Explainer videos
Short videos on the questions readers ask most. Each one links to the full guide.
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TurboTax errors, sorted
Most TurboTax Desktop errors fall into four groups. Knowing the group tells you where to start.
Group one, file errors. Error 190 means the return needs state forms that are not installed on this computer.
Group two, license errors. Codes 605, 606, 607 and 630 appear when a license code is not accepted.
Group three, install and update errors. Error 1603 means the Microsoft .NET Framework installer failed.
Group four, already running. Error 70001 means TurboTax is open under another Windows user account.
One license covers up to five computers you own. TurboTax Desktop 2025 needs 64-bit Windows 11.
We are independent. We never ask for your password, your license code or remote access to your computer.
Most TurboTax Desktop errors fall into four groups. Here is how to tell them apart and where to start.
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TurboTax error 1603
Error 1603 appears as a fatal error during installation or updating. The cause is Microsoft .NET, not your tax data.
TurboTax Desktop 2025 needs Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 installed and working.
Free up space first. Allow about 1 GB, plus up to 4.5 GB if .NET 4.8 has to be installed.
Restart Windows, then run the installer as administrator before trying anything more complicated.
If it fails again, repair Microsoft .NET Framework from Windows, then reinstall TurboTax.
Your saved returns are not affected. They stay in your Documents folder as .tax files.
Error 1603 is a .NET Framework failure during install or update. Here is the order to fix it in.
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TurboTax will not open
The most common cause is a copy already running, hidden in the background or under another Windows user.
If another user account has it open, TurboTax shows error 70001.
Close it in Task Manager, or restart the computer fully, then launch TurboTax as administrator.
If it stopped opening after an update, check that your PC still meets the edition's requirements.
TurboTax Desktop 2025 requires 64-bit Windows 11 with administrator rights.
Your return file is safe in Documents, TurboTax, saved as a .tax2025 file.
The most common reason TurboTax will not open, and the checks that fix it fastest.
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TurboTax error 190
Error 190 appears when the return you are opening contains state tax forms that are not installed here.
Your return is not damaged, and no data is lost. The file simply needs the matching state forms.
Start a new return, open State Taxes, and download every state the file uses.
Close TurboTax completely, then reopen your original return.
This affects TurboTax Desktop, the CD or download version, not TurboTax Online.
A fee may apply if the return uses more than one state.
Error 190 means the return contains state forms this computer does not have. Your data is fine.
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NETFILE error codes: what the number in your tax software means
NETFILE error codes are numbers the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) sends back to certified tax software when it refuses a return filed through NETFILE.
2026 NETFILE window: February 23, 2026 (6:00 a.m. ET) to January 29, 2027.
Initial returns NETFILE accepts in 2026: Tax years 2018 to 2025.
Official CRA code list: RC4018, Chapter 2 EFILE error messages (2018 to 2025).
Two different published lists explain the numbers people see, and they do not use the same numbering.
The table below lists the codes people search for most, the field each one points to and the source that defines it.
A NETFILE return is refused for one of four reasons: identity, formatting, return content or eligibility.
What is a NETFILE confirmation number? It is the code your software shows after the CRA receives your return.
NETFILE error codes are the CRA's reasons for refusing a return sent from tax software. See what each common code means, which list defines it and how to resend.
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Tax software for professionals: error lookups and fixes by product
The five desktop tax software for professionals programs covered here, Drake Tax, ProSeries, Lacerte, UltraTax CS and TaxWise, each document their own error codes in a vendor knowledge base, while IRS reject codes are the same in every product.
Products covered: Drake Tax, ProSeries, Lacerte, UltraTax CS, TaxWise.
Rejected e-file resend window: 5 calendar days after the due date (IRS Pub 1345).
Paper fallback window: Later of the due date or 10 calendar days after the rejection.
Each vendor keeps a public help site where error articles are titled by the error number or the exact message text.
Professional tax software errors fall into three groups, and the group decides who can fix it.
Most startup and update failures in professional tax software trace back to four causes: user permissions, network drive mapping, blocked downloads and damaged Microsoft components.
Tax software for professionals, product by product: where Drake, ProSeries, Lacerte, UltraTax and TaxWise explain their error codes and how to fix them.
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NETFILE certified software: problems and fixes by product
NETFILE certified software is tax software the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has approved to send T1 returns over the internet.
Certified products for 2025 returns: 17 (CRA list).
NETFILE service window, 2026 season: February 23, 2026 to January 29, 2027.
Tax years NETFILE accepts in 2026: 2018 to 2025.
Certification is tied to a specific tax year and a specific version.
This site covers the certified products Canadians search for most. The table and the product notes below point to the page that deals with each symptom.
No developer can NETFILE 2026 returns until the CRA opens NETFILE for the 2027 season, and as of September 2026 the CRA has not announced that date.
NETFILE certified software explained: the 17 products the CRA certified for 2025 returns, why certification matters, and fixes for Wealthsimple Tax and UFile.
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FreeTaxUSA not working: find the fix for your problem
First fix FreeTaxUSA suggests for errors: Sign out, then sign back in.
FreeTaxUSA support channels: Email and the in-account message center.
Typical FreeTaxUSA support reply: About 30 minutes, per FreeTaxUSA.
We have not found an official FreeTaxUSA service-status page, so there is no single place to confirm an outage.
Match what you see on screen to the row below. Each linked page covers one problem in detail, with FreeTaxUSA's own menu paths.
TaxAct sells both an online product and a Windows desktop program, so the first step is knowing which one failed.
TaxSlayer runs in the browser, and its support site says Internet Explorer is no longer supported and recommends Google Chrome.
Why does FreeTaxUSA keep saying something went wrong? That generic message tells you to sign out and sign back in, which resets the session.
FreeTaxUSA not working? Check the address, clear the cache and sign back in, then match your symptom to the fix. Plus TaxAct, TaxSlayer and Cash App help.
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How to resubmit a rejected tax return
To resubmit a rejected tax return, open it in the same software, read the reject code, correct the one entry it points to, then transmit again from the filing step.
Status of a rejected return: Not filed until a corrected version is accepted.
E-file resubmission window: 5 calendar days after the due date.
Paper fallback window: Later of the due date or 10 days after the rejection notice.
An e-file rejected message is not a penalty notice and not an audit.
Every product keeps the reject code inside your account, even if the email only says your return needs attention.
The fix is always driven by the code, but the same routine works for nearly every reject in consumer software.
How to resubmit a rejected tax return: find the reject code in your software, fix the entry and resend within 5 days of the deadline, or mail it within 10.
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TurboTax import guide: what you can bring in and how
W-2 import key: Employer EIN from box b.
1099 imports ready: Most by Jan 31; 1099-B by Feb 15 (2026 season).
Upload file types: PDF, JPEG or PNG.
TurboTax import partners are the payroll companies, banks and brokerages that have agreed to send tax data directly to TurboTax.
A TurboTax import PDF upload reads the form image and fills in the matching boxes.
Yes, within limits. TurboTax Online accepts a PDF of last year's Form 1040 or 1040-SR from companies Intuit names, including H&R Block, Credit Karma, TaxAct, ezTaxReturn, TaxSlayer and Liberty Tax or Tax Brain.
TurboTax Desktop stores each return as a tax data file, by default in the TurboTax folder under Documents.
TurboTax import guide: how W-2 and 1099 imports, PDF uploads and last year's return transfers work, what cannot be imported, and fixes when one fails.
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H&R Block not working: find your problem and the fix
When H&R Block is not working, the fix depends on which product you use.
Software minimum on Windows: Windows 10 or higher (H&R Block requirements page).
Software minimum on Mac: Mac OS X 10.15.7 or higher.
Disk space for tax software: 170 MB.
Most H&R Block problems fall into one of six patterns. Find the line that matches what you see, then go to the page that covers it in detail.
H&R Block's own help for Online problems is short: if you cannot move forward or backward in your return, sign out first, then clear your browser's temporary internet files and sign back in.
A rejection is not a software fault. It means the IRS or state turned the return away, usually over one mismatch such as last year's AGI or a Social Security number.
Why is H&R Block not working today? Test from another device on another network. If the site works there, clear your browser cache after signing out, or try another browser.
H&R Block not working? Start by telling Online from the download software, then match your symptom to the right fix: install, update, code, sign-in or e-file.