Hello. I'm an active duty military member and I've happily filed my taxes with TT for the past 7 years. Nothing significant has changed in my life or income since last year, however, this year I'm being told that I can not file for free due to my retirement savings contribution credit and that I must upgrade to Deluxe, otherwise I won't be able to receive this deduction.
I've checked my forms for last year and I received the credit without any issues. Has something about this changed since last year? Why is there an upcharge for this form in particular? Is there still a way I can file for free while still receiving all of the deductions I am entitled to?
At the risk of being forward, I have to say that this seems quite disingenuous. My financial situation is not at all unusual; I have no investments or qualifications that complicate my finances - I am just contributing to the TSP, as many military members are. If TSP contribution alone is considered enough of a complication to opt for Deluxe, then the majority of military members are likely to be in such a situation where they do not qualify for the free version. So the prominent advertising that military members can file for free is very misleading.
Not to mention, that the $39 price tag listed for Deluxe jumps to $79 for no apparent reason when you go to check out... if filing State was free in the free version, why am I suddenly paying 40 dollars for it?
I have been a loyal user of TT up until now and often recommended it to my friends or relatives, but if this was not an error of some kind, I find it very disappointing and will be filing elsewhere from here on.
