Forcing me to upgrade to Deluxe?

[shadow-night21]

TurboTax is trying to force me to upgrade to Deluxe because I have Schedule 4, Other Taxes. What does that even mean?

[CarolynM]

Schedule 4 is a new schedule to report other taxes you owe including self-employment, unreported SS tax and the penalty for not having health insurance.

See the link for a copy of the form: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040s4.pdf

Before you pay to upgrade, I suggest trying TurboTax Free File Edition. 

While the name is similar to Free Edition, there are no costs to upgrade if you qualify. 

To you qualify

Make less than $34,000 a year or

Qualify for the Earned Income Credit or

Active military making less than $66,000

For more information, follow these links: Free File Program  and IRS Free File Alliance.

To get started, click here:  www.taxfreedom.com. 

[micheletiana]

Not happy either. You prompted me to upgrade to deluxe and it does not change a thing except now I have a fee. And to get back to my free tax return I have to clear all the work I did.

Grrr...taxes are already not fur...thanks a lot Turbo.

[xmasbaby0]

@micheletiana 

Major tax reform and major changes in the tax forms have also resulted in changes to the tax software.

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, there are no more simple Form 1040EZ or 1040A's.  Everything goes on a little “postcard-size” Form 1040 that has six 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://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040 

If you qualify to use it, there is another free version of the software:

Try Free File: 

You qualify if your income was $34,000 or less, or $66,000 or less if active duty military, or if you qualify for Earned Income Credit

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900583-what-is-turbotax-free-file-program

• https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2026912-how-do-i-switch-to-turbotax-free-file-program

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4511011-what-happened-to-the-1040a-and-1040ez

Note:  If you do not qualify to use Free File then you will have to upgrade to Deluxe or higher in the paid versions of the software

[Critter]

The change in the refund meter happened before you upgraded which is why you think nothing changed ... when you upgraded the change became permanent .... so look at the return Sch 4 and see what line you were effected by ...

You can peek at only the Federal form 1040 and the summary of the state info by going here:

1) lower- Left side of the screen...click to the left side of the "Tax Tools" text selection.
2) then select "Tools"
3) then select "View Tax Summary" from the pop-up
4) then back to the left-side and "Preview 1040"

Then hit the "Back" on the left side to get back to your tax entries.
To view your entire return using the online editions (including the state) before you file, you will need to pay for your online account.
To pay the TurboTax online account fees by credit card, without completing the 2018 return at this time, click on Tax Tools >>> Tools and then Print Center. Then click on Print, save or preview this year's return. On the next page, to pay by credit card, click Continue. On the next screen it will ask if you want Audit Defense, if you do not want this option just click on the Continue button. The next screen will ask for all your credit card information so you can pay for the account.

[DJ44]

This should be prompted at the start before we enter our info...seems like a sleezy way for TT to get you to go through the process and expect you to pay rather than delete all the work you did.

I refuse to pay and will go somewhere else, even if I am paying as long as they are upfront unlike this sorry excuse for a $40 scam. Never recommending nor using TT again. This is great news for CPA's though! 

[JimmyAndBimmy]

Nice bait and switch; what a greasy move. I'm going elsewhere, even if it's a hassle.

[Irene2805]

Please see xmasbaby0's response above concerning being asked to upgrade your version of TurboTax.

Please also see this TurboTax Help article:  Why am I being charged for TurboTax Free Edition?  for suggestions. 

You may also wish to investigate the IRS Free File Program.  To qualify:

• Your 2020 household AGI is $39,000 or less;
• You qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); or
• In 2020, you served as active duty military (including Reservists and National Guard) with a maximum AGI of $72,000, and you have a military-issued W-2

For more information please see:  Changing to the IRS Free File Program - ttlc.intuit.com

@JimmyAndBimmy

[zoberholzer]

I have $23 in retirement contribution and you bs system is making me pay $50 because if it???? Are you kidding??? And I earned god forbid I had a 1099 nec! This is so pointless! This is not free!! I hate that you advertise and waste my time with the free thing when all this is, is another scam when people are broke. You should be ashamed.

[xmasbaby0]

@zoberholzer

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.   The Free Edition cannot be used for self-employment income, investment income, rental income or a student loan interest deduction,

https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040 

If you qualify to use it, there is another full-featured free version of the software:

Try Free File: 

You qualify if your income was $39,000 or less, or $72,000 or less if active duty military, or if you qualify for Earned Income Credit

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900583-what-is-turbotax-free-file-program

• https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2026912-how-do-i-switch-to-turbotax-free-file-program

Note:  If you do not qualify to use Free File then you will have to upgrade to Deluxe or higher in the paid versions of the software.   

 Online Deluxe $40  State software $40

Or—-Use this IRS site for other ways to file for free

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

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

• Remove Premium Services
• Remove MAX Defend & Restore
• Remove a state
• Remove PLUS Help & Support
• Remove Pay With Your Refund