# TurboTax start over: clearing a return in Online and Desktop

Source: https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/turbotax-online/turbotax-start-over
Publisher: Tax Software Desk (taxsoftwaredesk.com), independent editorial site
Topic: TurboTax Online Problems
Last updated: 2026-09-18

> To start over in TurboTax Online, open your return, go to Tax Tools, then Tools, and choose Clear and Start Over. It only works before you pay, choose to pay from your refund, or register the product. In TurboTax Desktop there is no clear button: start a new return from the File menu instead, and keep the old file as a backup.

## Key facts

- Online path: Tax Tools, Tools, Clear and Start Over
- Blocked after: Paying, fee from refund, or registering
- Desktop method: File, New Tax Return
- After filing: Amend with Form 1040-X instead

## TurboTax start over in Online: Clear and Start Over

The TurboTax start over option in the online product is called Clear and Start Over. It erases every entry in the current year's return and puts you back at the first screen, while keeping your Intuit Account and any prior-year returns.

1. Sign in to TurboTax and open or continue your return.
2. Select Tax Tools in the left menu.
3. Select Tools.
4. Choose Clear and Start Over.
5. Confirm that you want to erase the return.

Intuit also lists the option inside the Switch Products menu. In the TurboTax mobile app, tap More in the bottom menu, choose Clear and Start Over, and confirm that you want to clear your tax data.

> **Save anything you want to keep first:** Clearing is permanent for that return. If you might want a record of the old entries, print or download a PDF of the return in progress before you confirm.

## When the Clear and Start Over option is missing

Intuit's rule is short. You can clear and start over only if you have not submitted payment, not chosen to have the TurboTax fee deducted from your refund, and not registered the product. After any of those, the option disappears and you must edit the return by hand.

| Your situation | Clear and Start Over | What to do instead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Started, not paid | Available | Use Tax Tools, Tools, Clear and Start Over |
| Paid or chose pay-from-refund, not filed | Not available | Delete or edit individual forms |
| Want a cheaper edition | Not needed | Downgrade without erasing your data |
| Already filed and accepted | Not available | File an amended return, Form 1040-X |
| Filed and rejected | Not available | Fix the flagged item and resubmit |

What you can still do at each stage

### Editing after you paid

A paid return can still be emptied piece by piece. On each income or deduction summary screen, delete the forms you do not want, then revisit My Info for personal details. It is slower than a clear, but the result is the same.

If the reason you want a restart is a single flag that will not clear, try the fixes in [TurboTax keeps saying needs review](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/turbotax-online/turbotax-needs-review) first. Deleting and re-entering one form usually solves it.

## How to restart TurboTax Desktop with a new tax file

TurboTax Desktop saves each return as a separate tax file on your computer, so starting over means starting a new file rather than clearing one.

1. Open TurboTax Desktop.
2. Select File, then New Tax Return.
3. If asked whether to save the return that is open, choose not to save if you do not want the changes since your last save.
4. Work through the new return from the beginning.

### Keep the old file out of the way, not deleted

The old return is still in the TurboTax folder inside Documents, named with the year, your name and a .tax2025 style extension for the tax year 2025 edition. Rather than deleting it, move it to a folder called Old or add "draft" to the name. That prevents TurboTax from opening it by mistake and keeps a backup. Our page on the TurboTax tax file explains where these files live.

## TurboTax delete state return and start the state again

Often only the state return is wrong, such as a state picked by mistake or a move entered on the wrong date. You can remove just the state and leave the federal return intact.

### In TurboTax Online

1. Open your return and select State Taxes from Tax Home.
2. On the Status of your state returns screen, select the trash can icon next to the state.
3. Select Delete.

Intuit says deleting a state is possible only before you pay. After paying state fees, use the Start Over option next to that state on the same status screen instead.

### In TurboTax Desktop for Windows

With the return open, choose File, then Remove State Return, pick the state, select Remove and confirm with Yes. If the correct state still needs to be added, download it from the State Taxes tab.

## Limits after you pay or file

Once a return is filed and accepted, no clear or restart can change what the IRS received. Corrections go on an amended return, Form 1040-X, which TurboTax prepares from the original. A rejected return, by contrast, has not been filed at all, so you fix it and resend; see [TurboTax rejected return](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/efile-fixes/turbotax-rejected-return).

Starting over is also not required when your tax year changes. The 2027 season edition for tax year 2026 returns is a separate product with its own new return; Intuit has not yet announced its release date.

Before clearing a return because a new deduction entry went wrong, check the dedicated walkthroughs for [the overtime deduction in TurboTax](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/turbotax-online/turbotax-overtime-deduction) and [no tax on tips in TurboTax](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/turbotax-online/no-tax-on-tips-turbotax). Fixing one screen is quicker than rebuilding the return. Other faults are covered in [TurboTax not working](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/turbotax-online).

> **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. **Open Tax Tools.** In TurboTax Online, open your return and select Tax Tools, then Tools.
2. **Clear the return.** Choose Clear and Start Over and confirm.
3. **Desktop alternative.** In TurboTax Desktop, choose File, then New Tax Return, and move the old file aside.

## Common questions

### How do I start over in TurboTax Online?

Open your return, select Tax Tools, then Tools, and choose Clear and Start Over. Confirm, and the return resets to the first screen.

### Can I clear and start over in TurboTax after I paid?

No. Intuit removes the option once you pay, choose to pay from your refund, or register the product. You can still delete forms one at a time.

### How do I start over in TurboTax Desktop?

Choose File, then New Tax Return. Move the old tax file out of the TurboTax folder or rename it so you do not open it by accident.

### Does clearing my return delete last year's return?

No. Clear and Start Over affects only the current year's return. Prior-year returns stay in your account.

### How do I delete a state return I added by mistake?

In TurboTax Online, go to State Taxes and select the trash can next to the state before paying. In Desktop for Windows, use File, then Remove State Return.

## Sources

- [How do I clear and start over in TurboTax Online?](https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/product-setup/clear-start-turbotax-online/L9vEBNnCo_US_en_US)
- [Can I delete my tax return in TurboTax Online?](https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/change-service-level/delete-tax-return-turbotax-online/L9QY7A1J6_US_en_US)
- [How do I delete my state return in TurboTax Online?](https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/state-taxes/delete-state-return-turbotax-online/L8v9awRbh_US_en_US)
- [How do I delete my state return in TurboTax Desktop for Windows?](https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/product-delivery/accidentally-downloaded-wrong-state/L9AelCb5S_US_en_US)