Does the free version of TurboTax file the returns electronically?

[VolvoGirl]

Yes you can efile from the Free Edition and from Free File website.  Are you having a problem?

How to Efile

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/e-file/help/how-do-i-e-file-my-personal-individual-tax-return/00/2...

[DoninGA]

All the TurboTax online and desktop editions can electronically file (e-file) a federal and state tax return.

You complete your tax return by finishing all 3 Steps in the File section. In Step 3, to e-file your tax return, you must click on the large Orange button labeled "Transmit my returns now".

After completing the File section and e-filing your tax return you will receive two emails from TurboTax. The first email when your tax return was transmitted and the second email when the tax return has either been accepted or rejected.

[Rich5]

Yes!  My nephew did his taxes for the first time this year, using TurboTax free.  He got to a page that said “Congratulations Michael, you have filed your taxes”, which suggests they were filed, but 4 months later there has been nothing from the state or feds, and “where’s my refund” says it has no record of his return.  That suggests (to me) that the taxes weren’t really filed.

He did the taxes son his own, so I don’t know exactly how he got to the “Congrats” page, but that’s that’s the page that shows up now when he logs in.

Any suggestions or insights?  Our next step will be to print/mail the returns and see what happens.

Thanks

[VolvoGirl]

We are not sure how that happens.  When you log into your account you should also see the status and if it was Accepted or Rejected, Started, Printed, Ready to Mail, etc.  It probably says Printed or Ready to Mail?

Sorry but Printed or Ready to Mail means you have to print out your return and mail it to the IRS yourself.  So it has not been filed yet.

He can try to efile it now.  How to change from Mail to Efile

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/e-file/help/how-do-i-change-from-mail-to-e-file-in-turbotax-online...

[VolvoGirl]

And you can double check your efile status here     

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/   

When you efile you get back 2 emails.  The first email only confirms the transmission.  The second email says if the IRS (or state) Accepted or Rejected your efile.

[Rich5]

Thank you!!!!