How to Transfer Last Year's Tax Return Into TurboTax

Transferring your prior-year return copies over the information that doesn't change much from year to year, like your name, address, and dependents, along with figures that carry forward such as certain carryovers and depreciation. It saves you typing and lowers the chance of leaving something out.

This is an independent guide and not affiliated with Intuit.

To transfer, you'll need one of the following from last year:

• Last year's TurboTax data file, which ends in an extension like .tax2023 for a 2023 return.
• A PDF of last year's return, which the program can read for the basics.

The data file carries over the most detail, so use it whenever you have it.

When you start a new return, TurboTax offers to transfer from last year. Point it to your prior-year data file when it asks. It reads the file and fills in your information automatically. If the file is on a USB drive or in a cloud folder, copy it to your computer first so the program can find it.

If you used TurboTax Online last year and sign in to the same account, your prior-year information is often ready to carry forward automatically. If you used a different product, you can usually upload a PDF of last year's return so the basics transfer in.

Transfer is a starting point, not the finish line. Look over the carried-over details and update anything that changed, like a new address, a new dependent, or a job change. Verifying the transferred figures now keeps the rest of your return on solid footing.

If you can't track down last year's file or PDF, you can still start fresh and enter your information by hand. It takes a little longer, but the result is the same. Going forward, save your data file each year somewhere easy to find so next year's transfer is a breeze.