is this premium service mandatory?

[bigvjr]

you're charging me $44 for premium service that i didnt sign up for. why am i being charged?

[mesquitebean]

@ bigvjr 

No, it is not mandatory.  Premium Services is only required if you chose to pay the TurboTax fees out of the Federal refund.

That has an extra $44 fee for California filers who chose to pay for the product fees out of the Federal refund.   If you don't want it,  you have to remove it and pay upfront with credit/debit card instead of using the "pay out of refund" option.

Premium Services also includes audit protection and ID protection services in addition to the "pay out of refund" option.  See the 2 FAQs below:

FAQ:  What is the Premium Services package?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-product-orders/premium-services/L...

FAQ:  How do I remove Premium Services?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/change-service-level/remove-premium-serv...

[LindaS5247]

You can review your fees using the instructions below to find out what fees you were charged. You can follow the instructions in this article to remove any  unwanted Fees Why am I being charged for TurboTax Free Edition?

You can review your fees in TurboTax online as follows:

1. Go to the left side of your screen under "Tax Home"
2. Go to "Tax Tools" then "Tools"
3. The "Tools Center" Box will pop up
4. Click on "My Fees" to see a summary of your Turbo Tax Fees.

Your screens will look something like this:

Click here for "How do I review my fees in TurboTax Online?"