You are posting your question from a paid version (online Live Basic--which provides live help from an expert) of the software; that is why you are seeing fees.
How can I see my TurboTax fees?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2565973-how-do-i-review-my-fees-in-turbotax-online
If you have not registered, paid or e-filed you can clear and start over in a lower version of the software.
CLEAR AND START OVER
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2586254-how-do-i-clear-and-start-over
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 and if you are watching the screens carefully you are alerted to the upgrade.
When you chose to “start” in the Free Edition —
Directly below the words “Free Edition” there is a blue link that says “For simple tax returns only” If you click that link it brings up this information:
You can file with TurboTax Free Edition if you have a simple tax return.*
*A simple tax return is Form 1040 only.
Situations covered in TurboTax Free Edition include:
- W-2 income
- Limited interest and dividend income reported on a 1099-INT or 1099-DIV
- Claiming the standard deduction
- Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC)
- Child tax credits
- Student Loan Interest deduction
Situations not covered in TurboTax Free Edition include:
- Itemized deductions
- Unemployment income reported on a 1099-G
- Business or 1099-NEC income
- Stock sales
- Rental property income
- Credits, deductions and income reported on schedules 1-3
How does TurboTax make any money?
Customers with more complex tax situations will file with our paid TurboTax products that provide all the additional forms and guidance they need. We also offer additional benefits that go beyond filing your taxes, but they are optional and are not required to file simple taxes for free. We hope that, over time, as our customers with simple returns need more capabilities as their financial situations change (for example owning a home, having a child, managing investments), they have loved our products and services so much that they will choose our paid TurboTax offerings to prepare and file their returns.
Or—-Use this IRS site for other ways to file for free. There are 8 free software versions available from the IRS Free File site
https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/
If your TurboTax fees are higher than expected, you can reduce them by removing add-ons:
REFUND PROCESSING
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/charges-and-fees/help/why-can-t-i-deduct-my-turbotax-fees-from-my-...
If your refund is enough to cover your TurboTax fees PLUS the extra “refund processing” fee of $40 ($45 in CA) and your forms are ready then when you are in the FILE section you can choose to have your fees deducted from your federal refund by a third party bank, who will take out your fees and send you the rest of your refund after the IRS issues the refund.
Please make note that if your refund takes too long to arrive (IRS delays, etc.) then you will also be agreeing that the TurboTax fees can be extracted from your bank account even before your refund is issued by the IRS. This comes as an unpleasant shock to many people every year.
If you can possibly pay your fees upfront using a debit or credit card, it will save you that extra fee and ever more importantly, the possible aggravation and delays that are often the result of poor handling/poor customer service by that third party bank. We see way too many instances where refunds are delayed for months when users choose refund processing. There have been lots of complaints; there are a number of things that can go wrong when you use refund processing. I suggest avoiding that situation if at all possible.
And....you can never pay state tax due from a federal refund, so do not expect that. The state tax due has to be paid directly to your state.
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
