TurboTax has 2 free products--regular Free Edition and the TurboTax Free File Program--and you do not appear to be in either of them. I'll talk about both of them in
this Answer, so read the whole thing first to help make your decision. I'll give you details on the TurboTax Free File Program at the end of this long post.
By the way, the Free File Program (not the regular Free Edition) AGI limit is $34,000--not $55,000--unless you are military, who have a limit of $66,000. I'm not sure where you got that $55,000 figure.
You apparently are not in one of the free products. You
appear to be using Live Deluxe now (at least that is the product displayed next to your screen name above.) If so, that is an upgrade from regular Deluxe Edition. The
Live portion of your product allows you to contact an expert on demand for Live
tax help and return preparation help from a CPA/EA tax pro. It also
includes a final review of your return, which they sign. That product is 119.99 for Federal and 44.99 for
State. If you choose to pay the fees out of the Federal refund, there
is an additional 39.99 service fee (44.99 for California filers.)
Are you reporting any student loan interest or receiving any
credits? Those are some common things that would require someone who
normally uses Free Edition to have to use Deluxe, since they require a
new Schedule.
If you haven't already paid, and you are SURE
you don't need Deluxe, you
could use "Clear and Start Over" and choose regular Free Edition, which you may or may not be able to use. If it told you to upgrade due to one of the new Federal schedules 1-6,
you would likely once again encounter a situation that requires an
upgrade.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2586254-how-do-i-clear-and-start-over-in-turbotax-online
But
if you had to upgrade to Deluxe to receive certain credits, report student loan
interest, etc., there is a free alternative. I've told you below about a
second free product. So
read the whole answer first.
Because of new changes in the tax
laws for 2018, there may be some
filers who can no longer use regular Free Edition this year. But there is
a second free product that you might be able to use, if necessary.
I'll provide more info about the TurboTax Free File Program below.
The regular
Free Edition is more limited this year due to tax law changes. If you
need any of the new Schedules 1-6, for instance, then you can't use
Free Edition.
Here are some common things that cannot be handled by the regular Free Edition:
Itemized deductions
Business or 1099-MISC income
Sales of stocks/mutual funds/bonds
Rental property income
Foreign Earned Income
HSA
Credits, deductions and income reported on the new schedules 1–6, such as the Student Loan Interest Deduction
You can read about the new schedules here. Click on the "More info" link for each to see the actual schedule.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4511015-what-are-the-new-schedules
TurboTax
has another free product called
the TurboTax Free File Program. It is free for both Federal and
State--IF you meet just one of the qualifications. It can handle all
the usual forms without the limitations of regular Free Edition.
See this FAQ to see if you meet one of the qualifications:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900583-what-is-turbotax-free-file-program
The TurboTax Free File Program is located at the link
below.
https://turbotax.intuit.com/taxfreedom/
If you decide to switch, here's how.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2026912-how-do-i-switch-to-turbotax-free-file-program
NOTE: The FAQ says "Please keep in mind that once you
switch from your existing TurboTax account to the Free File Program, you
won’t be able to switch back
in case you aren’t eligible."
