You wrote above: "I tried upgrading and just got that i could start with deluxe but only pay when returning my 2018 taxes..."
If you have a 2018 online return started in Deluxe instead of Free Edition, then I need to tell you how to downgrade it to Free Edition first.
I'm going to be offline until later today, so in the interest of time, I'll just assume that you did start one in Deluxe, so here's how to downgrade to Free Edition, then upgrade to PLUS and pay the 19.99.
This will only work if the 2018 return and the prior returns are in the same account, which you affirmed above.
- Log in and open your 2018 return you started ("Take me to my return.") If it's in Deluxe, then you need to downgrade first.
- Go to the left menu column and click on TAX TOOLS, then choose "Clear and Start Over."
- When it starts over, choose Free Edition.
- After some preliminary screens, you'll arrive at the MY INFO section.
- At that point see if there is an Upgrade link in the left menu column. If it's not there yet, you'll need to enter some info into the MY INFO screens until you see an Upgrade link either appear in the left menu column or at the end of the MY INFO section.
- Then click on Upgrade and choose PLUS. Do NOT upgrade any beyond PLUS, or you'll have the same problem again.
- Once you are in PLUS, then you need to pay the 19.99.
- In the left menu column click on TAX TOOLS, then PRINT CENTER.
- At the Print Center choose to "Print, save, view THIS YEAR's return." (Yes, you say "this year's" because you are paying for the 2018 return to unlock the prior returns.) You don't actually have to print it.
- It will then ask you to pay. If the Order Summary appears OK, then choose PAY NOW.
- You can pay by credit card or debit card (even though it only says "credit.")
NOTE: If it should offer you the choice of paying later out of the Federal refund, that cannot be done for this purpose. You have to choose PAY NOW.
