TurboTax Support

Why am I being charged for a free version of TurboTax Online?

We do not charge our customers for free versions of TurboTax. If you selected add-ons or upgrades, you'll be charged additional fees for those items.

What would cause my return to go from "free" to "fee"?

You'll be charged an additional fee if you:

  • Upgraded from Federal Free Edition to a fuller-featured version of TurboTax because either your tax situation required certain forms that are not included in the Federal Free Edition, or you chose to take advantage of the extra benefits offered in our higher-end products.
    • Federal Free Edition is for taxpayers with very simple returns (Form 1040EZ filers) – in other words, taxpayers who don't need help or guidance while preparing their simple tax returns.
  • Upgraded from Freedom Edition to a fuller-featured version of TurboTax because your tax situation didn't meet the qualifying criteria to prepare and e-file for free.
    • You must qualify to use TurboTax Freedom Edition. Certain IRS income limits and other tax situations may apply.
  • Prepared a state return in Federal Free Edition.
    • Federal Free Edition is a free solution for your federal taxes. The additional fee is for the preparation, print and efile of your state return. By completing your state taxes with TurboTax, you can be completely done with your taxes and be confident knowing that you're getting your maximum refund, guaranteed.
  • Prepared a state return in Freedom Edition for a state that does not participate in the Free File Alliance (and therefore charges a prep fee).
  • Selected an additional service, such as Audit Defense. With Audit Defense, you never have to meet with the IRS in case of an audit.
  • Deducted any TurboTax fee from your federal refund using Refund Processing Service, an optional $29.99 service provided by University National Bank of St Paul, MN or First California Bank. To avoid the $29.99 fee, switch your payment method to credit or debit card.

How can I find out what the extra fee is for?

To review your TurboTax Online fees before you pay:

  1. Sign in to TurboTax Online.
  2. Click Tools near the top of your screen.
  3. In the Tools Center popup, click My Fees to see the breakdown of your TurboTax fees and/or to remove add-on items.

Note: You can't remove items you've already paid for and used, for example if you prepared and filed your state return for an additional fee.

If you're unable to remove an unused item, please contact us for assistance.

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