I don’t think I can answer that policy question directly. However, I have some information that will probably help to explain the situation.
TurboTax is software to assist the user in preparing their own tax return. TurboTax is not a software preparer and the program lacks the ability to include a paid preparer identification number. The live expert upgrade does not change this basic relationship. You are still preparing your own tax return, and the live agent is not your paid preparer. We were told last season, that in certain unusual cases, where the live expert had to provide significant additional help, the live expert would have to transfer the program to one of TurboTax’s pro series programs, and act as a paid preparer, taking responsibility for the return, signing their name to it, and adding a paid preparer ID number.
This is clearly out of scope of the ordinary live service which charges a fraction of what a paid professional tax preparer would cost you. However, I don’t know what kinds of situations would trigger a requirement for the live expert to take over and what doesn’t. But the basic concept is that TurboTax remains a self-prepared tax return, and you really aren’t paying enough to have the expert take full responsibility.
