Does TurboTax let you import W2s and tax forms directly from banks/employers?

So I'm getting ready to do my taxes for the first time without my parents' help (yay adulting) and I'm wondering about TurboTax. Can I actually import my W2 directly into TurboTax without having to manually type everything? My employer uses ADP and I also have some investment accounts with Fidelity and a student loan with interest that I think I can deduct. Would be awesome if TurboTax could just pull all that info automatically instead of me having to track down all these documents and type in every number. I've heard some tax software can do this but not sure if TurboTax has this feature or if it actually works well. Anyone have experience with this?

0 coins

21 comments

Ana Rusula

•8M

Yes, TurboTax does offer direct import for W2s and many other tax forms! The feature is called "import" and it works with many employers and financial institutions. For W2s specifically, if your employer uses ADP, Workday, UKG, or several other major payroll providers, you can often import directly. You'll need your employee credentials for the payroll system. For financial institutions like Fidelity, TurboTax can usually import 1099 forms directly as well - including investment income forms like 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, and 1099-B. For your student loan interest, if your provider participates, the 1098-E should import too. Keep in mind that not all employers or financial institutions participate in direct import. Some smaller companies or local banks might not be compatible. In those cases, you'd still need to enter the information manually.

0 coins

Ana Rusula

•8M

Most forms become available for import by late January to mid-February. The IRS requires employers to provide W2s by January 31st, and most major payroll systems make them available for import around the same time. Financial institutions have similar deadlines for most 1099 forms, though some complex investment forms might come later (mid-February to early March). If you've already received a paper form but it's not showing up for import yet, give it a few days - there's often a small lag between when forms are mailed and when they're uploaded to the electronic systems. If it's past mid-February and you still don't see your forms available for import, you can always enter them manually.

0 coins

Isaiah Sanders

•8M

I've been using this awesome tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that takes care of the whole document importing headache! I was struggling with getting all my tax docs organized last year when my brother told me about it. The best part is that it can grab info from your W2, 1099s, and other tax forms even if TurboTax can't import them directly. Instead of manually typing everything, you just upload pictures of your documents to taxr.ai, and it extracts all the important numbers and details. Then you can import that data straight into TurboTax or other tax software. It saved me so much time with my investment forms that TurboTax couldn't import automatically.

0 coins

Isaiah Sanders

•8M

They use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after processing them. I was concerned about that too, but they explain their security approach on their site. They're actually more secure than emailing tax docs to yourself or storing them in regular cloud storage. For state-specific forms, absolutely! That's one of the things that impressed me. I had some California forms last year that TurboTax couldn't recognize, but taxr.ai processed them perfectly. It works with pretty much any tax form that has a standard format, even the state-specific ones.

0 coins

Thais Soares

•8M

If you're having trouble getting through to the IRS about missing tax forms or import issues, try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was banging my head against the wall trying to reach someone at the IRS about a missing W2 that my employer claimed they submitted but wasn't showing up for import in TurboTax. After wasting hours on hold and getting disconnected three times, I found this service that actually gets you connected to a real IRS agent. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was skeptical, but they got me through to someone in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The IRS agent was able to confirm my employer had submitted my W2 incorrectly and gave me the next steps to fix it. Totally worth it when you're stuck in tax paperwork limbo.

0 coins

Thais Soares

•8M

It doesn't just call for you - it uses a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When it finally gets a human, it calls your phone and connects you. So instead of waiting on hold for hours, you just get a call when an agent is actually available. It's basically holding your place in line. No, it's definitely not a scam. The IRS phone system is designed to handle a certain call volume, and during tax season that volume is exceeded by like 1000%. This service uses technology to stay on hold so you don't have to. I was super skeptical too, but when I needed to resolve my W2 issue before the filing deadline, I was desperate. It actually did exactly what it promised.

0 coins

Axel Bourke

•8M

I need to apologize for calling Claimyr a scam. I was really frustrated after spending literally 8 hours trying to reach the IRS about a missing 1099-R that wasn't importing into TurboTax, so I was skeptical of anything claiming to help. After my last failed attempt yesterday (2 hours on hold then disconnected), I decided to try Claimyr out of desperation. It actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back in about 35 minutes connecting me directly to an IRS agent who helped me sort out the issue with my retirement distribution form. The agent confirmed my form was filed incorrectly by my retirement plan administrator which is why it wasn't showing up for import. Saved me from having to file an extension. Sorry for being so negative before!

0 coins

Aidan Percy

•8M

Pro tip for TurboTax importing: If you've used TurboTax in previous years, it can also import your prior year returns which speeds things up a ton. It'll carry over stuff like dependents, addresses, and other info that doesn't change much year to year. Also, if your employer doesn't support direct W2 import, TurboTax has a feature where you can take a photo of your W2 with your phone and it'll read the data from it! It's not perfect but catches most fields correctly and saves a bunch of typing.

0 coins

Hattie Carson

•8M

I tried TurboTax's import feature last year and it was kinda hit or miss. Got my main W2 from my full-time job but completely failed to import anything from my side gig. My bank's 1099-INT imported fine but Robinhood's forms didn't. Just don't go in expecting it to import everything automatically. You'll probably still need to enter some stuff manually. And ALWAYS double-check the imported values against your paper forms. I caught a few errors last year where the imported numbers didn't match my actual documents.

0 coins