Why was i required to purchase deluxe before i was able to e file when i did not use anything it offered?

[mesquitebean · Accepted solution]

No one will know anything specific about your return in a user forum, but we can talk a bit in general.   Did you need any of the new Schedules 1-6?    The FAQ linked lower down will tell you more about them.

Did it not give you any message about why you needed Deluxe?

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. 

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, Saver's Credit, etc.

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