How do I remove audit defense charge? I don't need it.

[JC 10]

I don't need audit defense and there is no instruction how to remove.  As a customer, I should have the right to opt in or out of a purchase and audit defense is locked as a default.  I opted out several times but keeps adding the $45 dollar charge at the end.  Is this legal?  If anyone could help me it is greatly appreciated.

[mesquitebean]

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@ JC 10 wrote:

I don't need audit defense and there is no instruction how to remove.  As a customer, I should have the right to opt in or out of a purchase and audit defense is locked as a default.  I opted out several times but keeps adding the $45 dollar charge at the end.  Is this legal?  If anyone could help me it is greatly appreciated.

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First of all are you referring to the desktop software as opposed to Online TurboTax?

And are you a California filer or a non-California filer?  

Are you trying to pay the $25 state efile fee out of your Federal refund?   If you are in California, that payment option will add a bundle called "Premium Services" that includes Audit Defense among other benefits for $45.  If you are in California and ended up in that, it can be removed and you can pay upfront.

Or are you a non-California filer and ended up with Audit Defense standalone product by mistake?   If so, we can tell you how to go back and remove it.

[Pavi]

My product is Turbo Tax Premier 2025 for the Desktop. I live in CA. I did not check Audit Defense by mistake. Turbo Tax is causing this to happen because there is a permanent check mark under Show Topic List-->Review-->Audit Defense that is irremovable and results in forcing the user to pay $45 for the Audit Defense or not be able to continue and finish efiling, unless you pay for Audit Defense. Does anyone have a solution? I do not believe it is legal to force customers to buy what they don't want or need. Besides what happened to selling a product that does what is promised it will do?

Pauline

[mesquitebean]

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@Pavi wrote:

My product is Turbo Tax Premier 2025 for the Desktop. I live in CA. I did not check Audit Defense by mistake. Turbo Tax is causing this to happen because there is a permanent check mark under Show Topic List-->Review-->Audit Defense that is irremovable and results in forcing the user to pay $45 for the Audit Defense or not be able to continue and finish efiling, unless you pay for Audit Defense. Does anyone have a solution? I do not believe it is legal to force customers to buy what they don't want or need. Besides what happened to selling a product that does what is promised it will do?

Pauline

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If you are in California and sure that you did not choose Audit Defense by mistake, there is a way you may have ended up with it anyway, which can be removed.   How did you indicate you would pay your fees?    If you chose to pay the state efile fee of $25 out of the Federal refund, then in California that requires the addition of Premium Services for $45.   Premium Services is a bundle of benefits that includes Audit Defense, ID monitoring and restoration, the ability to pay out of the Federal refund, etc.   If that's your situation, then you cannot remove Audit Defense independently by the usual method, which would be to go  back and decline it.   Instead, if you chose that "pay out of refund" method to pay your $25 fee, then you have to decline or remove that Premium Service option (and thus Audit Defense) by paying upfront with credit/debit card instead of paying out of the Federal refund.   Then when you are entering your credit/debit card info to pay the $25 state efile fee, before you actually submit the credit/debit card payment info be sure the figure shown on the credit card screen only shows $25 plus possible sales tax.

I think @VolvoGirl  may have some screen images if needed.

[VolvoGirl]

Yes you have to get Audit Defense  $45 in California if you want the state efile fee deducted from your refund.  In California Desktop program to remove Audit Defense and Premium Services you have to change to pay the $25 state efile fee by credit card and not by having it deducted from your federal refund. Or print and mail state for free. Go back through the File tab again and change to pay with a credit card. Then if Audit Defense is still there you can remove it. See this screen shot from a prior year,

[VolvoGirl]

Or this one is from a newer year

[Pavi]

Doesn't work for me because my tax payment is designated ad Direct Debit from my bank. FTB reaches into my acct and takes the owed taxed on the date that I designated. This is an how TTax directed that the payment occur. The only reason I would have to use a card would be to pay for the @#$%* Audit Defense which I refuse to be stuck with.  

If there is something that I misunderstood in your answer. please let me know, I will try anything.

Thank you for your support. 

Pauline

[VolvoGirl]

No.  You have to use a card to pay the Turbo Tax fee to efile a state return.   It’s not for paying a tax due.   It is $25 to efile each state return including the first state.   You can use a credit card or have the Turbo Tax fee deducted from a federal refund or you can print and mail state for free.

Then in California it is $45 to have the $25 fee deducted from your federal refund.   So total of $70.  In California the $45 Pay with Refund service charge includes the Premium Service Bundle which includes Audit Defense.

What is Premium Service?

What is Premium Services?

[Pavi]

I am in CA. I did not choose to pay from the return. You can see my problem when you go to "Show Topic List" scroll down to -->4. Review and find that Audit Defense has a check mark that is impossible to change. It is locked to apply the Audit Defense charge. Also none of my screens ever gave me an option to turn down the offer or Remove it.

I will however try using my credit card once again but, only for the $25 for efiling my CA tax return. I am angry that Intuit has subjected the public to this frustrating problem for multi years, as i have seen posts all the way back to 2019.

[VolvoGirl]

I don’t know.  It must think you selected pay with refund.  Start the File tab over.  Maybe start back at review.   Here’s how to remove Premium Services

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/downgrading/help/how-do-i-remove-premium-services/00/

[Pavi]

I am in CA. I had the problem of being locked in, to a charge for Audit Defense which I did not want. And tried the solutions that the Community gave me. With many doubts I followed the advice and used my credit card and although the Audit Defense screen still showed that it was selected I was only charged the $25. I stand corrected. Thank you all. 

[VolvoGirl]

Just thought of something.   Are you signed up for the Advantage plan where you automatically get charged in early November for the Desktop program?   That includes Audit Defense now

Desktop Advantage plan

https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/cd-download/advantage/ 

[whodiini]

I am signed up but I still should be able to decline it.  My issue is that I do not select audit defense, and everything looks ok until I click on pay by credit card.  Then it asks me to log into my intuit account.  I made up a new intuit account and logged in.  The first screen says enter member information for audit defense even though I never selected it.  It will not let me enter my credit card info unless I provide info for audit defense. I close and log out of the intuit account and hit back and now it shows that audit defense is selected even though I never selected it. 

[whodiini]

I spent 2 hours today with level 2 support. Confirmed that with TT Advantage, you CANNOT decline Audit defense if you choose to efile state.  The issue is that if you efile state, you must pay for it. Any method you choose to pay requires you to log into your intuit account. When you log into your intuit account, it requires you first to enter Audit Defense personal information and agree to the terms before it takes you to a payment page.  If you close the log in window and return to TT, you will find that it has now selected Audit defense even though you have not selected it. This is irrespective of whether you have chosen credit card only or have a prepaid credit for state filing. The only way to turn off Audit defense is to remove TT Advantage from your account.