I am so fucking pissed with Turdbo tax. They say that you can e-file for free. They say that the service is free, then when you finish filing, they slam you with charges! $55 is far from free. I'd be better off going to H&R block.

I didn't have a lot to itemize this year so I decided to do them myself online. I did a google search for "free tax software" and I came up with turbo tax. Everything on thier site suggested that the service was free. I guess I was misled by the big flashing billboard saying "E-file for free!!". I mean, what is there to misunderstand? Well after going through the hours invested in answering questions and punching in numbers, I get to the end where I am suppose to file and a screen pops up saying something like:

"Your finished! All we need to do now is collect fees."

I'm like what the hell??? I thought it was free! As it turns out, they will file your FEDERAL return for free. Then they charge you $24.95 for your state return. Then they charge an additional $29.95 so that they can "process your refund".

I have dedicated today to tell anyone who will listen NOT to use turbo tax. There has to be something illegal with this. They said it was "free e-filing", but then they charged to file! Fuck!

Your adjusted gross income has to be less than $50k and then its free to file the federal return. Check your state's website, you might be able to file for free there.

Kharn

I use turbo tax, I also keep the coupon that they say to so after I efile and pay, I send it in for a refund and end up paying nothing. (or first class postage if you wanyt to nit pick)

The e-filing is free. You can even use their software for free. But once you do both they charge you.

Going to the Turbotax website I see prices ranging from 9.95 to 79.95, did you see that?

BTW, the IRS has a free e-filing program if you make under 50K a year.

I only e-filed my Federal return, since I owe the state money but the Feds owe me money. I happily paid my $29.95 and I am eagerly awaiting the deposit of more than $4,600 into my checking account any day now.



I'll send the State of Michigan their $60 on April 15th.

My wife used some website this year.  Her co-workers have used it for many years.  It was very impressive.  She tried to go long form, but we ended up using standard deductions.   It cost $10 to e-file it, or you could just print it out and send it in.  

It took her a few hours to do our taxes.  It was pretty cool.  I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the site.

I just did mine, and it was $15 for the Efile using Taxcut. I owe on State, so I am going to print a paper copy and mail them a check closer to April 15th.......the box has a mail in rebate form for my free E-filing, I might actually remember to send it in this year.....

I couldn't do the 1040EZ, so they were going to charge me - BUT I found out that if you have a state farm policy (ANY policy), you can log into the state farm site, hit a link to turbotax, and they'll do it for free.

They were saying at this months Guard drill that Turbo Tax had something about free filing for military members. Is this that offer and has it turned out to be a scam?

Quoted: They were saying at this months Guard drill that Turbo Tax had something about free filing for military members. Is this that offer and has it turned out to be a scam?

There is a way I know of, via a new place called Navy One Source, but I had filed mine before I learned of it.
Edit, do a google search on military one source. It covers the Guard as well.

www.taxslayer.com
its not free, but its cheap, and they show you the costs up front.
not as pretty and automated as turbotax, but after i overviewed what turbotax wanted to file for me, i realized that i could expect a guaranteed State audit for an illegal Homestead Tax Credit deduction.
Turbotax actually figured a $700 refund from Michigan, which is more than I paid total state and federal last year.  They automatically give you a homestead tax credit even if you are a dependent, which is not valid in Michigan.  I already got audited for it for TY2004, and I am in an ongoing legal battle with HR Block because of it.

If you go to IRS.gov there is a big list of free e-file services.  You just have to qualify.

For 99% of people doing your own taxes is just not that complicated.

The $29.95 to e-file is worth it to me, fr00t l00ps.

Been using Turbo tax for the last 4 years!  Good Product.

Quoted: Been using Turbo tax for the last 4 years!  Good Product.

I used it for the last 5, but not this year.  They changed the software and it sucks bad now.  Anybody that wants to free file with turbotax for the web go to www.taxfreedom.com NOT turbotax.com.  If you go through the turbotax gateway you won't get the free return.  I used H&R block's free service this year, and it was far superior to turbotax, thats the one I will use every year from now on.  www.hrblock.com/taxes/partner/index.jsp?otpPartnerId=180

Also--for the free federal return, you have to click TO the free-filer site FROM the federal gov site. YOu can't just go directly to the free-file sites (which are separate businesses); they only do it for free if you came FROM a link on the federal site to theirs.
......
Also, at the end of filing the federal (on a separate site) it still says "enter payment method", but it also said "if you are filing for free, select credit card as payment method", but then it never asked me for any credit card (because I was filing the federal for free, and had come from the fed gov IRS site correctly).
-------
The state one was free, online, directly on a IL state-domain computer.
What I don't get is that the IL still asks you for stuff on the Federal return--items that depending on how you complete the online federal, it doesn't even tell you.
???
And I went by the nearest IL state tax office, and they don't even have paper copies of the federal 1040's anymore. They didn't even get any in this year.
~

Just print your return out and send it in

Quoted: Just print your return out and send it in

Seven days.
SEVEN.
Sieben.
Siete

That's the number of days it took to get last year's refund with eFile.
I didn't have to wonder if it fell out of a stack and under somebody's desk.
I didn't worry that USPS lost it.

Seven.

Quoted: Quoted: They were saying at this months Guard drill that Turbo Tax had something about free filing for military members. Is this that offer and has it turned out to be a scam? There is a way I know of, via a new place called Navy One Source, but I had filed mine before I learned of it. Edit, do a google search on military one source. It covers the Guard as well.

Military OneSource you have to use the portal there to get in. It is free, legit and very easy to do. Also, any active Post should have free service onsite if you live close enough.

Be a tax protester and tell the Feds to FO!

Quoted: www.taxslayer.com its not free, but its cheap, and they show you the costs up front. not as pretty and automated as turbotax, but after i overviewed what turbotax wanted to file for me, i realized that i could expect a guaranteed State audit for an illegal Homestead Tax Credit deduction. Turbotax actually figured a $700 refund from Michigan, which is more than I paid total state and federal last year.  They automatically give you a homestead tax credit even if you are a dependent, which is not valid in Michigan.  I already got audited for it for TY2004, and I am in an ongoing legal battle with HR Block because of it.

+1 for tax slayer.

What are these "State Taxes" you speak of?

Quoted: What are these "State Taxes" you speak of?

Beats me!

I use paper forms and a stamp, cost:  39 cents

I spent about an hour on the phone with Turbotax 2 times this year.  Frustration is an understatement.  I sent emails that got nothing but generic responses.  I learned the hard way not to use the online version.

I own some land that is now considered a farm.  But I do nothing with it as I am waiting to build a house on it.  It is not a business.  I got a 1099-PATR from Farm Credit this year that I had to file.  The federal forms went in with no problems.  When I got to the state forms, Turbotax decided that my farm is a business and required a business locality code.  It would only allow you to select a city.  I do not live in a city.  It would not allow you to save your progress unless you chose one.  So I ended up selecting a nearby city to save my work.

The stupid program would not allow me to go back and edit the value.  I found out later from tech support that there is no way to do it.  After 2 days they finally gave me a download link to get the desktop version.  I downloaded my progress from the online version and continued working.  In the desktop version you can edit values.... But, I found out that it will not allow you submit the return to the feds if you edit a value.  I finally found a way to make the correct edit and was finally able to submit.  

I am seriously considering having someone do my taxes next year.  Turbotax will have to show some serious improvements for me to use them again.

Doc