Its free to start the preparation of the return, but in the end only very simple returns end up being free. I can only assume that you had some kind of income or deductions that required you to upgrade. Also, it could be due to you possibly transferring your information from last year's filing. In that case, it will automatically bump you up to plus. If you want to manually input required info from last year, you'll have to Clear and Start Over and make sure you don't transfer info over from last year If you are eligible you can use the TurboTax Freedom edition which is free to file both a federal and state tax return. The Freedom edition is on a separate website from the TurboTax online editions. To qualify for free 2016 federal and state tax returns in Freedom Edition, you'll need to meet at least one of these requirements: A maximum 2016 adjusted gross income (AGI) of $33,000; or You qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); or You served as active duty military (including Reservists and National Guard) with a maximum 2016 AGI of $64,000 (you'll also need a military-issued W-2). See this TurboTax support FAQ on the Freedom edition -
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900583-what-is-turbotax-freedom-edition See this TurboTax support FAQ for the difference between the Freedom edition and the Free edition -
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2572617-what-s-the-difference-between-freedom-edition-and-federal-.... And see this TurboTax support FAQ on how to switch to the Freedom edition -
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2026912-how-do-i-switch-to-turbotax-freedom-edition Also if you're wanting to use our Freedom Edition, here are all the forms that can be covered through this product -
https://turbotax.intuit.com/modals/taxfreedom-forms/
