Tax Tips

Free File for Simple Form 1040 Returns

Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam
Published Jan 8, 2024 - [Updated Dec 10, 2024]
4 min read
Reviewed by Lisa Greene-Lewis, CPA and tax expert for TurboTax

TurboTax Free Edition – Free for Simple Returns TurboTax Live Assisted Basic Offer – Free for Simple Returns Only Free TurboTax for Enlisted Active Duty and Reserve Military Free Tax Assistance and Filing through the IRS VITA Program

What could be better than paying $0 to do your taxes? Over the past ten years, Americans filed approximately 124 million tax returns completely free of charge using TurboTax, more than all other tax prep software companies combined.

Find out all the ways you may be eligible for free tax filing with TurboTax!

TurboTax has a couple of options for free tax filing: TurboTax Free Edition and TurboTax Live Assisted Basic Offer. These offers are designed for people with simple returns only. Simple tax returns include W-2 income, limited interest and dividend income, standard deduction, Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Student Loan interest. Click here for more details about eligible situations.

TurboTax Free Edition – Free for Simple Returns

For the tenth year in a row, we are offering free federal and state tax filing with TurboTax Free Edition, helping millions of Americans file for free. TurboTax Free Edition is for taxpayers filing simple Form 1040 returns only (no schedules except for Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and student loan interest) – you can see if you qualify here.

What qualifies as a simple Form 1040 only with limited credits (no schedules except for Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and student loan interest)?

A simple Form 1040 only return with limited credits is one that’s filed using IRS Form 1040 only (with the exception of the specific covered situations described below). Roughly 37% of taxpayers are eligible.

If you are filing a simple Form 1040 return only (no schedules except for Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and student loan interest), you can file for free yourself with TurboTax Free Edition or TurboTax Live Assisted Basic (if available), or you can file with TurboTax Full Service Basic at the listed price.

Situations covered (assuming no added tax complexity):

W-2 income
Interest or dividends (1099-INT/1099-DIV) that don’t require filing a Schedule B
IRS standard deduction
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
Child Tax Credit (CTC)
Student loan interest deduction

Situations not covered:

Itemized deductions claimed on Schedule A
Unemployment income reported on a 1099-G
Business or 1099-NEC income
Stock sales (including crypto investments)
Rental property income
Credits, deductions and income reported on other forms or schedules

If you don’t have a Form 1040 return with limited credits, we have other paid options to file using TurboTax.

How does TurboTax make any money?
We want our customers to love our products and services. Because we have customers who pay for our premium products and services, we can offer free tax filing. We offer additional paid benefits that go beyond filing your Form 1040 return with limited credits for free, but they’re optional.

TurboTax Live Assisted Basic Offer – Free for Simple Returns Only

For a limited time, if you file simple Form 1040 only (no schedules except for Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and student loan interest), you could file your taxes for free with TurboTax Live Assisted Basic Offer where you can get expert help along the way while you file your taxes, and a final review of your return before you file, giving you confidence that your taxes are done right. TurboTax Live Assisted Basic is $0 through March 31, 2024 and is for taxpayers filing filing simple Form 1040 returns only (no schedules except for Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and student loan interest) – you can see if you qualify here.

Free TurboTax for Enlisted Active Duty and Reserve Military

Intuit is a proud supporter of US military members, veterans, and their families in their communities and overseas. As a part of this commitment, we’re proud to provide free federal and state tax preparation to active duty and reservists of an enlisted rank (E-1 through E-9) with a W2 from DFAS.

Military members can file through any TurboTax Online (not CD/desktop or TurboTax Live) product, including Free Edition, Deluxe, and Premium. You just need to enter your W-2 and verify your military rank when prompted within TurboTax Online, and your discount will be applied when you are ready to file.

Free Tax Assistance and Filing through the IRS VITA Program

Intuit TurboTax is a proud supporter of the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program which provides free tax preparation assistance for lower – and moderate-income taxpayers. At VITAs, IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to people who generally make $60,000 or less, have a disability or have limited English-speaking skills.

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