Why can't I use free turbo tax with student loan interest?

[mattsiegrist]

I was using Turbo Tax Free Edition, but when I went to file, it said I must upgrade to deluxe because I have student loan interest on Schedule 1.  Other people I know have filed free with student loan interest.  All I did was answer "yes" to having student loan interest and then entered amount from 1098-E.  Wondering why I have to upgrade when I qualified for free all the way through the process.

[LinaJ2018 · Accepted solution]

If you are using the free online edition, you cannot claim the Form 1098-E, unfortunately.  You will have to upgrade to the Deluxe online edition.  For other people, if they use the TurboTax Basic, which is the desktop version of Free online edition, with little more in cost, they can file the Form 1098-E without an upgrade.