You've decided to move on from TurboTax, and you're looking for a clear path to cancel your account. While it might seem straightforward, deleting or canceling a tax preparation account like TurboTax involves a few important considerations, especially regarding your sensitive financial data and tax history. Let's walk through the process step-by-step to ensure you handle everything correctly and securely.
How to Cancel Your TurboTax Account: A Comprehensive Guide
Cancelling your TurboTax account isn't always as simple as hitting a "delete" button. Due to tax regulations and data retention policies, TurboTax (and its parent company, Intuit) handles account closure and data deletion in specific ways. This guide will help you understand your options and the steps involved.
Step 1: Understand What "Cancelling" Your TurboTax Account Really Means
Before you dive in, let's clarify what "canceling" means in the context of TurboTax. It's not always a straightforward account deletion like with a social media platform. Intuit, as a tax preparer, has legal obligations to retain certain tax records.
Have you filed a return with TurboTax? If you have already filed a tax return using TurboTax and the return has been accepted by the IRS (or relevant tax authority), your account cannot be fully deleted. Tax preparers are legally required to keep copies of filed returns for a specific period (typically three to seven years, though the IRS can audit up to seven years back in some cases). In this scenario, your account will remain active, but you can request to delete your personal data that isn't directly part of your filed tax returns.
Have you paid for a TurboTax product/service? If you've paid for a TurboTax online product or service, even if you haven't filed, the system considers the product "used." This might also affect your ability to simply "clear and start over" and may require contacting support for data removal beyond the tax return itself.
Have you only started a return but not filed or paid? If you've just begun entering data but haven't paid or filed, you generally have more flexibility to "clear and start over" or simply abandon the account.
Engage with us! Think about your current situation with TurboTax. Have you filed a return this year or in previous years? Have you made any payments? Knowing this will help you navigate the following steps more effectively.
Step 2: Accessing Your TurboTax Account and Initial Options
No matter your situation, the first step is to log in to your TurboTax account.
Sub-heading: Logging In and Navigating to Account Settings
Go to the TurboTax Website: Open your web browser and go to the official TurboTax website (
turbotax.intuit.com Sign In: Locate the "Sign In" button (usually in the top right corner) and enter your User ID and Password.
Access Intuit Account Manager: Once logged in, look for links related to "Account," "My Account," or "Account Settings." These often lead to the Intuit Account Manager, as TurboTax accounts are part of the larger Intuit ecosystem. You might see a link like "Intuit Account" at the top or within a left-hand menu.
Explore "Data Privacy" or "Security" Settings: Within the Intuit Account Manager, you'll typically find sections like "Data privacy," "Security," or "Profile." This is where you'll manage your personal information and potentially initiate data deletion requests.
Step 3: Deleting Your Data and Account (If Applicable)
This is where the process diverges based on your prior activity.
Sub-heading: Scenario 1: You Haven't Filed or Paid (Clearing Your Return)
If you've started a return but haven't paid for it or electronically filed, you can often clear your data and essentially "reset" your account.
Navigate to "Tax Tools": After logging in, look for a "Tax Tools" or "Tools" option in the left-hand menu or within your current tax return.
Select "Clear & Start Over": Within "Tax Tools" or "Tools," you should find an option like "Clear & Start Over" or "Delete a Form." Selecting "Clear & Start Over" will remove all the data you've entered for the current tax year.
Confirm Action: The system will usually ask for confirmation. Be absolutely sure you want to clear your data, as this action is typically irreversible for that tax year.
Abandoning the Account: If you simply don't want to use TurboTax anymore and haven't filed or paid, clearing your data and then simply not logging back in is effectively "canceling" in this scenario. The account will remain dormant.
Sub-heading: Scenario 2: Requesting Data Deletion (for Filed Returns or Paid Services)
If you've filed a return or paid for a service, you cannot fully "delete" your account in the sense of removing it from Intuit's records due to legal requirements. However, you can request to delete most of your personal data associated with the account that isn't directly part of your filed tax returns.
Access Data Privacy Section: From the Intuit Account Manager (as described in Step 2), find and select "Data privacy."
Initiate a Delete Request: Look for an option like "Delete your Intuit data" or "Make a delete request."
Follow On-Screen Instructions: You'll be guided through a series of prompts. You may be able to select specific products (e.g., TurboTax) from which you want to delete data.
Provide Necessary Information: You might need to verify your identity and provide details like your email address and phone number associated with the account.
Understand the Scope of Deletion: It's crucial to understand that Intuit will retain copies of your filed tax returns as required by law. The deletion request primarily targets other personal information and data not directly tied to those official records.
Confirmation: After submitting, you should receive a confirmation that your request has been received. Data deletion typically takes some time to process.
Sub-heading: Contacting TurboTax Customer Support (When Other Options Fail)
In some cases, especially if you encounter issues or have specific concerns about data retention, contacting TurboTax customer support is the most effective approach.
Find Contact Information: Go to the TurboTax "Support" or "Contact Us" section on their website. This will often lead you to a page with options for phone support, chat, or community forums.
Prepare Your Information: Before contacting them, have your User ID, email address, and any relevant account details ready.
Clearly State Your Request: When you connect with a representative, clearly state that you wish to deactivate your account or request the maximum possible deletion of your personal data from your TurboTax (Intuit) account.
Be polite but firm. Explain your reasons if you feel comfortable doing so.
Confirm what data will be retained and why. Ask for clarification on their data retention policies.
Follow Their Instructions: The representative will guide you through their specific process for account deactivation or data removal. This might involve an email request to
privacy@intuit.comor filling out a specific form they provide.
Step 4: Verifying Data Removal and Best Practices
After initiating a cancellation or data deletion request, it's wise to take a few extra steps.
Sub-heading: Downloading and Saving Your Tax Returns
Even if you're canceling your account, it is highly recommended that you download and save copies of all your previously filed tax returns. This is essential for your own records, future tax needs, and potential audits.
Download PDF Copies: Within your TurboTax account, you should be able to access and download PDF versions of your tax returns for all the years you've filed.
Save Securely: Store these PDF copies in a secure location, such as an external hard drive, cloud storage (with strong encryption), or a physical folder. Do not rely solely on TurboTax to retain your long-term records, as policies can change.
Sub-heading: Changing Personal Information (If Full Deletion Isn't Possible)
If full account deletion isn't an option (e.g., due to filed returns), you can still minimize the personal information associated with your account.
Edit Profile and Security Settings: Within your Intuit Account Manager, navigate to "Profile" and "Security" sections.
Modify Non-Essential Data: Where possible, modify non-essential personal details to generic information (e.g., replace your phone number with a series of zeros or "N/A" if the field cannot be left blank). Be cautious not to alter information critical for future tax record access if needed.
Remove Linked Accounts: If you've linked bank accounts or other financial institutions for data import, disconnect them from your TurboTax account.
Step 5: Understanding Data Retention and Future Implications
It's important to be aware of Intuit's data retention policies, especially given that you've used their service for tax preparation.
Sub-heading: Intuit's Legal Obligations
Tax preparers are legally bound to keep records of filed tax returns for a specific period, generally aligned with the IRS statute of limitations (typically 3 years, but up to 6 or 7 years in certain circumstances, such as unreported income). This means that even if you "cancel" or "deactivate" your account, the records of your filed returns will likely remain on their servers for compliance purposes.
This is not unique to TurboTax; all reputable tax preparers adhere to these regulations.
Sub-heading: What Happens to Your Data After a Deletion Request?
When you request data deletion for a TurboTax account that has filed returns, Intuit will typically remove all non-essential personal data. This includes things like your marketing preferences, saved payment methods, and other profile information not directly part of your tax forms.
The actual tax return data will be retained in accordance with legal requirements. You will no longer be able to log in with that specific User ID and password if the account is deactivated, but the underlying tax data will remain archived.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 10 related FAQ questions with quick answers to help you further:
How to delete all my tax data from TurboTax?
You can request to delete your personal data through your Intuit Account Manager under "Data privacy," but filed tax returns cannot be fully deleted due to legal retention requirements.
How to "clear and start over" in TurboTax?
Log into your TurboTax account, go to "Tax Tools" or "Tools," and select the "Clear & Start Over" option for the current tax year. This is only possible if you haven't paid or filed.
How to contact TurboTax customer support for account deactivation?
Visit the TurboTax "Support" or "Contact Us" page on their official website to find their phone number or chat options. Clearly state your request to deactivate your account or delete your data.
How to download my past tax returns from TurboTax?
Log into your TurboTax account, navigate to "Your Tax Returns & Documents" or a similar section, and you should find options to download PDF copies of your filed returns.
How to remove my credit card information from TurboTax?
Log into your Intuit Account Manager, go to your "Billing & Payments" or "Payment Methods" section, and remove or update your stored credit card details.
How to unlink financial accounts from TurboTax?
If you've linked bank or investment accounts for data import, go to your account settings within TurboTax (often under "Linked Accounts" or similar) and disconnect them.
How to know if my TurboTax account is fully deleted?
If you've filed a return, your account (and the associated tax data) will not be fully deleted due to legal requirements. If you haven't filed or paid, clearing your data and abandoning the account effectively cancels it, but you won't receive a "deletion confirmation" in the same way as a full data erasure.
How to stop receiving emails from TurboTax?
Within your Intuit Account Manager, look for "Communications Preferences" or "Privacy Settings" and unsubscribe from marketing emails.
How to manage my personal information on TurboTax?
Through the Intuit Account Manager, you can edit your profile details, security settings, and privacy preferences to manage the personal data associated with your account.
How to ensure my tax data is secure after cancelling TurboTax?
Always download and securely save PDF copies of your filed tax returns. For data retained by TurboTax due to legal obligations, rely on Intuit's robust security measures and privacy policies, which are designed to protect sensitive financial information.