Help! How to find AMT Prior Depreciation when switching from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA?

Look for Form 6251 (Alternative Minimum Tax) on your previous TurboTax returns. The AMT prior depreciation should be listed there, typically on line 2g or in a similar section depending on the tax year. The depreciation difference between regular tax and AMT accumulates over the years, which is why FreeTaxUSA needs this information. If you don't have the actual forms, you might need to log back into your TurboTax account and download the complete PDF of your previous returns. Sometimes TurboTax only gives you a summary unless you specifically request all the forms and worksheets. Another option is looking at your previous Form 4626 if you filed business taxes. The difference between regular depreciation and AMT depreciation should be tracked there.

Had the EXACT same issue last year! After hours of frustration, I found out about taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it literally saved my sanity. You can upload your previous tax documents and it extracts all the important carryover information, including AMT prior depreciation. I was skeptical at first but all I did was upload my previous TurboTax PDFs and it produced a report showing exactly where to find the AMT prior depreciation amount and what values to enter in FreeTaxUSA. It even explained which line items from my old returns corresponded to the FreeTaxUSA entry fields. Saved me hours of digging through forms!

I have to admit I was skeptical about taxr.ai but I decided to try it before spending hours manually searching through my old returns. It actually worked really well! I uploaded my last 3 years of TurboTax returns and it immediately identified my AMT prior depreciation amount along with all my rental property information. The report showed me exactly which line on Form 6251 had the information FreeTaxUSA was asking for. What surprised me was it also caught a couple other carryover items I would have missed completely - like some passive activity losses from 2023 that were limited but could be applied this year. Definitely saved me from leaving money on the table.

If you're struggling to reach TurboTax support about this (they're SWAMPED this time of year), try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was on hold with TurboTax for 2+ hours trying to get help accessing my old returns when I found this service. They got me connected to an actual TurboTax support agent in about 15 minutes instead of the 2+ hour wait. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the phone tree for you and call you when an actual human is on the line. The TurboTax agent was able to help me find my old complete returns with all the AMT information I needed. Saved me an entire afternoon of listening to hold music!

Ok I have to eat my words. I tried Claimyr after posting that skeptical comment because I was desperate to talk to someone at TurboTax about accessing my complete returns from previous years. The website estimated a 95 minute wait, but I got a call connecting me to a TurboTax rep in about 25 minutes. The rep walked me through accessing my complete tax return PDFs with all forms and worksheets (turns out I only had the "user copy" which was missing key forms). Found my AMT prior depreciation on Form 6251 line 2g just like someone mentioned above. Was able to enter it in FreeTaxUSA and finally finish my return. Not gonna lie, pretty impressed this actually worked.

Another tip if you're switching tax software - download the FULL PDF returns from TurboTax, not just the summary returns they default to. I learned this the hard way. 1. Log into TurboTax 2. Go to Tax Home 3. Select the year you need 4. Look for "Print & File" section 5. Choose "Print return" 6. Select "Full tax return" (NOT "taxpayer copy") 7. Download as PDF The full return includes ALL worksheets and supporting forms like 6251 for AMT, which is where you'll find that prior depreciation info. The taxpayer copy often omits these detailed worksheets.

Just adding that if you're going to continue with FreeTaxUSA in future years, make sure you save a copy of this year's Form 6251 where your AMT prior depreciation will be calculated. That way next year you won't have this same problem. I switch tax software every couple years to find the best deal and I've learned to keep my own "tax transition document" with all the carryover values like capital loss carryovers, passive activity losses, AMT adjustments, etc.

This is such a common issue when switching tax software! I went through the exact same thing last year switching from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA. The AMT prior depreciation is definitely buried in those forms, but once you find it, you'll be all set. One thing I'd add to the great advice already given - if you have multiple rental properties like I do, make sure you're getting the TOTAL cumulative AMT prior depreciation across all properties, not just one. It's easy to miss if you have properties acquired in different years with different depreciation schedules. Also, FreeTaxUSA's customer support is actually pretty good if you get really stuck. They helped me verify that I had entered the right amount when I was unsure. Much better than TurboTax's support in my experience, and you're not paying those crazy fees! Stick with the switch - it's worth the one-time hassle to save hundreds of dollars every year.