Refresh a Carryforward

Updated: 2024-11-05

If you carry forward a file to the following year and then make changes to the earlier tax return, you can update the data in the later return. This is especially handy when a client has multiple years of returns to prepare. 

In the past, if you needed to prepare two years of returns for a client, you would have prepared the prior year return first and then carried it forward to prepare the current return. If the client discovered a forgotten slip or missing piece of information for the prior year after you had carried forward and prepared current return, you either needed to start again or enter the information manually.

Refresh Carryforward

1. Enter missing information in the prior-year return.
2. Save the file.
3. To refresh the carryforward from the prior-year file, right-click on a form and select Carry forward this return, or click Carry Forward in the Data menu.
4. To refresh the carryforward from the current-year file, right-click on a form and select Refresh carryforward (from prior year), or click Refresh Carry Forward from the Refresh menu in the Data ribbon. 
5. A dialog will show to confirm that you want to refresh the data in the other return. Click Yes to continue. Clear the check box before clicking Yes to hide this warning in the future.

Refresh a Prior-Year Return

To update the prior-return with any changes in the current-year file:

1. Make your changes in the current year return.
2. Click Refresh and then Refresh Prior Year in the Data menu.
3. Or, click Prior Year and then Refresh Prior year.