TurboTax has tricked military service members to pay to use the filing software by creating and promoting a 'military discount' and by making the free version hard to find when many service members are in fact eligible to use the software for free. As part of an agreement with the IRS, TurboTax allows individuals making less than $66,000 a year to use a free version of TurboTax a 2019 ProPublica investigation revealed that TurboTax deliberately makes this version hard to find and that it deceptively steers individuals who search for the free version to TurboTax versions that cost. The opening of tax filing season is on Jan.Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, has lobbied extensively against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) creating its own online system of tax filing (in most wealthy countries, governments have simplified tax filing for its citizens, thus making software such as TurboTax unnecessary for most citizens). ■ What is this year’s federal tax filing deadline?
TaxAct, another provider, offers a free federal preparation and filing option for simple and complex returns.įree filing options are also available from the public/private Free File Alliance if you make $60,000 or less. TurboTax, for instance, offers free online software and electronic filing for taxpayers using Form 1040 A or 1040 EZ and is also including free state software and filing.
If you have a simple tax return, you may be eligible for free electronic preparation and filing of your federal taxes from some of the major software providers. ■ What if I don’t need any of those complex tax schedules? He advised others who were unhappy to do the same thing. Dworsky of Consumer World said he called Intuit to complain and was offered a free upgrade. TurboTax is working with unhappy customers “case by case,” said Ms.
(Block’s deluxe software sells for $44.95 as a download on its website). To get the free H&R Block deluxe program, you must provide proof, such as an invoice, that you bought a TurboTax basic or deluxe program and email it to The company will then send a link for a free download.
■ How do I take advantage of the no-cost upgrade offer? Here are some questions about tax software for filing 2014 taxes “Bottom line,” she said, “only a small percentage of desktop customers, who make up about 20 percent of all TurboTax customers, will be impacted by these changes.” Customers are migrating away from the desktop offerings, she said, and 80 percent of them now use the online product.
TurboTax, which has 29 million customers, made the changes last year to its online service, which allowed users to prepare and file returns without downloading programs onto their computer, she said. Consumers have been complaining and posting negative reviews on and in other online forums.Ĭolleen Gatlin, an Intuit spokeswoman, said TurboTax customers who used the deluxe desktop version to report investment or rental property income generally must use either the “premier” or “home & business” versions, while those who are self-employed must use “home & business.” (However, some simple investment and business situations, like dividends from investments in mutual funds, are still supported in deluxe, she said.)