See the TaxAct Access Prior Year Tax Returns webpage for a list of available Online and Desktop programs for previous years.

Note. TaxAct does not provide archived copies of returns filed through the TaxAct Desktop or TaxAct Professional Editions. If you no longer have access to your saved return file, you can receive a copy of a successfully-filed return from the IRS by calling 800-829-1040. For more information, see the IRS Topic No. 156 Copy or Transcript of Your Tax Return – How to Get One webpage.

If you were a prior year TaxAct Online user and did not finish your prior year return, or if you need to start a new return for a previous tax year, you can still prepare and print your return using our TaxAct Online service.

To access an existing return, you need to know the tax year, username, and password that you set up for your account at the time of registration. Go to the Prior Year Returns webpage and select the year you wish to access to start a new return or sign-in to an existing return.

Prior year returns (2019 tax year and older) may be electronically filed by those using the TaxAct Professional program (both individual 1040 returns and business (1041, 1065, 1120-S, 1120, and 990 returns) or by those using the TaxAct Business Consumer (1041, 1065, 1120-S, 1120, and 990 returns) program.

While the IRS now allows year-round electronic filing with the new MeF system, they do shut down for a short period for maintenance each year from later in November to some time around the end of January.

Each year the TaxAct program will allow electronic submissions for prior year returns as soon as the Final version of the software is released in January; however, the returns will not actually be transmitted to the IRS until they are ready to start processing them.

Note that any link in the information above is updated each year automatically and will take you to the most recent version of the document at the time it is accessed.