Wow. This "option" has been present since at least 2019? I encountered this myself for the very first time, though it came about somewhat indirectly, and I do not fully understand the total extent of this TurboTax "scam" (your words ... though I can't say quite yet if I disagree).
I've been helping a friend, who resides in CA, filing their FED and CA tax returns using 2024 TT (TurboTax). I also helped them last year with 2023 taxes. For their 2023 taxes they used TT on-line. It's not clear to me whether TTPS (TurboTax Premium Services) was enabled when they filed for 2023, but I guessing it was, based on what they paid then.
For 2024 they decided to use the desktop TT instead. They purchased a license on Amazon for TT Deluxe State and Federal, and downloaded software from the TT site to their Apple iMac PC. Their return includes pension and investment income (1099-R 1099-DIV, 1099-B) so Deluxe provided a sufficient feature set for their return.
I just learned that when they filed, they were forced into paying the extra TTPS fee for the privilege of "free" eFiling their FED return with their paid CA return. I'd never heard of TTPS until now, though I've used TT desktop consistently since it first appeared (1993 or 94?, way back in the 1040-PC days). They owed on both their FED and CA returns, so no way did they ask to have the CA filing charge deducted from their un-"refund", and they declined each and every offer to upgrade or purchase additional services. Regardless, after passing all reviews and performing the eFile steps for both returns (using the bank account direct debit option for what they owed), they were hit with the extra TTPS fee without any instructions on how to remove it. In desperation they acquiesced to this extortion.
To the extent I've been able to understand the TTPS "option", the on-line TT information database seems to say this option is only present in the online versions (?): "Premium Services is an optional add-on package for any paid version of TurboTax Online with a California address that hasn't added MAX". If this is correct, then HTH did TTPS attach itself to their iMac laptop TT Deluxe download. This appears to be a bug -- in either TT software, or this TT support page:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-product-orders/premium-services/L...
One additional point that might have bearing on the software bug suggestion is the fact that the tax file from their 2023 return was downloaded and applied as import to start the 2024 return on their iMac. If this turns out to be how the TTPS virus hopped from the on-line to desktop versions then, ... WTF Intuit?
Lastly, who at Intuit is responsible for this "feature" that only applies to CA residents (?) and only if they've declined MAX ?. From what I've been able to glean from the plethora of complaints from irate CA TTPS victims, it sounds to me that when a CA resident explicitly DECLINES to purchase MAX, then TT automatically and surreptitiously enable TTPS, which is just MAX is PS clothing? So hapless CA TT users get MAX whether they want it or not! Shame on you Intuit, ... plus WTF!
