I have looked at the other posts and I still don't understand. I purchased the software - Home and business version. Now I have to pay a fee to efile my federal return? $40.00? I don't recall this last year. Everything I have read about this fee references using the Free Turbo Tax. What am I missing?
Am I better to consider another product to avoid the $40.00 fee to efile?
No-----if you are using the CD/download there is a $20 fee to e-file the state return. Do NOT choose to pay that $20 fee by having it taken out of your federal refund or you get that EXTRA $40 "refund processing fee." You do not have to do that. Pay the state e-file fee upfront with a credit or debit card before you e-file. Or avoid the state e-file fee altogether by printing and mailing the state return.
E-filing fee in desktop software
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. Before March 1 that fee is $20; after March 1 it increases to $25. You can avoid the state e-file fee if you print and mail the state instead of e-filing it.
I have not e filed anything yet. Is there someplace I can look to see where i may have answered that incorrectly on the state or should i delete state and start over? Thanks - appreciate the help.
i bought home and business. But not sure at this point about the state. Will live with paying that, but NOT federal return
Yes, Xmasbaby is right. When you buy TurboTax Home and Business, the cost of the software includes five federal e-files and one state download.
You may be charged extra to e-file the state.
It sounds like you may have done your return in the Online product rather than using the software you purchased. When you start, do you open a software program, or do you sign in online?
Those 5 federal returns are not free anymore, $40 buck refund processing fee now for each return, This will be my last Turbo Tax filing. After several calls finally got to talk to a real person and she confirmed this ripoff tactic.
BYE TURBO TAX!!!
Nope, its $40 buck REfund filing fee. No more free 5 fed efiles
@jchale3331 wrote:
Those 5 federal returns are not free anymore, $40 buck refund processing fee now for each return, This will be my last Turbo Tax filing. After several calls finally got to talk to a real person and she confirmed this ripoff tactic.
BYE TURBO TAX!!!
The TurboTax desktop editions come with 5 free federal tax return e-files. There is a state tax return e-file fee that is currently $20. That charge can be avoided by printing and mailing the state tax return.
In the File section of the program if you are e-filing the state tax return, there is an option to have the $20 state e-file fee paid from the federal tax refund. The charge for this totally optional service is $40 and
DOES NOT
have to be used. You can pay the $20 state e-file fee with your credit for no further charge.
All you needed to do is select
Pay with Credit Card
on the screen presented to you.
@jchale3331 No one can see what software you used. If you used the CD/download then your only extra fee would have been a $20 state e-file fee, which you could avoid if you mailed the state return instead of e-filing it.
If you used online TurboTax, you pay for every federal and every state return that you prepare and file---unless you have very simple returns and use the Free Edition.
There are no "five free federal e-files" with online----if you are using Deluxe or higher.
So.....what software did you use?
We see people get confused and they keep logging in to online software which will require them to pay at the end. You need to use the desktop software. One way to tell if you are using the right software---your tool bar. Online software has the toolbar in a black vertical column on the left side of the screen. Desktop software has the tools up on the top of your TT screen.
How can I see my TurboTax fees?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2565973-how-do-i-review-my-fees-in-turbotax-online
No you misunderstand. In the Desktop program it is $20 to efile each State return. THEN if you want to have the state efile fee (or any extra services you bought) deducted from your federal refund there is an Extra $40 Refund Processing Service charge (45 in California). Which you can avoid by paying the state efile fee with a credit card.
You have to go through the File tab SLOWLY. People get going to fast and clicking on the right corner box to continue. But you have to click on the left box to pay with a credit card to avoid the fee. See the screenshot on this one
I paid just under $60.00 for the software, Then had to pay another $60 just to file my federal return.
Total scam, will never use it again.
So saying E-File is included is a total false hood.
I have left a negative review on Amazon where I purchased the software.
Oh and contacting support is a total waste of time, you wind up in chat land spinning in circles with some AI Generated Bot.
So I really don’t expect a reply,
I will never use another Intuit product again. The IRS.GOV web page says my e-file should be free of charge BTW.
I was charged a filing fee for the federal return which was filed by mail
Please process credit to Carl Williams debit card
@6269 Did you use the Online version? The Online fees are to prepare the return whether you efile or print and mail. Sorry.
I downloaded TurboTax to my desktop. Completed my federal and state taxes. When I efiled my taxes I expected a filing fee for my state, but I was blindsided by the $40 fee for e-filing my federal taxes! I will be searching for a different product next year.
@lashleyd1 Did you read this whole thread? If you read it you would recognize that you did not pay $40 to file your federal return. You paid an extra $40 to have the $25 state e-file fee deducted from your federal refund by a third party bank. Please scroll up and read through everything that is here--including a screen shot of the page where you could have chosen to pay using your own credit card. If you already e-filed, it is cold comfort now, since it is too late. If you are ever taken aback by fees----ask questions here in the user forum before you e-file so we can help you avoid that unnecessary refund processing fee.
I bought Turbo Tax Premier. I am on my second of two returns I have worked on. I successfully filed my return, no problem. On my daughters return the software is trying to charge me a $40 Federal e-file fee, when the panel before said $0 for the Federal e-file and my software package clearly says 5 free Federal e-files. How do I get around this clear software bug?
Look very closely at those screens. One of them --on the left-- gives you the option to pay using a credit or debit card. The other box -- the one on the right-- gives the option to pay using your federal refund. Do NOT choose to pay using your refund. If you choose to pay the $25 state e-file fee using your refund, you add an EXTRA $40 fee to the $25!
Pay the state e-file fee using a credit or debit card before you e-file. Or...even better----choose to print and mail the state return and avoid the $25 state e-file fee and just pay for a stamp to mail it.
I purchased Turbo Tax Premier, it clearly says 5 free Federal e-files on the package. This is not the state e-file charge for a second state, which I expect to see a $25 charge for that.
I went back to the state that 2nd state we were e-filing too. I changed that to will mail a check and it gave me an address to mail too. I then got back to the panel that says $0 for the Federal e-file, and it still has the state e-file charge listed, so even worse. Moving on from there is is again trying to charge me 40 for the federal e-file, that is supposed to be free.
Read your packaging. I have Turbo Tax Premier and it says 5 free e-files. I suspect your package does too. This seems to be a software bug. I also found a couple of others, one of which was that I un-checked e-file for my second state, and it still wants to charge me for that. TurboTax needs to fix this ASAP.
The $40 is to have the $25 state efile fee deducted from your federal refund. So it will be $65 total. Go back though the FILE tab slowly. There is one screen people miss and click on the wrong box.
@phdelessio I'm trying to decipher what is happening. Did you already file your federal and state returns? Did you pay the $25 to efile your state return?
You mention a 2nd state. Is that a 2nd state in the same state as the first one OR do you need to file state return for a different state? You get 1 free state PROGRAM (not efile) to prepare returns for the same state. Then if you need to file in a different state you have to buy another state program for $45.
If you only changed to mail a check then you are still efiling the state return. You need to select NOT to efile the state.
Just go back though the FILE tab again slowly and check all your selections.
I'm soooo glad I found this post. Initially I went through the drill for doing the efile and came to a screen that said my cost for doing Federal was $0.00 and state was $15 ($25 - 10 (Amazon credit when I purchased). On the next screen I selected 'take from my refund' - no cost shown for this selection. At the end I was presented with a $60 cost. I called tech support and got a song and dance that the forms that I was using negated the free Federal efiling. I was totally POed and was about to chop down trees and print many pages and mail the returns until I read these posts. Common sense would dictate that Turbotax would show the $45 cost nest to the box where you select pay from the Federal refund. I wouldn't have a problem with that if it was disclosed as it involved more effor by Turbotax to get their money. However someone came up with the brilliant idea of trying to slip it through without people understanding why they were being charged an additional $45. SHAME ON YOU TURBOTAX.