A fee of 44.99 in desktop Deluxe (CD/download) can be a couple of things. See which one applies to you.
Did you buy your Deluxe product outside of TurboTax? If so, retail Deluxe comes in 2 versions--one that includes a state program (i.e., a Fed and State combo), and one that is Federal-only. Check the box or product info to see which one you have--state or no state. If you don't have the Deluxe that has a state program, it will charge you for the state program when you go to download state to start preparing it (normally 44.99, but may be discounted now to 39.99.)
If that's not your situation, here is another possibility:
Are you in the process of efiling the state return and encounter a state efile fee of 19.99? If so, and if you choose to pay that 19.99 out of your Federal refund, there is an additional fee for that payment option--39.99 for non-California filers, and 44.99 for California filers. Are you a California filer and used that payment option? TurboTax may refer to it as "Premium Services" for 44.99.
If you have that second situation, and as long as you haven't filed, you can remove the "pay-out-of-refund" method (Premium Services) and pay the 19.99 state efile fee upfront by credit/debit card or a prepaid debit card you can buy in a store.
Also, if you don't want to pay the 19.99 state efile fee, you can print, sign, and mail the state return for free.
