TaxAct return file extensions are three characters long. These three characters indicate the tax year, the return type, and whether the file is a backup file. If the first letter of the extension is a letter "b," the file is a backup file; if the first letter is "t," it is not a backup file. The second letter indicates the return type:
The number indicates the last digit of the tax year. For example, a 2017 individual tax return file has an extension of .ta7, and a backup of the same file has an extension of .ba7. Similarly, a 2017 C corporation tax return file has an extension of .tc7, and a backup of the same file has an extension of .bc7. It is important to note that the backup file extension is tagged onto the end of the regular file extension, and the regular file extension becomes part of the file name. For example, a 2016 individual tax return backup file's full file name, including the .ba6 extension, will end with ".ta6.ba6".
The AUTO-BACKUP folder will also contain three backup copies of the returns, and the file name will indicate whether the file is a current backup file, a daily backup file, or a weekly backup file. For example, a 2016 individual tax return weekly backup file's full file name will end with ".ta6_weekly.ba6".
TaxAct backup files may be opened in the TaxAct program. We strongly recommend, however, that you restore backup files before working on or importing return files. Please only open backup files directly if you intend to restore the file and want to check the file to make sure you are restoring the correct backup file. Importing a backup file can have unexpected results: the information may not fully import, the file extensions may be retained in the file name, and the program may not handle the imported file correctly. For example, importing a 2016 backup file to the 2017 program may result in a file ending in .ta6.ba6.ta7, .ta6.ba7, or other file endings and extensions.