I buy TurboTax Home & Business every year so I can file the federal returns for me/my wife, our 3 boys and my elderly, widowed Mom. This year, I unexpectedly have another federal return to file for my mother-in-law who moved into assisted living in January 2023. My wife has a DPOA for her Mom and was able to get copies of all the 1099's and SSA forms that my MIL never received with her mail interruption so I could prepare her 2022 return, which I previously filed an extension for. Today, as I was preparing to file my MIL's federal return, TurboTax had a warning message that I have "hit my 5-federal-return limit" and will need to print and file my MIL's return. But I want to electronically file. Should I purchase another desktop download of TurboTax (i.e., Deluxe) so I can file electronically, or is there another, better way to handle this?
What you want and what you can have is not the same thing. 5 is the IRS limitation on DIY programs so if MIL qualifies you can use one of the IRS FREE FILE options OR you can print, ink sign and put a stamp on it.
https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free
Buying another download will not get you any more e-files. The IRS limit of 5 e-files applies to you, not to the software. Furthermore, you cannot have two personal editions of TurboTax, such as Deluxe and Home & Business, installed on the same computer.