First, I never post to these things, I read and learn, but this seemed off, so I went and looked up the IRS pub and here are my thoughts. Take them or leave them.
From reading the IRS publication, I get 5 returns per software package and 10 returns per email address and/or 10 returns per phone number.
Logic would suggest, 2 TT desktop software licenses using the same TT internet account (email & phone #) should work.
It seems, via the first hand experience expressed here, that TT (no clue how) limits everything to 5 rather than the 10 the IRS allows.
I would agree that multiple software packages installed on the same computer may cause issues, but it is very easy to switch between Microsoft product licenses, ie Office 2021 and MS365, so it shouldn't be that hard for TT to allow the use of multiple software licenses on the same computer as well.
TT shouldn't make it so difficult for families to follow the IRS's rules.
Per IRS Pub 1345 Rev 10-24 page 34 IRS Pub 1345
Additional Requirements for Software Developers Participating in Online Filing
A Software Developer that participates in Online Filing must also:
1. Ensure that its software package can’t be used to transmit more than five electronic returns.
2. Ensure that its software, if available for use on the Internet, can’t be used to file more
than ten electronic returns from one e-mail address. The email address used to create the
account with the software provider should be used when determining the number of uses.
Note: It is strongly recommended that the software provider normalize email address
handles (email address text excluding the domain) prior to determining how many
electronically filed returns have been submitted using the same email address. Normalizing
the email address can be done by applying the following text preprocessing measures.
These measures are applied to remove features that can obscure that apparently-distinct
email handles may resolve to the same inbox, depending on domain handling.
• Remove dots (R.o.b.e.r.t -> Robert)
• Ignore characters after the first plus sign (“+”) (Robert+White -> Robert)
• Ignore characters after the first hyphen (“-”) (Robert-White -> Robert)
3. Ensure that its software, if available for use on the Internet, can’t be used to file more
than ten electronic returns from one phone number. The phone number used to create the
account with the software should be used when determining the number of uses.
