@ rmdupl wrote:
That is RIDICULOUSLY INSANE! I didn't select Free File, I went off the IRS site and opened my regular Turbo Tax account. I was automatically moved to the Free File. I didn't know this until I was ready to file and I received, in red, I was not eligible for Free File! I was finished, years of my information is saved and now I have to start from scratch? I have a very bad word on the tip of my tongue....
No, you don't have to start over. And you do not have to create another account. I explained a couple of times above in this thread how to do it. I'll post the solution again below.
Some of the early comments in this thread made by others last year are no longer correct. I suspect you read some of those early comments and responded here without proceeding to read the rest of the thread which has my solution and the success stories.
You can use the same account without starting over--IF you use my steps. 10 users in this thread alone have posted their results above that they had success with my steps. And there are some other threads with users reporting the same success.
BTW, you said you went to the IRS site first. If you went to TurboTax through a link from the IRS site, it would take you to a special TurboTax site to sign-in for the TurboTax IRS Free File Program instead of regular Online TurboTax.
In any case, if you've been using TurboTax IRS Free File Program at its special website to prepare your 2020 return and don't qualify, you can go back to a paid edition of TurboTax at the Online TurboTax website to finish and file your return in the same account without starting over. You need to follow the steps exactly. Read through all the steps first. You should print this out so you can easily follow it without signing in.
- First log out of all Intuit accounts, including this community forum.
- Delete your browser Internet cache and any Intuit-related cookies.
(or instead of doing that, you can try using a private window (aka private browsing/incognito mode.) - Close your browser and reopen it (either after Intuit cookies and cache were cleaned as above, or in a private window.)
- Go to this page: https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/compare/online/
- When you arrive there, do NOT sign in yet.
- First choose the product you want like you hadn't even started a return before, and click on "Start for Free".
- It will ask how you did your taxes last year. Indicate "TurboTax", and then it will ask you to sign in.
- When you log in, it should recognize that you had been using the IRS Free File Program and should ask you if you want to switch to a TurboTax commercial product and not use the IRS Free File Program anymore. Say "yes".
- Hopefully, that will put you back in regular Online TurboTax while keeping your originally-entered info.
