Turbotax is "free to start" but the final fees are determined by the forms you need on your individual return. TurboTax Free Edition is for filers that use a simple Form 1040 with no additional schedules and is free as long as you don't select any add-ons or upgrades. If you don't qualify for a free federal return then you will also be charged a fee for your state return. There are many add-ons you can agree to buy, such as having your other fees deducted from your refund (service charge applies) or buying Audit Defense and Identity Theft protection. Every fee is disclosed when you agree to it (upgrade or additional service) and there is an itemized list of fees at Checkout. If you don’t want to pay the fees you can quit and start over with a different company.
Here is how to review your fees.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/charges-and-fees/help/how-do-i-review-my-fees-in-turbotax-online/0...
Here is more information on why you are being charged.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/charges-and-fees/help/why-am-i-being-charged-for-turbotax-free-edi...
Here is how to downgrade to a lower version if you were put in one by mistake.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/downgrading/help/can-i-downgrade-to-a-lower-priced-version-of-turb...
Turbotax is often more cost effective if you buy the CD or a download copy from a discount retailer like Amazon, Staples, Office Max, and so on, to install on your own computer.
You may also be interested in the IRS FreeFile program. The FreeFile version of Turbotax is available for taxpayers with income up to $36,000 and military taxpayers with income up to $69,000, and includes all forms that are normally an upgrade charge in regular Turbotax. To use the FreeFile version, you must log into the FreeFile site and make a new account, you can't use your regular Turbotax account. (If your browser automatically logs you into the regular Turbotax site, you may need to clear your browser history then try again.)
https://freefile.intuit.com
Other tax providers may have higher income limits on their FreeFile programs. You can check the IRS FreeFile site for more information.
