topic I am active duty military, why did I have to pay to file a 1040 that I did myself ? in Tax help for military filers

I am active duty military, why did I have to pay to file a 1040 that I did myself ?

inlovearmywife — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:27:57 GMT

I opted for the free version and it would not let me file without paying

Re: I am active duty military, why did I have to pay to file a 1040 that I did myself ?

mesquitebean — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 05:42:35 GMT

@ inlovearmywife

Oh, no. Sorry you didn't get your free product.

Did you happen to upgrade to Live TurboTax by any chance?

Active duty military, enlisted E1-E9, with a W-2 from DFAS can use any product level for free as long as it does not include TurboTax Live (Expert help) or other add-ons.

It would have been more optimal if you had sought help before paying so someone could help you resolve it before you provided your payment information. I'll tell you below how to phone TurboTax Support below to see if you can convince them to refund you. I don't know what they will do.

To get the enlisted military free product here are some essential steps one would have needed to do:

1) In the Personal Info section indicated "served in Armed Forces" then it expands.

2) In the expanded section, indicated "active duty" and answered the other military questions about one's pay grade and duty.

3) Entered a military W-2 from DFAS

4) A subsequent screen asks if the W-2 has any of the listed "uncommon situations" and has about 9-10 checkboxes. One has to once again put a checkmark for "active duty". This is the step that is easiest to miss, since it is down in the list of other uncommon situations.

I don't know why TurboTax asks the active-duty question twice.

FAQ: What is the TurboTax phone number?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/turbotax-phone-number/L0Od33nMQ_US_en_US

Re: I am active duty military, why did I have to pay to file a 1040 that I did myself ?

inlovearmywife — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 05:45:41 GMT

Thank you! I did try calling - I checked every box and when over it a dozen times and the only thing I system would tell me is that the free service would be applied before filing. The system would not let me proceed without payment info so I figured it was a formality and that it would 0 out at the end but it charged me! I’m so upset! I did all the work myself and it feels like this is a scam. H and R block never charges military- I should have stuck with them

I will try to call tomorrow- thank you agsifor your help

Re: I am active duty military, why did I have to pay to file a 1040 that I did myself ?

mesquitebean — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 06:06:43 GMT

@inlovearmywife

First try regular phone support. If your experience with Customer Support is unsuccessful, you can elevate your issue to the Office of the President of Intuit. They are good about getting back to you within 1 business day. The contact form and a box for explanation of your issue is here:

https://www.intuit.com/company/contact/office-of-the-president/