You asked: "Why wasn't my state return free? ...charging me 19.99..."
This is a common source of confusion. I assume you are referring to the 19.99 state efile fee in the desktop product (CD/download).
If your desktop product included a state program, then it is the program for what it means by "free state"; i.e., you get to download the state program to prepare the state returns. There is, however, a 19.99 fee to efile each state return in the desktop product, except there is no efile fee for New York state. The fee normally increases to 24.99 sometime in March. As HACKITOFF mentioned above, there is no fee to print and mail the state returns.
