How to view my Turbotax return forms before I actually pay?

You can definitely review your tax forms before paying in TurboTax! When you get to the review section of the software (before payment), look for a "Preview my 1040" or "View Tax Summary" option. This typically appears in the review stage after you've entered all your information but before you reach the payment screen. For your complicated return with investments, rental property, and side business, I'd recommend paying special attention to Schedule C (business income), Schedule E (rental income), and Schedule D (capital gains). Make sure all your income sources are properly reported and your deductions are correctly categorized. Also check if all your forms are there - besides the 1040, you should see any relevant schedules for your situation. If something seems off, you can always go back and make corrections before finalizing.

After spending hours trying to review my complicated tax forms last year, I discovered this amazing tool called taxr.ai that saved me so much stress. I was exactly in your position - wanted to verify everything before paying - and found myself getting confused by all the different schedules and forms in TurboTax. Found https://taxr.ai when searching for help and it's basically like having a tax expert verify everything is correct. It analyzes your tax documents and explains exactly what's going on in plain English.

Just wanted to update everyone - I ended up trying taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and wow, what a game changer for reviewing my forms! I uploaded my draft TurboTax forms and it explained everything so clearly. It actually caught that I hadn't properly categorized some of my business expenses which would have cost me a few hundred in deductions. The explanations of each section were super helpful since I'm new to filing with a side business. Definitely recommend before finalizing your TurboTax return!

If you're trying to get clarification directly from TurboTax or IRS on anything confusing in your draft return, good luck getting through on the phone this time of year. I spent TWO DAYS trying to reach TurboTax support about a form issue. Finally used https://claimyr.com and got connected in like 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they basically hold your place in the phone queue so you don't have to stay on hold for hours. Super helpful when you're trying to verify everything is correct before paying.

Alright I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After spending another 3 hours trying to get through to the IRS yesterday about my tax transcript (needed it to verify some info on my draft return), I gave in and tried the service. Got a call back in about 45 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. Honestly blew my mind how well it worked. Was able to get the verification I needed for my return and finally finish everything up. Sorry for being so negative before!

Here's another option: take screenshots of everything before paying. I know it's not ideal but that's what I do. You can at least capture the summary pages and main forms. Just go through each screen in the review section and take screenshots. Then if something looks weird you can go back and fix it before paying.

Try clicking on "Tax Tools" then "View Tax Summary" in the left navigation menu. Then there should be a "Preview" button that lets you see all your forms before paying. I do this every year to double check everything.

If the preview feature isn't showing everything you need, try calling TurboTax customer service at 1-800-446-8848. They can sometimes give you special access to review your full return if you explain your situation. I had to do this last year with my complicated small business return.

Another option if you want to be extra thorough is to use TurboTax's "Export to PDF" feature once you get to the review stage. Look for it in the File menu or sometimes there's an option that says "Save/Print Return for Your Records." This will generate a complete PDF of your entire tax return with all forms and schedules before you pay anything. You can then review the PDF at your own pace and make sure everything looks correct. It's especially helpful for complex returns like yours with multiple income sources since you can easily flip between forms and cross-reference numbers. Much better than trying to navigate back and forth through the software screens!

I went through this exact same situation last year with my rental properties and side business! What worked best for me was a combination of approaches. First, use the "View Tax Summary" feature that Santiago mentioned - it's usually in the review section before payment. But don't stop there! For complex returns like yours, I highly recommend also doing what Sophia suggested and exporting the entire return to PDF. This gives you a complete paper trail to review offline. Pay special attention to your Schedule E (rental income/expenses) and Schedule C (business income) - these are where most errors happen with complicated returns. One thing I learned the hard way: even if TurboTax says everything looks good, manually verify that your rental property depreciation is calculated correctly and that all your business expense categories make sense. The software sometimes miscategorizes things, especially if you have overlapping business and rental expenses. Take your time with the review - it's worth spending an extra hour now versus dealing with amendments later!