Purchased Turbo Tax Deluxe. Ad says 5 free Federal Efiles, 1 free State Efile. I am getting charged for my state efiles. Why am I not getting my free state efile?

[Tom Silva]

You are correct, I've been using turbotax since they were green screens. This is the last year I will be using them. I can't believe that a great company has sunk so low that the have to use deceptively worded product to get people, who are loyal customers to use it. The money isn't the point, it is the distrust they are sowing. For the money I'm spending I could use a tax preparer to do it........................2017 was the first year it happened. To bad another 20 year customer gone..................

[NUP2K]

I've used Intuit Turbo Tax for many years. This is the first year that I did not receive the one complementary FREE Virginia e-file. They're getting a little greedy it seems! Love the product but this doesn't seem right!

[mesquitebean]

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@NUP2K wrote:

I've used Intuit Turbo Tax for many years. This is the first year that I did not receive the one complementary FREE Virginia e-file. They're getting a little greedy it seems! Love the product but this doesn't seem right!

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There is no free state efiling in the desktop software except for New York state.   There is a 19.99 fee to efile each state return in early filing season; increases to 24.99 later in filing season.    This has been the case for several years.

In desktop software that says it has an included state, that is for the program to prepare the state return.  If one to chooses to efile the state return, then there is the state efiling fee, except for NY.   There is no fee to print and mail the state returns.

[Dawna]

Yes this is very confusing. I too have been using it for years and I too have had one FREE efile for state.

This year I did my brothers first and it gave me the option for the free state efile and I said NO, because I was going to use it on my own.

However when I did mine it never gave the option, nor on any subsequent ones.

It seems to be sporadic in giving the free efile. But I paid $19.99 not $24. 99

[mesquitebean]

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@ Dawna wrote:

Yes this is very confusing. I too have been using it for years and I too have had one FREE efile for state.

This year I did my brothers first and it gave me the option for the free state efile and I said NO, because I was going to use it on my own.

However when I did mine it never gave the option, nor on any subsequent ones.

It seems to be sporadic in giving the free efile. But I paid $19.99 not $24. 99

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I've encountered the state efile fee, too, for some time.   If the product edition is one that includes state, that means the state program is included to prepare the state return but not the efile of the state return.   In early filing season the state efile fee is 19.99.  It doesn't change to 24.99 until later in filing season when the prices on all TurboTax products increase.  Actually prices in early filing season are "discounted", and they revert back to the normal undiscounted price later in season, which accounts for the price increase.   I think last year it changed a bit earlier than usual--around the first of March.   In years prior to that it was around mid-March, so it's unpredictable when the prices will increase this year.   Judging by last year, I'd be suspicious the price increases will be near March 1 or soon thereafter, but that's just a guess based on last year.

This is an old thread from last year that transferred into this new Community forum last June, and all the old posts that transferred to the new Community were given the date of "6/06/2019," when the transfer occurred.   That's why you are seeing some of the old comments here mention 24.99.   Some of these users posted after the late-season price increase last March. 

New York is the only state that has no state efile fee because the NY legislature prevents it, since state efiling is mandatory in NY.

I admit it would be less confusing if TurboTax is determined to get that revenue that they would just increase the price of the desktop software by $20, and have no state efile fee.   That would also do away with any credit card problems some people have when trying to pay for the state efile fee.   But then that would make other users angry who want to avoid the fee by printing and mailing, or who have to file by mail because something in their returns won't let them efile.

Quite a few years ago, Turbotax  had promo rebate offers on or in the box where one could send in a coupon to have the state efile fee rebated, but they haven't offered that type of rebate in recent years.

[rickglendathomas]

I had to file 4 states.  But my home state of ND was also charged 39.95.  Should it have been that much? I am not e-filing any of the states.

[mesquitebean]

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@ rickglendathomas wrote:

I had to file 4 states.  But my home state of ND was also charged 39.95.  Should it have been that much? I am not e-filing any of the states.

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We don't know what product you used.  Some desktop editions (CD/download) include a state program and some do not.  And for those that do include a state program download, each additional different state program is an additional 39.99 for that state's software.

Desktop Deluxe, for instance, comes in 2 versions--Federal-only or a combo version of Federal & State (1 state program).   If you had the combo version of Deluxe and prepare 4 different states, then you would have had to purchase 3 additional state programs.   The "included" state is whichever one you downloaded first. It doesn't go by whether or not it is the "resident state" or not.  Only the order in which they were downloaded.

Or did you have the Federal-only version of Deluxe version that doesn't have a state program included?

Basic Edition also does not come with any state program.

If you were charged for too many state programs (i.e., if you were charged for 4 software downloads of different states, when your product already was supposed to have one state program included), here's how to phone TurboTax Support during business hours.  Where the form asks what product you are using, be sure in the dropdown menu to indicate "CD/download" and the proper operating system, then indicate which Edition.

Hours are 5AM-9PM Pacific (8AM-12 Midnight Eastern), 7 days/week

https://support.turbotax.intuit.com/contact

[MLB1]

I will not be using TurboTax again. I too have used the software for more than ten years.  Thanks for the deception.

Hope the deception is worth loosing customers.

[jazzman32]

I have been using Turbo Tax for my entire family for at least 15 years.  The advertisement on the box always says FREE Federal e-file & 1 FREE State e-file.  One state electronic file has always been free until 2019.  This year the cost to e-file our state return is $19.99.  Agree with all of the other comments, this is very misleading and not what I've been used to for all these years.  On top of this fee, there is an additional $39.00 fee if your getting a refund sent to your bank.  This has always been FREE as well.  I'll be looking for alternative tax software next year for sure.  Very disappointed with Turbo Tax. 

[ThomasM125]

The fee for having your TurboTax fees deducted from your refund is not new, it was always there. There are bank costs associated with processing the refund and paying part of it back to TurboTax. 

[AntonioBlaze81]

Thats bs same as repurchasing turbo tax deluxe to efile fed tax

[KHmad]

I agree with other replies: deceptive to say free state download but not file!  And then last step before filing says state fee is $19.99 yet when logging into Intuit to setup the credit card the actual charge is $24.99.  I've used Turbo Tax for years, but there are other good tax programs out there, sounds like time for a change.

[ccox80]

Don't feel bad turbo premium made me pay for my first state.  didn't feel like waiting on line to question it so just paid  to get it over with.  will use a different program next year.

[anonymous2]

Agree with everything said on this thread. The only honest way to read the promotion is one free estate prepare + one free state e-file. This is a electronic tax preparation program for goodness sake. That's how 99pct of people are using this. OK, Turbo Tax. You've squeezed out 25usd from me but lost 1000s over the course of coming years.

[xmasbaby0]

Read the packaging.

Did you purchase desktop software with state software included?  They sell Deluxe both with and without state software--so you have to be careful which one you choose.  And even if it does have the state software download included, that is for preparing the state.  There is an extra fee to e-file the state.  You can avoid the $24.99 state e-file fee if you print and mail the state instead of e-filing it.