As part of the metlife + turbotax plan, DIY filling should be free, but I'm getting charged

[yodawalle123]

I started filling my taxes on February, but I didn't completed it because of some problems with child tax credits (which were probably caused by an initial mistake on my side that was not corrected when I updated the data).

Finally, out of frustration, I hit the "start over". This time, the child credits are properly calculated. But now turbotax is charging me at the end of the process.

I don't know if this is the root cause of the problem, or if there was a wrong click at some part of the process (I've also noticed that turbotax insists on presenting me a "fill your business tax" in the welcome page). In any case, I'd like to know what can be done to solve this problem

[xmasbaby0]

We cannot see your tax return and do not know what kind(s) of income you have entered.   If the software is saying something about your "business"-----did you enter some self-employment income on a 1099NEC?   The Free Edition can only be used for very simple returns that require only Form 1040.

 If you started in the Free Edition and entered any data that required any extra forms or schedules, you have to upgrade to a paid version and if you are watching the screens carefully you are alerted to the upgrade.

TurboTax Online: Important Details about Filing Simple Form 1040 Returns

If you have a simple Form 1040 return only (no forms or schedules except as needed to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit or student loan interest), you can file for free yourself with TurboTax Free Edition, or you can file with TurboTax Live Assisted Basic at the listed price. Roughly 37% of taxpayers are eligible.

Examples of situations included in a simple Form 1040 return (assuming no added tax complexity):

• W-2 income
• Interest, dividends or original issue discounts (1099-INT/1099-DIV/1099-OID) that don’t require filing a Schedule B
• IRS standard deduction
• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
• Child Tax Credit (CTC)
• Student loan interest deduction
• Taxable qualified retirement plan distributions
•  

Examples of situations not included in a simple Form 1040 return:

• Itemized deductions claimed on Schedule A, like charitable contributions, medical expenses, mortgage interest and state and local tax deductions
• Unemployment income reported on a 1099-G
• Business or 1099-NEC income (often reported by those who are self-employed, gig workers or freelancers)
• Stock sales (including crypto investments)
• Income from rental property or property sales
• Credits, deductions and income reported on other forms or schedules 
• 1095A for marketplace health insurance

How can I see my TurboTax  fees? 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-account-billing/review-fees-turbo...

If your TurboTax fees are higher than expected, you can reduce them by removing add-ons     (BEFORE you e-file) :

• Remove Premium Services
• Remove MAX Defend & Restore
• Remove a state
• Remove PLUS Help & Support
• Remove Pay With Your Refund

Or—-Use this IRS site for other ways to file for free.  There are 8  free software versions available from the IRS Free File site

https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/

Or—if you live in certain states you may be eligible to use the new IRS Direct File

In Filing Season 2025, Direct File will be available in Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. 

https://directfile.irs.gov/

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2629

[MonikaK1 · Accepted solution]

To access your MetLife Legal Plans benefits, visit  https://login.legalplans.com/register to log in or create an account. Then under ‘Debt Matters,’ select ‘Tax Preparation & Filing’ to access your benefits.

If you had to start over, see if you can access the free account the same way again. If you still see a charge, see this help article and this one for instructions on how to contact TurboTax customer support depending on which product you are using.

@yodawalle123 

[yodawalle123]

Thanks. Starting again from  https://login.legalplans.com/register  did the trick. I didn't even have to start over.