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April 30, 2025
Question

My refund is 0. Why do I have to pay?

  • April 30, 2025
  • 2 replies
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    2 replies

    DawnC
    Employee
    April 30, 2025

    See if you can downgrade to Free edition.   You pay based on the product you are using, not by the amount of your refund.   

     

    Review your fees and remove anything you don't need.   How to Review your Fees

     

    You also have the option to switch to a cheaper TurboTax Online product. Before switching, make sure the new product fits your tax situation and forms.

     

    As a last resort, you can clear and start over to remove all fees and start from scratch as long as you haven't paid, registered, or deducted the TurboTax fee from your refund.   See this TurboTax FAQ

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    Employee
    April 30, 2025

    Your fee is not based on the amount of your refund or even on whether you are getting a refund.   It is based on which version of the software you used, and you used a paid version instead of the Free Edition.   You would owe fees for that software even if you also owe the IRS and get no refund.

     

     

    Use this IRS site for other ways to file for free.  There are 8  free software versions available from the IRS Free File site

     

    https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/

     

    Or—if you live in certain states you may be eligible to use the new IRS Direct File

     

     

    In Filing Season 2025, Direct File will be available in Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. 

     

    https://directfile.irs.gov/

     

    https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2629

     

    **Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**