What is with all the lies about military taxes still being free this year?

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
April 12, 2026
1 reply
108 views

There are numerous questions about why tax filing for enlisted, active duty members is not free this year. All of these questions are met with similar, generic "but they are free" responses. Unless all of us are doing it wrong, this is not the case. I have been up charged over $200 for upgrades I never selected and cannot remove in addition to the standard filing fees. I never selected anything other than the initial basic filing (advertised as free for military), nor any of the numerous up sell options throughout. The [likely AI slop] canned answers throughout these responses often claim that these should be a free options regardless. You cannot make it past the filing step without the forced payment of hundreds of dollars in fees for this "free" service. No, I will not seek a refund for the fees afterwards as that is not what you are advertising.

So again, what is the deal with the false advertisements for free military filing this year?

TurboTax Free Edition Online

DoninGA

Level 15

TurboTax website for information on the Free military filing - https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/online/military-edition.jsp

In the My Info section of the program, when entering your personal information on the screen Let's check for some other situations you must select Active duty military and Enlisted. You are also asked Which combat zone or hazardous duty area did you serve in during 2025? and Where were you stationed?

After you have entered your military W-2 you are asked Is this W-2 for work you did as active duty military? answer Yes and continue

If you are only using one of the TurboTax online editions of Free, Deluxe or Premium there will be no charge. If you use any of the Live editions those are not free for you to use and you will be charged.

In the File section of the program on Step 1 you should see a $0 for your Subtotal for the fees.

What TurboTax online edition are you using?

See this TurboTax support FAQ for how to view your TurboTax account fees - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-account-billing/review-fees-turbo...

shadowjAuthor

Level 2

Wow! Thanks for yet another generic, AI answer of use to absolutely no one!

Like the others that are also in receipt of this answer, all of those steps are completed. Just like the many years before. Only now are there charges at the end, unlike the many years before. Hundreds of dollars still remain due for filing. No $0 sub-total to be found. "Basic", "deluxe", and "premium" all charge fees. Standard filing fees in addition to these still apply.

DoninGA

Level 15

@shadowj That was NOT a BS AI response. That response was compiled by me, A US Army Viet Nam veteran, who is trying to assist other veterans using the TurboTax program so they can file a tax return at no charge.

If you correctly entered your information you would not be charged for the TurboTax online account.

I suggest you contact TurboTax support for further assistance.

You will have to contact TurboTax support for assistance with this problem. Use the key words Billing Issue

Use this phone number and select TurboTax - 1-800-4-INTUIT (1-800-446-8848)

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