-in used by other Intuit products. Resetting the password therefore changes it everywhere that account is used. If you only have trouble with the sign-in page itself, such as a blank screen or a page that reloads, start with our guide to TurboTax login problems instead.

Reset link or code expired or not arriving

Intuit's help article on sign-in problems says a verification code stops working once you close the browser window where the code prompt appeared. That trips up many people who switch to their email app on the same phone, close the tab, and come back with a code that is no longer valid.

1. Open one browser window and go to the TurboTax sign-in page.
2. Select Forgot password (the TurboTax forgot password option sits on the screen where you type your password).
3. Pick where the one-time code should go: text message, email or a phone call.
4. Leave that window open. Read the code on a second device if you can, or switch apps without closing the tab.
5. Type the newest code only. Requesting three codes in a row and entering the first one fails, because each new request replaces the last.

If the email never shows up

Search your spam, junk and promotions folders for messages from Intuit or TurboTax. A work or school mailbox may quarantine automated mail for hours. If you manage your own email filters, look for a rule that moves messages with the word "code" or "verification" into a folder.

If the page itself keeps failing

Intuit's standard advice is to clear the browser's cookies and cache, close the browser fully, reopen it and try again, or use a different browser. A private or incognito window is a quick way to test this without deleting anything.

Intuit account locked: what the lock means

If you are locked out of your Intuit account after repeated wrong entries, the lock is temporary. Intuit says to wait 15 minutes and try again; one of its older articles gives the pop-up wording as 14 minutes. Every attempt during the lock can restart the clock, so walk away for a full quarter hour.

Use the waiting time to prepare. Find the phone you used when you created the account, check which email addresses you have used with TurboTax in past years, and locate your photo ID. That way your next attempt is a single, correct one.

TurboTax password reset without phone number or old email

You can do a TurboTax password reset without your phone number if you still control the email on file, or the other way round. The trouble starts when both are gone, for example after changing carriers and closing an old internet provider's email account.

Intuit lists these alternatives, roughly in the order you should try them:

1. Get the one-time code by email instead of text, or by a phone call instead of text if the old number still rings at home.
2. Verify with a different mobile number when the screen offers that option.
3. In the TurboTax app, verify with an ID stored in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, where offered.
4. Take a photo of your physical driver's license or state ID when the screen asks.
5. Select Try something else on the account recovery page to answer more identity questions.
6. Submit an account recovery request.

How the account recovery request works

In the recovery request you answer questions about the account, then scan a QR code with your phone to photograph a driver's license, state ID or passport. Intuit says it reviews requests within one business day and often faster. The answer comes by email from [email protected], and an approved request includes a link to set a new password.

Once you are back in, update the phone number and email on the account before you do anything else. Then add a second recovery method so a single lost phone does not lock you out next season.

Signs someone else accessed your account

A reset that fails because the password, email and phone were all changed without you is a different problem. So is a sign-in email or code you did not request. Treat these as a possible account takeover, not a forgotten password.

• Verification codes arrive when you have not tried to sign in.
• The email or phone on the account changed and you did not change it.
• A return shows as filed or started that you did not prepare.
• Bank account details on a return in progress are not yours.

Go straight to the account recovery request rather than repeated resets, and secure the email account tied to TurboTax first, since whoever controls that inbox can receive the codes. If a federal return was filed in your name, the IRS explains the next steps, including Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, on its Identity Theft Central page. An IRS Identity Protection PIN then protects future returns; see using an IP PIN in TurboTax.

After you get back in

Your saved return is tied to the Intuit Account, not the password, so resetting the password does not erase any work. If you signed in and see an empty account, you may have more than one Intuit Account under different emails. Try each address you have used before starting a new return.

If TurboTax signs you out again minutes after the reset, the cause is usually browser settings rather than the password; see why TurboTax keeps logging me out. If the site returns you to the same screen over and over, see TurboTax stuck in a loop. For outages and other faults, our TurboTax not working guide covers the rest.