TurboTax News There’s Still Time to Take Advantage of $0 State Filing with TurboTax Absolute Zero Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam Modified Dec 1, 2021 Updated 3/16 – TurboTax Absolute Zero is no longer available, but you can still file your federal tax return for free with TurboTax Free Edition. Get started today! There’s still time for millions of hard-working Americans with simple tax returns to file both their federal and state tax returns for absolutely free, but the clock is ticking! To take advantage of the TurboTax® Absolute Zero® offer, you must file your 1040A or 1040EZ tax return online through TurboTax Free Edition. TurboTax® Absolute Zero® offers over 60 million Americans the ability to file their federal 1040A or 1040EZ returns, as well as their state tax returns, for absolutely $0. After March 15, if you have a simple tax return, you can still file your federal tax return for free. Additional fees apply for state tax preparation. TurboTax also offers other free and discounted filing options throughout the tax season that you may be eligible for, including: TurboTax Military Discount: TurboTax is offering a discount to all U.S. active duty military and reservists. Eligible taxpayers may be able to file both their federal and state tax returns for free. Other discounts are available to the military as well. To learn more, click here. Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam More from TurboTaxBlogTeam Browse Related Articles Tax Refunds How to Use Your Tax Refund to Boost Your Retirement Sav… Life Listen Now: So You’re Buying a Car? Self-Employed 1099-K Myths: Venmo & PayPal Payments Life Listen now: So you want to be rich? Tax Refunds How to Turn Money Into More Money Life Listen now: So you’re buying a home? Family So You’re Living Together? Tax Planning Did You Miss the Tax Deadline? 3 Steps You Can Take Nex… Tax Planning Tomorrow is the Tax Deadline: 7 Things You Need to Know… Self-Employed Do Creators Pay Taxes on Money Earned? 23 responses to “There’s Still Time to Take Advantage of $0 State Filing with TurboTax Absolute Zero” It would helpful if the “end” date for free state returns was listed on the main turbo tax page, even as small print. I had to google search this separately just to make sure before I blindly started filing thinking it was actually free after March 15th. Reply This article says we have through March 15 (today) to file State taxes for free, but the website is charging me $40. You have an “Updated 3/16” line at the top saying the free period is over, apparently posted from the future. What gives? Reply I have been a loyal customer of Turbo Tax but this year is the last for me. The first time I prepared my taxes and saved them they would not show up for a final check. Next, after redoing them I had to pay for State to be efiled. This had been offered for free before. Turbo Tax no longer cares about its many customers. Reply According to the box: Turbotax: federal returns, federal e-file, state returns. Home and Business. But you get to the end and complete federal and state and they take out $19.99 to file the state. I hate Turbotax. There is always a “lie” and a gimic hidden in the false advertising of saying the state is included. Will never, ever buy it again. Total rip off. Reply I selected the 19.99 when I did my taxes. When I was finished my bill was 39.99, with no reason as to what the extra money was for. I live in Florida and there are no state taxes? Reply Why did you tell me that I can no longer file for free if I have student loan interest to claim? Reply I purchased turbo tax deluxe thinking it included state tax forms. when I got to state it said I have to pay ANOTHER 39.95 for my state forms! What!!!!??? why! had I known I would have purchased the next program up and had state for free. what is going on? can I get my state for free with deluxe at all? Reply Hi Kim, If you can file a 1040EZ or 1040A you can file your state for free with Absolute Zero. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply There are torrents of Turbotax 2015 in which the state downloads are included. Reply It cost to buy the Federal and then it cost $39.99 to Buy the State and then an additional $24.99 to e-file State???? Wow, I have used Turbo Tax for many many years and I don’t remember this double charged for State before….I think I will look into another Tax Prep next year. Reply I thought when I purchased the state for $39.99 plus tax, I would get e-file for free. NO, it cost another $24.99. I agree, after being a loyal turbotax customer for many years, it’s time to look elsewhere Reply Hi Bob, There is no charge for e-file. I’m not sure why your seeing this unless you requested TurboTax Plus. If you didn’t request it contact our customer care to see why you were charged that amount. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis I clicked on a link for a discount on the premier for $64.99 but when I need to pay to file my taxes the amount being charged is $79.99 and can’t find a service code to enter Reply Hi Elena — Please contact a representative about this issue. Enter “billing issue” as your question. Support is open from 5am to 9pm Pacific time. Submit your question/problem during business hours and then use the option to either Chat or Call (a phone number will be provided for Call) to speak directly with an agent. https://support.turbotax.intuit.com/contact/ Thank you for being a TurboTax customer, TurboTaxJoanna Reply Hello do you offer state efile for free? My tax is v simple Ugh because of the government messing up of their obama care I was told i had to wait to file until they resent their forms, in March, So i had to miss this deal. I was ready to file in the beginning of Feb but was then told I HAD to wait for them to fix their mistake. Reply I filed in the beginning of February and received my federal but not my state it says still processing is anyone having the same problem.. Reply I filed January 16 2015 I was accepted on January 20th 2015 with a Direct Deposit date of February 10th I received my State but NO FEDERAL I have gone to where is my refund still say in process? ? I keep calling and can’t get thru to speak with a Rep. Help pls Reply I filed over three weeks ago and my stats when I check says still processing? I even chose direct deposit? Reply ABSOLUTE ZERO is a good offer. I had never e-filed or used a tax preparation software package before. Thanks. Reply I finally got an answer to exactly when does the ABSOLUTE ZERO offer end by stumbling into it in this blog. That information needed to be more prominently stated in the offer. Saying that it ends by 16 February was slightly vague. The word by can mean before or on 16 February. Turbo Tax changing the wording to it ends on 16 February made it somewhat clearer. Now I find out it ends at a particular time. That should have been made very clear in all the advertising and marketing materials. It did not affect me, as I had used the offer in late January 2015, but it created confusion for some users. I also could not answer questions about the exact time when other people asked me about the offer deadline. I told them to be conservative and file before 10:59 pm EST on Saturday 14 February 2015. If I had known of the correct information to pass along that would have been helpful. I took advantage of the ABSOLUTE ZERO offer in late January 2015 and am satisfied with the service. I had never used tax preparation software before and I had not used e-file due to the cost. I did not want to pay money to e-file a return in addition to having to pay taxes I owed. Turbo Tax needs to improve the state filing option included with the CD/download version. The included state is only for preparation. E-file costs more. In todays connected world the expectation is that e-filing would of course be included. I know that it was not included in the past due to the way various states gradually implemented e-filing, but today I believe all the states that collect income taxes have an e-file option for state income tax filings. Reply I have always used Turbo Tax before but I will never use it again. I feel I have been ripped off. Promises of free filing cost me more this year than ever before. What a load of crap!!! You can be sure I will never use it again. Reply Hi Carol, There are people who filed their taxes for free. If you chose additional features like TurboTax Plus or could not qualify to file a form 1040EZ or 1040A you may have been charged. Here is more info on TurboTax Plus https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2583650-what-is-turbotax-plus Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply Leave a Reply Cancel reply
It would helpful if the “end” date for free state returns was listed on the main turbo tax page, even as small print. I had to google search this separately just to make sure before I blindly started filing thinking it was actually free after March 15th. Reply
This article says we have through March 15 (today) to file State taxes for free, but the website is charging me $40. You have an “Updated 3/16” line at the top saying the free period is over, apparently posted from the future. What gives? Reply
I have been a loyal customer of Turbo Tax but this year is the last for me. The first time I prepared my taxes and saved them they would not show up for a final check. Next, after redoing them I had to pay for State to be efiled. This had been offered for free before. Turbo Tax no longer cares about its many customers. Reply
According to the box: Turbotax: federal returns, federal e-file, state returns. Home and Business. But you get to the end and complete federal and state and they take out $19.99 to file the state. I hate Turbotax. There is always a “lie” and a gimic hidden in the false advertising of saying the state is included. Will never, ever buy it again. Total rip off. Reply
I selected the 19.99 when I did my taxes. When I was finished my bill was 39.99, with no reason as to what the extra money was for. I live in Florida and there are no state taxes? Reply
Why did you tell me that I can no longer file for free if I have student loan interest to claim? Reply
I purchased turbo tax deluxe thinking it included state tax forms. when I got to state it said I have to pay ANOTHER 39.95 for my state forms! What!!!!??? why! had I known I would have purchased the next program up and had state for free. what is going on? can I get my state for free with deluxe at all? Reply
Hi Kim, If you can file a 1040EZ or 1040A you can file your state for free with Absolute Zero. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply
It cost to buy the Federal and then it cost $39.99 to Buy the State and then an additional $24.99 to e-file State???? Wow, I have used Turbo Tax for many many years and I don’t remember this double charged for State before….I think I will look into another Tax Prep next year. Reply
I thought when I purchased the state for $39.99 plus tax, I would get e-file for free. NO, it cost another $24.99. I agree, after being a loyal turbotax customer for many years, it’s time to look elsewhere Reply
Hi Bob, There is no charge for e-file. I’m not sure why your seeing this unless you requested TurboTax Plus. If you didn’t request it contact our customer care to see why you were charged that amount. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis
I clicked on a link for a discount on the premier for $64.99 but when I need to pay to file my taxes the amount being charged is $79.99 and can’t find a service code to enter Reply
Hi Elena — Please contact a representative about this issue. Enter “billing issue” as your question. Support is open from 5am to 9pm Pacific time. Submit your question/problem during business hours and then use the option to either Chat or Call (a phone number will be provided for Call) to speak directly with an agent. https://support.turbotax.intuit.com/contact/ Thank you for being a TurboTax customer, TurboTaxJoanna Reply
Ugh because of the government messing up of their obama care I was told i had to wait to file until they resent their forms, in March, So i had to miss this deal. I was ready to file in the beginning of Feb but was then told I HAD to wait for them to fix their mistake. Reply
I filed in the beginning of February and received my federal but not my state it says still processing is anyone having the same problem.. Reply
I filed January 16 2015 I was accepted on January 20th 2015 with a Direct Deposit date of February 10th I received my State but NO FEDERAL I have gone to where is my refund still say in process? ? I keep calling and can’t get thru to speak with a Rep. Help pls Reply
I filed over three weeks ago and my stats when I check says still processing? I even chose direct deposit? Reply
ABSOLUTE ZERO is a good offer. I had never e-filed or used a tax preparation software package before. Thanks. Reply
I finally got an answer to exactly when does the ABSOLUTE ZERO offer end by stumbling into it in this blog. That information needed to be more prominently stated in the offer. Saying that it ends by 16 February was slightly vague. The word by can mean before or on 16 February. Turbo Tax changing the wording to it ends on 16 February made it somewhat clearer. Now I find out it ends at a particular time. That should have been made very clear in all the advertising and marketing materials. It did not affect me, as I had used the offer in late January 2015, but it created confusion for some users. I also could not answer questions about the exact time when other people asked me about the offer deadline. I told them to be conservative and file before 10:59 pm EST on Saturday 14 February 2015. If I had known of the correct information to pass along that would have been helpful. I took advantage of the ABSOLUTE ZERO offer in late January 2015 and am satisfied with the service. I had never used tax preparation software before and I had not used e-file due to the cost. I did not want to pay money to e-file a return in addition to having to pay taxes I owed. Turbo Tax needs to improve the state filing option included with the CD/download version. The included state is only for preparation. E-file costs more. In todays connected world the expectation is that e-filing would of course be included. I know that it was not included in the past due to the way various states gradually implemented e-filing, but today I believe all the states that collect income taxes have an e-file option for state income tax filings. Reply
I have always used Turbo Tax before but I will never use it again. I feel I have been ripped off. Promises of free filing cost me more this year than ever before. What a load of crap!!! You can be sure I will never use it again. Reply
Hi Carol, There are people who filed their taxes for free. If you chose additional features like TurboTax Plus or could not qualify to file a form 1040EZ or 1040A you may have been charged. Here is more info on TurboTax Plus https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2583650-what-is-turbotax-plus Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply