I figured this out, and it was my misunderstanding. I thought Schedule B (and the $1,500.00 minimum) was for dividends alone, but I now see that it can include other taxable interest income. When I temporarily deleted the dividend income, I was still prompted to upgrade -- so I then temporarily dropped the taxable income to below $1,500.00 and the Free version was available to me. So yes, I DO need to upgrade, because of having over $1,500.00 taxable interest. I appreciate your patience.
