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Is TurboTax Really Free This Year?

You may have seen the TV ads for TurboTax this year promising completely free service tax preparation and filing.

Every year, Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, advertises some type of free service but it often comes under scrutiny of consumer regulators for poorly disclosed catches as the FTC found last year. This year’s offer is bolder than ever. It promises tax preparation and filing that is 100% free if you didn’t file using TurboTax last year. While the TV ads are very clear this year, here is a summary of the catches.

*MOUSE PRINT:

  • You must use the TurboTax app to start your taxes.

  • You must file your taxes using the TurboTax app by February 18, 2025.

  • You must not have used TT last year, but use of it prior to that is okay.

  • TurboTax Live is not free.

  • The app is not appropriate for more complex tax situations such as for itemized deductions, business income, investment sales, etc. However, as long as you begin your tax prep in the app, you can switch to do it on your computer even in a more expensive product like TurboTax Deluxe or higher, whose fees will be waived, they say. But you then have to return to the app to file your taxes by the February 18th deadline.

  • It is unclear if their usual fee to file your state return is being waived.

    • Perhaps those folks with very simple returns will find this to be a tempting offer, but I can’t imagine how tedious it could become for more complex situations doing it on a cellphone.

    Here’s another option for people with simple returns. Uncle Sam has expanded its new Direct File free program to 25 states this year.

    Regular TurboTax offline users, like MrConsumer, face a number of challenges this year as well. Amazon did not run its usual sale for TurboTax Deluxe discs at the end of the year. And many people missed their November 30th sale when it was $45.99 with a $10 Amazon gift card. Also changed this year, TurboTax Deluxe is a download only product — the disc version has been discontinued.

    Costco advertised in its January Connection magazine that from January 18 to February 7 it will be offering $11 off of TurboTax Deluxe (making it $44.99), $18 off of Premier, and $20 off Home & Business. Sam’s Club will have a similar offer.

    UPDATE: Amazon has matched Costco’s price and upped the ante! The Amazon offer includes a $10 Amazon gift card when you buy TurboTax 2024 Deluxe plus State for $44.99. This will be the lowest price of the tax season if history is any guide. BUT… Amazon only offered this deal for one day, Saturday, January 18th. Now it is $44.99 without the gift card.

    [Consumer World will earn a small commission if you purchase from this link.]

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    Were Cyber Monday Deals Really One Day Only?

    Much is made of the supposed great deals available to shoppers offered during last month’s Cyber Monday sales. But were the advertised prices that day really one-day only and did you save as much as they claimed?

    Cyber Monday Only Sales

    We decided to do a little spot-check of a few of the prices advertised on Cyber Monday, and in some cases they were even “Cyber Monday only” prices. We selected three items advertised in Cyber Monday ads at six major retailers — Macy’s, Walmart, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Target, and Amazon. We compared the Cyber Monday price to the price that same retailer was charging two days later, December 4th, and again a full week after Cyber Monday on December 9th.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    — Of the 18 products we checked, only two of them reverted to the so-called regular price by the Wednesday after Cyber Monday.

    — In 10 of the cases, the items continued to be offered at the same Cyber Monday price two days later .

    — A week after Cyber Monday, five of the products were still at the Cyber Monday price.

    Walmart is the only chain that never raised its price on any of the items above the Cyber Monday price during this time period. On the other hand, Target, Amazon, and Best Buy each had one item that reverted to the so-called regular price a week after the sale, and Kohl’s had two. MrConsumer is surprised that that many reverted.

    Here is the price comparison chart of all the items checked and their prices on the dates surveyed:

    Cyber Monday comparison

    So, the two takeaways from this little experiment are that one-day only sales are rarely one-day only, and don’t expect to actually save as much money as retailers claim because the so-called “regular price” is rarely charged.

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    Here We Shrink Again – Year-End 2024

    The next new Mouse Print* story: January 6th.

    As we wrap up 2024, it is time to take a last look at some products that suffered the effects of shrinkflation. Here are some more products that have been recently downsized.

    Chex Mix

    Snack foods are one of the common categories of groceries to shrink. And Chex is no exception. Their family size bags which used to be 15 ounces have gone down to 13.5 ounces.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Chex Mix Chex Mix Bold

    Secret Deodorant

    Solid deodorant packages tend to be deceptive. The dispenser appears to be pretty tall, but if you look carefully at the one on the right below, you will see that the fairly thick platform that raises the stick deodorant starts halfway up the package. There is no content in the bottom half.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Secret Deodorant

    And to add insult to injury, the new tubes went from 2.6 ounces to 2.37 ounces. Thanks to Nora F. for this submission.

    Q-Tips

    Warehouse club packs of Q-Tips have been shrinking. The old packs combined contained 1875 Q-Tips, but the new ones have 125 fewer Q-Tips — just 1750. Either way, this seems like a lifetime supply for many people.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Q-Tips

    People have also been complaining online about the amount of cotton on the ends of Q-Tips. They say it has been reduced. Thanks to Glen B. for finding this product.

    Charmin Strong

    Our ace downsizing spotter, Richard G., discovered that Charmin in the red package finally downsized again (the soft version in the blue package did that last year). Now each roll has 330 sheets instead of the old 363.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Charmin Mega XL

    Along with the reduction in sheets came a name change. P&G retired the name “Super Mega” and renamed the product Charmin Mega XL. They did this apparently so they could introduce an even larger roll called Mega XXL. (It would have been odd to have had to call it “Super Super Mega.”)

    Tyson Chicken Nuggets

    Don’t look now, but you probably lost 10% of the nuggets from each of Tyson’s two-pound bags. You now only get 29 ounces.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Tyson Chicken Nuggets

    Richard G. spotted this one too, along with their chicken patties going from 10 in a package to just eight.

    Bar Soap

    The ever-shrinking soap bar continues to shrink. Now 3.17-ounce Dove bars are only 2.6 ounces. And Lever 2000 went from four ounces to 3.75.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Dove soap

    Lever 2000

    Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes

    What has Betty Crocker been cooking up lately? Smaller boxes of her au gratin potatoes, that’s what. They went down from 4.7 ounces to just four ounces. Thanks to both Nick B. and Richard G. for spotting this change.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes

    Jif Peanut Butter To Go Cups

    Richard G. discovered that little cups of Jif peanut butter that kids might eat as a snack went down from 1.5 ounces per cup to just 1.1 ounces.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Jif to go cups

    Lorna Doone Snack Pack

    Lastly, a childhood cookie favorite, Lorna Doone, lost two of its six cookies in each snack pack, according to Susan L. So they’ve gone from an ounce-and-a-half down to just one ounce.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Lorna Doone

    If you find a product that has been downsized very recently, please take a picture of the old version and the new version, side-by-side, if possible, clearly displaying the net content statements on both. You can email that to Edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org . Thanks.

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