I’m an e-5 in the military but turbo tax keeps wanting to charge me 78 dollars. I thought military was free?

[zjp707]

I took a picture of my W-2 and notified them I’m active duty. This is ridiculous.

[xmasbaby0]

MILITARY DISCOUNT

https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/online/military-edition.jsp

(There are no military discounts on “Live” versions, thee CD/download or on add-on features)

[SteamTrain]

@zjp707 

Just because you took a picture of that W-2 does not mean TTX recognizes it as being Military...

Why?  Civilians also work for DFAS.

So

1)  Go Back to the W-2 area and EDIT that w-2.

2)  After first checking EVERY box to make sure the numbers went in right (pictures are known to create huge errors.)

THEN

3)  On the page after the main W-2 form, the is a page with a whole long list of checkboxes.

YOU MUST check the checkbox in the middle that indicates the W-2 is for military active duty.

Only then will TTX recognize you're eligible for the free software & filing available to enlisted personnel.

[UsernameAddedUnderDuress]

I have the same issue.  Yes, OF COURSE, I checked the box stating I am active duty but still land on the final charge of 89 dollars.  

Turbo tax seems extra deceptive this year.

My question: Will there be a clearly visible page that states a discount is applied.  I am not going to click the "confirm payment" button if I don't see this discount applied first.

[DawnC]

Yes.  If your return meets the requirements below, the Military promo is automatically applied and no payment is necessary.  

• Offer valid for active duty and reservists of an enlisted rank (E-1 through E-9) with a W2 from DFAS entered
• Excludes National Guard members
• Excludes TurboTax Live products
• Discount will be applied when you are ready to file

Thank you for your service @UsernameAddedUnderDuress! 

[mesquitebean]

@ UsernameAddedUnderDuress 

Also, after entering your W-2 from DFAS, TurboTax has a screen with multiple checkboxes asking if the W-2 has any of about 9-10 "Uncommon situations."    One of the items to check there is "Active duty military."    I know it's odd, since TurboTax already asked if you were active duty (along with other military questions, such as indicating rank, etc.) in the MY INFO section, but for some reason it asks it again on a screen after the W-2.   It's easy to overlook with the multiple checkboxes of "Uncommon situations" on that screen.   Seems redundant, but it does ask the "active duty" question twice, and has to be answered in both places.

If it still tries to charge at the end, DO NOT PAY.   We can tell you how to phone TurboTax Support.  It's easier to work out before paying.  If you pay, they may not refund it.

[SteamTrain]

@UsernameAddedUnderDuress 

Yep...be sure you do it TWO places (selecting active duty).

1)  Once in the Personal Info section about yourself.

2)  ...and a second time after the actual DFAS W-2.

[Yeager]

I am an E5 in the military and have used Turbo Tax for years and when filing this time around, I was given a price tag. I read your message in this forum and understood it as I wasn't going to be charged. Since my final section was broken up into 3 sections (Review, Payment information, and Ready to file), it made sense that the final section "ready to file" would be where you confirm everything. Just like your final bullet point states, but was unfortunatly I was dooped into paying before ever making it to the file page. Please fix.

[DoninGA]

@Yeager 

In the My Info section of the program you need to indicate that you are active military.  You must enter a Military W-2 in the Wages & Income section and after completing the W-2 on the screen labeled Let's check for uncommon situations you will need to check the box Active military duty

When you complete the tax return using the above information you will not be charged for either the federal or state tax returns.

Go back and review your answers in the My Info section and revisit the W-2 section to make sure you checked that box on the screen for uncommon situations.

[Yeager]

When going back through my tax form, that box was already checked.

[DoninGA]

@Yeager If the information in the My Info section is correct and you entered a military W-2 and you checked the box for being military on the uncommon situations screen, then you should not be charged for the TurboTax online account fees.  Assuming that you did NOT use one of the Live editions, but that would show on your order summary if you did.

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

See this TurboTax support FAQ for contacting support - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/turbotax-phone-number...

Support can also be reached by messaging them on these pages https://www.facebook.com/turbotax/ and https://twitter.com/TeamTurboTax

[JakeWhiskey]

I followed all the instructions and then again double checked the below "Tips". I am still having the same issue. I have never had this issue ever before doing my taxes with TurboTax. Why is this a problem?

[mesquitebean]

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@ JakeWhiskey wrote:

I followed all the instructions and then again double checked the below "Tips". I am still having the same issue. I have never had this issue ever before doing my taxes with TurboTax. Why is this a problem?

---

Did you happen to upgrade to LIVE TurboTax aka "Assisted TurboTax" by mistake?   The LIVE versions are not included in the free military offer, nor are add-ons such as MAX.   You can check your fees by opening your return and in the left menu column, click on Tax Tools, then sub Tools.  In the Tools popup choose MY FEES.  If you have something like LIVE or MAX, we can tell you how to remove it.

So if you verified you did not use a LIVE product or MAX, are you saying you followed all the steps that have been mentioned in this thread, i.e., answering all the military questions in MY INFO section and indicating you are E1-E9, and checking "active duty" there in that section; then entering a W-2 from DFAS, and on a subsequent screen after W-2 that asks if your W-2 had any of the uncommon situations listed, again check "Active duty military" there (I know it sounds redundant to indicate "active duty" twice).    If so,  unless someone has another suggestion in this thread, I'll tell you below you to phone TurboTax Support.   If you are deployed and can't phone, I've also put other ways to reach them.  Just do NOT pay.   It will be more difficult to resolve if you pay.

FAQ:  What is the TurboTax phone number?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/turbotax-phone-number...

Or if you are deployed and can't phone, you can use one of these to communicate with a TurboTax Support agent by messaging:

https://twitter.com/TeamTurboTax   (now known as "X")

or
https://www.facebook.com/turbotax