Can't e-file extension for free after paying almost $100 for "Premium"

[SDSoCal]

Dear Intuit,

You've been pretty awful at filing extensions for a very long time (finally in the past few years at least the "extension" appears in the list of items on the home page, rather than buried 4-5 non-intuitive menus deep). I know the master plan is that I should be doing my taxes right now. I've been busy all Spring, and I don't have time right now. Making me PRINT my and MAIL my "I don't owe anything" extension for no apparent reason isn't helping.  

I know we $$$-paying premium customers are a terrible inconvenience to your business model, but could you PLEASE include in the most EXPENSIVE version of your software at least SOME of the most basic services that other (free) software includes for...well, free. I am NOT going to pay an additional fee to hire your staff to help me navigate around what seem to be deliberately designed obstacles in the software.

[VolvoGirl]

Extensions are free.  Are you using the Online version or the Desktop program?

For the Desktop program,  type extend in the search and click on the Jump to link.  Or go to  Other Tax Situations----then scroll down to Other Tax Forms---File an Extension

Extensions form your computer must be printed and mailed.

Or use the online "Easy Extension".

https://turbotax.intuit.com/irs-tax-extensions/

[SDSoCal]

Please read the title again.

As I said, using the most expensive "Premier" purchased version of TT,  I cannot E-FILE and extension for free using my laptop. 

Other (FREE) tax software allows you to do this. How does it make sense that I purchase TT (again, the MOST EXPENSIVE VERSION), but have to use a competitors (free, online) product to do the one simple thing I wish to do? On April 12 I wish to NOT print, NOT get a stamp, NOT address an envelope, NOT go to the post office in order to do one simple task. I'm out of town for work, so all of these are far less convenient than when I'm at home, but I don't even want to do all these things at home unless there is some honest-to-goodness legitimate reason. Corporate greed, sloth and laziness aren't sufficient reasons. 

The real issue I have is that there is no earthly reason for the PITA inconvenience  (again, FREEEE tax software programs can do this). Is TT HONESTLY saying that their billing software really can't figure out the difference between an extension and a tax return in order to bill for one, but not the other?  One would think that the almost $100 that I paid for the program should be sufficient to cover the few pennies it would cost them to electronically file (which, by the way I believe even their free online program does).  

I did already try to use their online program to  efile my extension; In order to use their online option to e-file  I have to log into Intuit. At that point TT tries to shunt me toward their online product AND force me through the process of creating my tax return.  We played that game last year -  after a few entries TT states that my taxes are "complicated" and I need to purchase the online version of Premier.......remember, this is all just to efile an extension, AND I'd already purchased TT Premier.   I'm sure that enough people accidentally pay twice that some bright bulb in Sales figures it's a win.  Meanwhile I'm trying to remember why I didn't purchase a different tax product this year, and the only reasons I can come up with are that it's familiar, and available at Costco. 

Does anyone at Intuit bother to read the comments?

[DoninGA]

Using the TurboTax website to e-file the extension request does NOT require you to purchase anything from TurboTax.

You do need a User ID for your TurboTax account which you already have since you needed that account information to enter the license code on the Premier edition you purchased.

I just went through the website for e-filing an extension and never once was asked to purchase anything.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/irs-tax-extensions/

[VolvoGirl]

You can still use the free online extension and efile it if you are using the Desktop program.  The extension doesn't need to be in noted in your return unless you sent in a payment in which case you have to manually enter the payment.  

[SDSoCal]

Nope. I tried.  Repeatedly. With and without a payment due (originally I thought I might owe, then re-did it after some quick calculations - still no efile option).  Even with $0 taxes due the downloaded version of Premier would not allow me to e-file option. Print only. 

My online Intuit account tried to force me through the whole "Let's start your taxes! Let's start with all of your personal details! Let's see if you owe any money! Let's start with your income!". I used a different provider, & no problem. Done in under 10 minutes.

Again, I wouldn't be so frustrated if I hadn't dealt with variations of this problem since about 2008, when the extension option was thoroughly buried many non-intuitive layers deep (it wasn't something as simple as "file", it was more like "view" or "print" or some random thing like that).  All of this is unnecessary and could be fixed easily if Intuit WANTED to, but for some reason TT seems to be very resistant to their customers filing extensions.  

At least now "Extension" is finally on the homepage (after how many decades?), so that's an improvement.  Now if only my past years of Turbotax would stop attempting to "update" every time I access my .tax files....pretty sure no new changes to the 2022 version are being made in 2024.

[SDSoCal]

This year I didn't go far enough through the "let's file your taxes" process for it to "know" I couldn't use the free version; that was last year.  This year when I was trying to download my purchased software it kept trying to bounce me to the "purchase" page instead.   

My main point is that after purchasing TurboTax software I should EASILY be able to do the very, very simple stuff....like e-file my extension from my laptop. There is absolutely no good reason to be jumping through so many hoops to accomplish common tasks.  10-15% of ALL American taxpayers file an extension in any given year. This isn't an exotic, uncommon occurrence. 

[DoninGA]

For future reference - You can get an automatic extension from the IRS if you make an extension payment on the IRS website for Direct Pay on or before the due date of the federal tax return -  https://directpay.irs.gov/directpay/payment?execution=e2s1

[kingfook3331]

you can probably e-file the federal bu the state  requires  a fee on top of that that is what happened to me. so best to pay rather than file late and get 25% penalty.E file Fees are paid to the government, not  to turbotax .

[SDSoCal]

No, this is post is only about tryin to e-file the EXTENSION. I don't owe any additional taxes.  At least I'm in CA, which has the good sense to accept the Fed Extension as an automatic State extension. I don't owe them anything additional either. 

[SDSoCal]

I question that the "e-file fees are paid to the government".  First of all the government WANTS you to e-file -- it saves them a boatload of $$$$ in labor. Plus, if TurboTax has to pay for e-filing, why can any number of OTHER tax software providers handle an e-file for FREE?

[SDSoCal]

Good to know about the "automatic extension" option on the IRS website, but I don't owe anything. IRS.gov website directed me to online FREE tax preparers, & I used one of those. Fast. Easy. Unlike the desktop software I purchased. 

[coxm505]

I could not agree more. Ludicrous that you can't simply efile the federal and states. Even after specifically stating I want an extension, the only option I can find is to print it and drive to the post office. Frustrating!!

[PaulaM]

You can file an extension online here. 

[SDSoCal]

Thank you for the link to the online version of TurboTax, however as the title says I was trying to use my PAID version to e-file my extension. Which it doesn't do.

I did start with the TurboTax site you linked to. First I had to fill out all my information (even though Intuit already has that on file) and then it tried to get me start filling out my taxes. I quit and used TaxAct instead.