@ samwolff512 wrote:
I'm a student and earned less than $10000 this year and was proactive to contribute to an IRA and now I can't use the free online service because I made a great long-term decision to take some money I earned and save for the future. WTF TurboTax? Why penalize people? If I file thru you I lose the $68 refund I would have received. Thanks for sending a really bad message to young workers/savers.
I can tell you some ways you can still file for free.
Is it the Retirement Savers Credit that's making you upgrade from Free Edition to Deluxe? TurboTax has 2 free products. If you haven't yet paid/filed, you can switch to the other free product without starting over, if you qualify, and you should qualify with that income level. Here's info on the 2 free products, including how to switch to the second one (TurboTax IRS Free File Program), if desired, which can handle the Savers Credit and all the other usual forms. It, too, is free for both Federal and state returns.
The regular Free Edition is for very simple returns and not everyone can use it.
FAQ: Why do I have to upgrade from Free Edition?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/upgrading/help/why-do-i-have-to-upgrade-from-free-edition/00/26379
The other free product (TurboTax IRS Free File Program) is fully-featured and can prepare all the usual forms and schedules, including your Retirement Savers Credit. It is even more powerful than Deluxe, if you qualify. For example, in addition to Schedules 1-3 it can prepare Schedule C, D, E, F, etc., and enter K-1. But one has to meet one of the qualifications to use. See below:
To qualify for free 2020 federal and state tax returns through the IRS Free File Program delivered by TurboTax, you just need to meet one of these requirements:
- Your 2020 AGI is $39,000 or less (if filing jointly MFJ, this figure is for the AGI of both spouses combined.) ; or
- You qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); or
- In 2020, you served as active duty military (including Reservists and National Guard) with a maximum AGI of $72,000, and you have a military-issued W-2.
If you meet one of those qualifications and want to use it, it is at this special website
https://freefile.intuit.com/
but see these 2 FAQs first, including how to switch without starting over:
FAQ: What is the TurboTax IRS Free File Program?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/choosing-a-product/help/what-is-the-turbotax-free-file-program/01/...
and
FAQ: How do I switch to the TurboTax IRS Free File Program?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/downgrading/help/how-do-i-switch-to-turbotax-free-file-program/00/...
There are also other free file options that may have different requirements at the IRS website:
https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free
