TurboTax Online Reviews

With W-2 and self-employment income, TurboTax was never actually free for seven years and the price became ridiculous, so they switched to FreeTaxUSA.

Says TurboTax has for several years doubled healthcare premiums in the preview and filing, a known issue not yet fixed.

TurboTax never sent their payment to the IRS or state; they got letters and hurt credit, and TurboTax would reimburse only penalties.

TurboTax full-service accountant messed up their taxes, leaving a large bill years later, and refused to give a last name.

Stuck in a loop for 20 days with over 15 hours on calls; TurboTax admitted a filing mistake but said it could not amend or return the money.

Declined every upgrade only to see Deluxe at the end; switching products returned it to free and they declined the paid fast-deposit options.

TurboTax's 1099-DIV import listed the form but failed to add it to the investment income total, making the refund look better than it should until the form was re-entered manually.

A part-time student used TurboTax for years, but at the very end it demanded a Deluxe package with a large charge that would also be taken from the refund, with no way to back out.

Says TurboTax counts a California parental leave payment twice alongside unemployment, a known bug for years that FreeTaxUSA does not have.

Increasingly annoyed by TurboTax's business model, rising cost, backsliding quality, poor customer service and constant upselling.

Told a small fee would be taken from the federal refund but a much larger amount was taken.

After eight years TurboTax moved them to an upgraded product they never selected, and refused to reimburse the difference.

Spent a week unable to correct TurboTax's errors importing their IRA 1099s, including a huge ordinary loss shown three times, and no longer trusts it.

Their advisor disappeared, the next one will not respond despite multiple escalations, so Full Service is no service.

Quoted $205 for federal and state on TurboTax's DIY Premium tier, versus a small fraction of that on FreeTaxUSA for the same return.

Used TurboTax as in prior years but was charged about $100 in processing fees at the very end, which had not happened before and was not disclosed until filing was done.

Used TurboTax for over a decade, always advertised as free yet never once able to file for free, and moved to FreeTaxUSA.

TurboTax twice said brokerage forms were available and then they were not, so they moved to FreeTaxUSA for much less.

With a basic one-W-2 return and eight years with TurboTax, spent an hour and was then hit with a large bill and no free option.

Their fee roughly doubled with the same tax scenario and no expert use, and customer service only offered a discount code.

Third year with TurboTax was a disaster: glitches, shifting fee quotes, an overcharge that took weeks to refund, and experts giving conflicting answers.

Found TurboTax had a subset of entries not feeding into the total three years ago, which was fixed but shook their faith.

TurboTax showed a discount for a low fee but the bill came to much more, and the refund request was denied after they paid.

Thought they declined all the upgrade requests but TurboTax tricked them into paying an extra amount for federal; switching after many years.

Says TurboTax charges for e-filing, direct deposit, federal and state, plus a new five-day-early deposit fee, ending with a large total.

Long-time desktop TurboTax user could not run it without Windows 11, and TurboTax Online charged much more, so they moved to FreeTaxUSA.

TurboTax had a frustrating error calculating part-year resident state tax on exempt Treasury interest, so they switched to OLT and FreeTaxUSA.

TurboTax 2025 does not import capital gains, interest and dividend data from financial institutions, and customer service shrugged and advised manual input.

Feels price-gouged by TurboTax prices rising through the year after missing the sale.

TurboTax filled garbage on a K-1 with no edit option, blocking e-file until removed, and now they must amend.

Updating business income in TurboTax showed the new amount but the old one in the summary, and the 1040 sheet lacked business income.

TurboTax Online showed an item that did not apply to them and would not let them complete the return; the only help offered was a paid support fee.

TurboTax was awful when their employment got complicated and made them look like they owed a lot; FreeTaxUSA fixed it.

Former TurboTax contractor says it has had the same awful glitches for years with workarounds found on message boards.

Says TurboTax is buggy on state returns, putting wrong values in wrong spots and duplicating capital gains, getting them audited twice.

An 84-year-old was told taxes were filed when they were not and got only AI and runaround from TurboTax support.

Return was rejected repeatedly and support could not fix it; the local IRS resolved it, and TurboTax denied the refund request after three weeks.

Says TurboTax makes the free option confusing so people accidentally pick the paid one, with no going back without a new account.

After ten years of filing free, TurboTax tried to charge a fee this year, offered only small voucher credits, and lost a long-time customer.

TurboTax wanted a high price per family member; FreeTaxUSA was free in all those situations.

A CPA says TurboTax wanted a fee for a Schedule D with a tiny loss and they never went back.

Paid extra for years for student loan forms that FreeTaxUSA said did not even affect their taxes.

TurboTax required scrolling through a blank white screen after every question to click next, for two hours, so they switched.

After a decade, TurboTax gave conflicting AI guidance, messed up a Roth rollover and charged unnecessary fees.

Found TurboTax had automatically applied a credit they did not qualify for, and that it would still have cost more than FreeTaxUSA after fees.

Four hours with a TurboTax software error that made filing impossible, a refund request denied after being charged, then FreeTaxUSA took under 30 minutes.

Was matched with an expert in a different time zone who knew nothing about their situation, so they cancelled and used a local preparer.

Dedicated TurboTax user for years, but this year it pushed Premier without reason and forced a data-sharing screen, so they mirrored with FreeTaxUSA and are leaving.

Everything was completed until the very end, then TurboTax demanded over a hundred to continue with no way out of premium.

Used TaxAct and TurboTax free filing until they started charging for everything but the most basic return.

TurboTax self-employment return was rejected and they were told to wait a week and refile, without being warned of the issue.

Paid for an expert who hmm-ed for 30 minutes and never called back, then a second expert gave wrong IRA advice contradicted by the software itself; moved to H&R Block.

Used TurboTax for four years with a simple return and felt it took far too much money, paying a hundred or two every year.

Used the five-day-early option and got a message TurboTax would not charge the fee, then the deposit did not arrive on the IRS date and the receipt vanished.

Spent about 40 minutes on the phone with TurboTax and had to explain to the Tier 2 rep how TurboTax receives its fee payment.

TurboTax said they owed a couple thousand but an accountant found they were actually owed money.

After 31 years, says TurboTax pricing is outrageous, the software gets worse every year, and it keeps pushing prompts to pay more.

TurboTax listed high filing fees plus extra fees to pay from the refund and for early deposit, totaling a very high price.

Spent 45 minutes on the phone seeking a downgrade and refund and was put on hold and hung up on by billing.

Thought they were in the free version but at the file step it was suddenly a high charge.

Live support promised on the Premier package gave them an AI bot and a long callback wait.

Found the questions confusing and bank and investment data would not transfer correctly despite many attempts; also had a third party take part of an earlier refund.

Declined every expert upgrade prompt and was still charged as if they had accepted.

Always filed free, then was hit with an unexpected large bill at the end this year and would have to redo everything elsewhere.

Hit known TurboTax Desktop Premier bugs, including forgetting filing status and showing a zero refund while still allowing e-file.

Calls TurboTax the most expensive with nothing better, and two different reps both gave bad information, so they hung up and figured it out themselves; used FreeTaxUSA for six years before.

Had to wait almost a month for TurboTax to update a fairly simple form.

Says TurboTax's question explanations are poor and its advisory upcharge gives it an incentive to keep questions obtuse; uses ChatGPT to decode them.

After positive past experiences, this year a rep promised a callback that never came and the second rep seemed confused about a W-2C.

Long-time TurboTax user whose documents did not import or scan correctly and who spoke with five professionals who could not answer basic questions.

Was forced to pay for expert assist they did not use because of an HSA.

Found some TurboTax sections purposefully confusing so that people call and get pushed into upgraded advice.

TurboTax charged a large amount even though they only clicked the free options, after using it since 2005.

Was prompted to upgrade more often than before even in a version already paid for at Costco with a simple return.

Found the free version only with difficulty after repeated upgrade prompts and says it is their last time.

After years of seamless TurboTax use, the refund-delivery step looped back to the same page after six tries.

TurboTax imported a W-2 Box 14 plan number as a dollar amount, inflating itemized deductions until they changed it to zero.

TurboTax showed itemized deductions far above their actual SALT, and several calls could not explain the discrepancy.

Expert assist activated unnoticed and they were charged a large amount that would not be reversed.

The full-service preparer changed their income on submission, wiping out the refund, and TurboTax could not tell which preparer did it for the amendment.

Added an expert-advice fee they never used on a free-file return, and support said it cannot be removed.

TurboTax Expert gave an inaccurate assessment that would have caused a large overpayment, and the guarantee fine print does not cover poor advice.

TurboTax took its fee from the state refund and, as a result, the federal refund is being mailed instead of direct deposited.

TurboTax recommended itemizing for a figure that made no sense compared to FreeTaxUSA's standard deduction, with no breakdown shown in the free version.

Declined the add-on but TurboTax did not show the total until they filed, and they are done with it.

TurboTax demanded a very expensive federal package with no easy way to change it, after eight years, so they gave up.

TurboTax was going to cost far more just to submit than FreeTaxUSA, with a charge now to pay fees from the refund.

After thirty years, TurboTax presented Expert Assist they never used and demanded a large charge at the end, with the only way out being to delete everything; FreeTaxUSA results matched.

Switched two years ago, found it easier than expected, and calls TurboTax a scam.

TurboTax wanted over a hundred dollars to include a Robinhood account with no real gains, so they moved to FreeTaxUSA.

Started with Start for Free but saw a charge of fifty dollars on a small refund, fixed by switching products to downgrade.

Started with TurboTax this year and found it slow, buggy, and nonstop pushing Deluxe and Pro packages costing hundreds of dollars.

Says TurboTax is getting worse each year with wrong age prompts, errors flagged that it used to fill itself, slow 1099 entry and constant online nagging.

The assigned expert did not know the school tax rules and set the wrong county, and they cannot amend without that agent.

Paid for audit defense, then the software duplicated imported bank data, helpers said it looked fine, and an audit followed.

Chose Full Service when stuck 90% through, was charged immediately and lost access to their completed work, which went to a contractor expert who just asked questions.

Had to pay before completing filing, tried to cancel and redo, but the card was charged and support could not reverse it.

Spent over six hours on the phone with a professional-service expert who seemed to read from the software and eventually implied he was unqualified.

A CPA says TurboTax gave incorrect outputs on their complicated personal return that could not be fixed, so they moved to FreeTaxUSA.

TurboTax was late getting the proper EV credit forms, forcing them to wait to file, and they moved to FreeTaxUSA.

Expert filing price jumped from year to year and the final quote did not match what was advertised or promised on the phone.

Got contradictory penalty messages, no prompt to enter all 1099s, and a TurboTax expert who lacked experience with their situation.

TurboTax pushed a prepaid card and other costly extras, so they stopped using it for FreeTaxUSA.

TurboTax could not communicate with Credit Karma so their accepted return did not show, costing the advance, and each party blamed the others.

Their expert had a baby screaming in the background, made them repeat completed steps, and refused to answer questions.

Does not recommend the online version, finding it complicated and less flexible than the desktop version.

TurboTax wrongly said they owed a large amount and disallowed a deduction; H&R Block produced a refund.

TurboTax calculated a refund lower than other software and charged higher fees, so they stopped comparing.

TurboTax checked the wrong box on a Wisconsin part-time residency form, and support insisted it was not a bug.

TurboTax said an expert was already included, then forced the pricier Expert Assist version after a useless chat unless they cleared everything and started over.

Even the top protection tier gave no real assistance, the return was wrong, and H&R Block amended it.

Realized TurboTax had incorrectly filled out their return for five years and must now mail in corrections.

TurboTax miscalculated a credit and said they owed more than they did, so they switched to FreeTaxUSA.

After twenty years, found serious flaws checking a 1099 calculation and spent over three hours on the phone without a legitimate answer; this is their last year.

TurboTax checked a box in 2021 that should not have been checked, costing them a large bill plus interest and penalties.

Found minor mistakes in TurboTax before and saved by filing on paper.

Says TurboTax does not carry the math correctly for complicated K-1s.

Found a TurboTax bug that doubled a 1099-INT interest amount.

Senior couple's TurboTax would only apply half of the enhanced senior deduction; after rechecking every input and over three hours on the phone with support there was no resolution.

Dumped TurboTax over the same premium issue; they spent ages on the phone before TurboTax agreed to a refund.

In 2009 TurboTax printed the wrong documents for a home sale and the promised lifetime free TurboTax lasted one year.

After a house sale TurboTax kept losing entered numbers and created hidden duplicate schedules with a huge liability; support only helped several calls in.

Makes them nervous that TurboTax releases updates after filing.

Sees weirdness this year with multiple UI changes and trouble pulling 1099 upload data correctly.

Got IRS collection letters years later for all three years they used TurboTax.

TurboTax offered only card payment, the chat said there was a processing fee, and a call about it ended in a disconnection.

TurboTax tried to charge a lot for having more forms considered complicated, so they moved to FreeTaxUSA.

TurboTax waited until the very end to reveal fees even though they clicked no on state taxes.

TurboTax forces the Deluxe version for an HSA or itemizing, hiding required forms behind a paywall, whereas FreeTaxUSA does federal free.

TurboTax made them upgrade to Deluxe to claim the education credit, wanting a high charge; FreeTaxUSA charged nothing extra and gave a bigger refund.

Compared both and got the same amount, but TurboTax is pushy about upgrading even a simple return.

Ended up with TurboTax which charged to deposit into a personal account, free only to its Credit Karma card.

Was charged an added fee even after paying the base price, which they compare to phone-company fees.

Filed federal but New York forms were still unavailable to file or print at the end of January.

TurboTax mis-processed uploaded 1099s causing a penalty, and said its accuracy guarantee covers only calculations.

Had never paid TurboTax but this year it tried to charge for state, so they switched to FreeTaxUSA.

A free filing ended up costing money after four hours entering forms, and they warn people about it years later.

Found TurboTax painful after professional software, taking much longer to do what real software would in minutes.

Was with TurboTax for 15 years before moving to FreeTaxUSA because prices have become ridiculous.

TurboTax charged in November automatically, yet in mid-January key sections still said they would be ready soon, so they could not estimate their Social Security taxable amount.

Had a TurboTax refund advance for three years but was denied this year.

Discovered their 2023 return filed through TurboTax was never accepted by the IRS, leaving a back-tax problem during a mortgage process.

Calls TurboTax a bait-and-switch company with buggy software that shares information.

TurboTax charged over two hundred fifty last year even though they did the return themselves without asking for help.

Got little to no assistance from TurboTax during an audit despite paying extra for support, and had no issues with H&R Block.

Paid a much higher total than expected after a decade of TurboTax and says it is their last time.

Found they were on Deluxe instead of Free Edition only at filing, with a high quoted fee, and had to clear and re-enter their whole return from the correct link to file for free.

After seven years of TurboTax, first year on FreeTaxUSA with free federal; says TurboTax advertises a low rate then upcharges for everything.

Used to be fine with TurboTax Deluxe but capital gains features moved to Premier, and state e-file costs extra.

Pricing was deceptive: a high total for federal and state, and support said premium was required because of investments or business income.

TurboTax wanted over a hundred fifty after six years, saying HSA holders must now pay.

TurboTax mishandled the sale of inherited property, an expert confirmed the correct way, yet nothing was fixed and they forced a higher product for one form.

The free online version did not prompt for a signature, TurboTax said the return was accepted, then two hours later said it could not be filed and hid the finish option.

Tried the TurboTax app two years running and each time was quoted nearly double H&R Block and FreeTaxUSA.

Says TurboTax's fee is too high and it does nothing to help, with a refund showing pending, and won't use it again.

Price rose from free to over two hundred for a return with a 1099, and a discount code only trimmed it.

Says TurboTax Business is badly designed and missing features, forcing manual fixes of wrong entries every year.

TurboTax upgrades to a premium option without consent with no way back to the basic tool.

Used TurboTax for years but found mistakes for the first time this year and will look for a change.

Full Service turned into an endurance test of nearly ten customer service calls and about three and a half hours wasted, starting with an expert who could not hear them.

After years of TurboTax, finds it confusing with pointless graphics, broken links and buried functions, and will hire an accountant.

TurboTax pushed Premium at a high price over a single 1099-INT, so they did it free elsewhere.

Switched from TurboTax after 13 years, calling it a complete rip-off.

Only at the very end did TurboTax say they would need Premium at a high price for federal plus a state charge, while FreeTaxUSA cost far less with the same numbers.

TurboTax went from free to a charge this year with no changes and nothing but self-prepared entries.

TurboTax gave a smaller refund and wanted to charge on top; filing elsewhere gave about a hundred dollars more.

TurboTax charged despite advertising free, then the program errored and refused to file but still charged.

TurboTax kept asking them to upgrade every couple of steps, so they switched to FreeTaxUSA.

Ten-plus years on TurboTax and tired of its increased fees.

Says TurboTax keeps getting you to pay more throughout the process and did not ask about retirement contributions, so they plan to use H&R Block or FreeTaxUSA.