How Do I Fix Error 1603 on TurboTax?

TurboTax is one of the most popular tax preparation software in the US. The tool is of invaluable help when it comes to preparing and filing your taxes online. But if you use it on Windows, you may occasionally get the annoying “Fatal error 1603” alert. The problem is that this error freezes your system, forcing you to use Task Manager to force-stop the TurboTax task. Unfortunately, if you restart your computer and launch TurboTax, error 1603 will rear its ugly head again. Here’s how you can get rid of it.

Fatal Error 1603 When Trying to Update TurboTax?

Reinstall TurboTax and Run It as Admin

1. Go to Settings, and select Apps.
2. Scroll down to the TurboTax application. Or use the search field to quickly find the app.
3. Select TurboTax and hit the Uninstall button.
   • Note: If you can’t find TurboTax, launch Control Panel and select Uninstall a program. Click on TurboTax and hit the Uninstall button.
4. Wait until your computer uninstalls the program, and then restart it.
5. After you do that, disable your firewall.
6. Then navigate C:\Program Files (x86)\Turbotax and rename the directory to TurbotaxOldInstall.
7. Log in to your Intuit account and download the TurboTax software again.
8. Right-click on the installer and launch it as an administrator.
9. Wait until your machine installs a fresh copy of TurboTax.
10. Then launch the app and check if all the information you previously entered is still there. You should be able to pick up where you left off.

Many users confirmed that the only solution to fix Fatal Error 1603 is uninstalling and re-installing TurboTax from scratch. Other troubleshooting methods that involve restarting your PC, disabling the antivirus, or repairing TurboTax rarely do the trick. Remember to reinstall TurboTax as an administrator for it to work.

Manually Download the Update

Alternatively, you can also upgrade TurboTax to the latest version by manually installing the latest updates.

1. First, close TurboTax and all the other programs running in the background.
2. Keep only a single browser tab open and go to Intuit’s support page.
3. Click on the w_perrelsuperpatch download link available on Intuit’s page.
4. Then double-click on the update file to manually install the update.
5. Check if error 1603 is history now.

Get a New TurboTax Disc

If nothing’s working, take a screenshot of the error and print it. Then take your TurboTax CD/DVD out of your computer, grab the printed copy of the error, and go back to where you bought it from. They should give you a new disc on the spot.

If the problem persists, contact customer support.

Conclusion

The quickest solution to fix TurboTax error 1603 is uninstalling and reinstalling the program as an administrator. Make sure you’re using an admin account. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get rid of this error. Alternatively, manually download the latest TurboTax updates from Intuit’s website. If the problem persists, contact Intuit’s customer support service. Did these ideas help you troubleshoot the problem? Let us know in the comments below.