TaxAct software deleted my entire return - anyone else experienced this disaster?

This definitely sounds like a software glitch rather than something you did wrong. Tax software occasionally has session timeouts or temporary display issues that can make it seem like your data is gone when it might still be recoverable. First, try logging out completely and logging back in - sometimes this refreshes the connection to their servers and your return might reappear. If that doesn't work, check if TaxAct has an "Active Returns" or "My Returns" section where you might see previous versions. Most tax software creates periodic automatic backups while you're working. Try contacting TaxAct customer support directly as they might be able to restore a previous version of your return from their server backups. Make sure to have your account details and approximately when you last had access to your completed return. For the future, when working with any tax software, I recommend periodically saving a PDF copy of your in-progress return as you complete each major section. This gives you a backup of all your entered information even if you have software issues.

After reading your post, I had flashbacks to a similar nightmare I had last year with another software program. I was about to give up and pay a professional when a friend recommended I try taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to help recover my information. It basically analyzes all your tax documents and creates a complete digital record of everything that should be in your return, so even if the software fails, you have all your data organized and ready to input again. I found it super helpful because it also catches things that I would have missed on my own, like some obscure deductions based on my document history. The best part is that once your documents are processed, you can always access them again later if you need to start over with different tax software.

I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after my skeptical questions. I decided to give it a try since I was desperate after losing hours of work in TurboTax (had a similar issue to the original poster). It was actually way more helpful than I expected! I uploaded all my tax documents and within about 20 minutes had a complete breakdown of everything I needed to enter. The best part was when I switched to a different tax software, I didn't have to hunt through my physical documents again - I just followed the organized summary they provided. They even flagged a couple of potential deductions I had completely missed the first time around. Definitely saved me from throwing my laptop out the window after losing all my work!

I had a similar issue with a different tax software last year, and after trying their customer service (useless), I eventually realized I needed to speak directly with someone at the IRS about filing an extension properly since I'd lost all my work. Spent THREE DAYS trying to get through on their phone lines. Finally found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual IRS person in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. There's a demo video of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They basically navigate the IRS phone system for you and call you back when they have an agent on the line. The IRS person was surprisingly helpful and walked me through exactly what I needed to do with my extension given my situation, and even helped me understand how to properly document that my software had failed so I wouldn't risk any penalties.

I need to eat my words from my skeptical comment above. After another frustrating day of trying to reach the IRS myself about my missing refund (going on 5 months now), I broke down and tried Claimyr. I was 100% convinced it was going to be a waste of time. I got a call back in about 35 minutes saying they had an IRS agent ready. I was actually connected to a real, live person at the IRS! The agent was able to look up my refund status and found there was a discrepancy they needed to verify. She put notes on my account and told me exactly what to do next. Problem identified in one call instead of endless busy signals. I hate admitting when I'm wrong but...I was definitely wrong about this service. Would have saved myself months of stress if I'd tried it sooner.

I had this exact same issue with TaxAct two years ago! What worked for me was using a different browser - I switched from Chrome to Firefox and suddenly my return reappeared. Something about their cookies or cache got corrupted I think. Also, even if you can't recover it, at least you know what documents you need and what entries to make, so it should go faster the second time. I suggest taking screenshots of each page as you go through it next time - learned that the hard way!

This is exactly why I still do paper returns. Everyone thinks I'm crazy but computers fail, software glitches, systems crash, and suddenly hours of work vanish. With paper, what you write stays written.

I feel your pain - losing hours of tax work is absolutely maddening! I had a similar experience with different software a few years back and it taught me to be paranoid about backups. Beyond what others have suggested about contacting TaxAct support, I'd recommend checking if your browser has any cached data that might help. Sometimes going to your browser history and finding the TaxAct pages you were on can reveal temporary files or cached forms that might have some of your data. Also, if you used any browser autofill features while entering information, check your browser's saved form data - you might be able to recover some of the basic info like names, addresses, and employer information that way. For next time (with any software), I learned to take a screenshot after completing each major section AND save a PDF of the return in progress every 30 minutes or so. It's a bit tedious but saves so much heartache when things go wrong. The tax software companies really need to do better with their autosave and recovery features - this shouldn't be something taxpayers have to worry about!