topic My question is very simple how can you advertise free basic taxes and then charge me for the same exact service is that not illegal in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

My question is very simple how can you advertise free basic taxes and then charge me for the same exact service is that not illegal

74d68b8ae913 — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 06:07:31 GMT

Second time putting question in you advertise free service for basic and then charge me at the end is that not illegal or false advertisement

Re: My question is very simple how can you advertise free basic taxes and then charge me for the same exact service is that not illegal

xmasbaby0 — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 12:40:49 GMT

WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY? I WANT THE FREE EDITION

The information that you can enter in Free Edition is pretty limited now. Thanks to the new tax laws that began for 2018 returns, there are no more simple Form 1040EZ or 1040A's. Everything goes on a Form 1040 that has three extra "schedules" with it, and if you need any of those schedules, you are not able to use the Free Edition. Using the standard deduction instead of itemizing does NOT mean you will not need any of those schedules.https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4511011-what-happened-to-the-1040a-and-1040ez If you started in the Free Edition and entered any data that required any of those three schedules, you have to upgrade to a paid version and if you are watching the screens carefully you are alerted to the upgrade.

When you chose to “start” in the Free Edition —

Directly below the words “Free Edition” there is a blue link that says “For simple tax returns only” If you click that link it brings up this information:

You can file with TurboTax Free Edition if you have a simple tax return.*

*A simple tax return is Form 1040 only.

Situations covered in TurboTax Free Edition include:

W-2 income
Limited interest and dividend income reported on a 1099-INT or 1099-DIV
Claiming the standard deduction
Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC)
Child tax credits
Student Loan Interest deduction

Situations not covered in TurboTax Free Edition include:

Itemized deductions
Unemployment income reported on a 1099-G
Business or 1099-NEC income
Stock sales
Rental property income
Credits, deductions and income reported on schedules 1-3

How does TurboTax make any money?

Customers with more complex tax situations will file with our paid TurboTax products that provide all the additional forms and guidance they need. We also offer additional benefits that go beyond filing your taxes, but they are optional and are not required to file simple taxes for free. We hope that, over time, as our customers with simple returns need more capabilities as their financial situations change (for example owning a home, having a child, managing investments), they have loved our products and services so much that they will choose our paid TurboTax offerings to prepare and file their returns.

Or—-Use this IRS site for other ways to file for free. There are 8 free software versions available from the IRS Free File site

https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/

If your TurboTax fees are higher than expected, you can reduce them by removing add-ons:

Re: My question is very simple how can you advertise free basic taxes and then charge me for the same exact service is that not illegal

fanfare — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 13:17:02 GMT

@74d68b8ae913

Complain to your state attorney general.

It is bait and switch but somehow Turbotax has been getting away with it forever.

Re: My question is very simple how can you advertise free basic taxes and then charge me for the same exact service is that not illegal

74d68b8ae913 — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 14:48:53 GMT

I am trying to figure out how to track my refund,so no you have no helped me at all, it has been over 20 days and your phone number is useless, thanks for that

Re: My question is very simple how can you advertise free basic taxes and then charge me for the same exact service is that not illegal

xmasbaby0 — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 14:50:16 GMT

@74d68b8ae913

First, check your e-file status to see if your return was accepted:

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

Once your federal return has been accepted by the IRS, only the IRS has any control. TurboTax does not receive any updates from the IRS. Your ONLY source of information about your refund now is the IRS.

You need your filing status, your Social Security number and the exact amount (line 35a of your 2021 Form 1040) of your federal refund to track your Federal refund:

https://www.irs.gov/refunds

To track your state refund:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901548-why-do-some-refunds-take-longer-than-others

If you chose to have your TurboTax fees deducted from your federal refund, that will take some extra time, while the third party bank handles the refund processing.

https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2724106-my-return-is-accepted-but-still-not-approved-is-there-a-problem-should-i-be-worried

Re: My question is very simple how can you advertise free basic taxes and then charge me for the same exact service is that not illegal

DoninGA — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 14:50:23 GMT

@74d68b8ae913 wrote:

I am trying to figure out how to track my refund,so no you have no helped me at all, it has been over 20 days and your phone number is useless, thanks for that

Once a tax return has been Accepted by the IRS or a State, TurboTax receives no further information concerning the tax return or the status of any tax refund.

If accepted by the IRS use the federal tax refund website to check the refund status - https://www.irs.gov/refunds
If accepted by the state use this TurboTax support FAQ to check the state tax refund status - https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

After the tax return has been Accepted by the IRS (meaning only that they received the return) it will be in the Processing mode until the tax refund has been Approved and then an Issue Date will be available on the IRS website.
See this IRS website for federal tax refund FAQ's - https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions