Sorry for the confusion. The error message printed said that the e-filing is free, "because it is associated with the software used to prepare the return." But, if Turbo Tax permits only five e-files, then e-filing a NY State return usurps one of the e-files that I need for the Federal returns that I file. (Somehow I have been elected over the years to file my daughters' returns and those of their children, etc.) And, because of Schedule D-related inputs, the Federal returns are always considerably longer than the state returns, so I like to use the e-files for the Federal returns.
