Pricing to do my taxes myself online

[Patricia Diane Watkins]

I submitted my taxes I had done online myself as I have done the past several years.  However, when I got to the end ready to file my taxes, I was charged $143.00 to file, which I paid for with a credit card.

However, I had signed on and selected the "free" filing.  Why was I charged this high rate for doing my own short form for filing my taxes.  Please consider refunding me most of this fee, as I did not ask for an expert to do it for me.

Thank you,

[DoninGA]

See this TurboTax support FAQ for reviewing your account fees - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-account-billing/review-fees-turbo...

The TurboTax Free online edition is for very simple tax returns that do not require any other form or schedule other than the Form 1040.  If your tax data requires entry on any other form or schedule then you must upgrade to the Deluxe edition or higher.

If you have not paid for the online edition you are using, have not filed your tax return or registered the Free edition, then you can clear your return and start over with a lower priced edition. Click on Tax Tools on the left side of the program screen while working on the 2022 online tax return. Click on Clear & Start Over.

You will have to contact TurboTax support for any type of account problems.  Use the key words Billing Issue when contacting support.

See this TurboTax support FAQ for contacting support - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/turbotax-phone-number...

Support can also be reached by messaging them on these pages https://www.facebook.com/turbotax/ and https://twitter.com/TeamTurboTax

[Patricia Diane Watkins]

I selected to do my taxes myself for free.  Yet when I finished, I was charged $143.  This is ridiculous.  I have used Turbo Tax the past several years and have been completely satisfied with results.  Why was I charged this amount when I used the signup and do taxes for free?

Thank you,

Patricia Diane Watkins

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

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/

How can I see my TurboTax  fees?   

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2565973-how-do-i-review-my-fees-in-turbotax-online

If your TurboTax fees are higher than expected, you can reduce them by removing add-ons:

• Remove Premium Services
• Remove MAX Defend & Restore
• Remove a state
• Remove PLUS Help & Support
• Remove Pay With Your Refund

[dillpickle]

I mistakenly signed on the online version.  I did purchase the Premier version from Costco online.  After talking with a Turbotax agent we soon figured out that I needed to logon to the Turbotax software NOT the online version.  All went swimmingly.  AND the Costco purchase proved to be the best financial decision with Turbotax and their software.  

Dillpickle