We were told there’s no such thing as a free lunch and we’re okay with that. We’re told we can file our federal tax returns for free using TurboTax. We’re also told we can have our returns direct deposited into our bank accounts. That’s where free is no longer…
According to the MetaBank website, TurboTax gets a $27.95 fee. I’ll give them the benefit of assuming that’s the fee that goes to the state of which you file. But why can’t our money be placed into our accounts directly by the Treasury instead of being funneled through a third party that’s making $29.95 for every person filing online for “free”?
Also, that means the states are getting roughly $28 per filer just so they can give us back our money!
Maybe this is why Timothy Geithner used TurboTax. I wonder if he had/has a taste of MetaBank action…?
You used a fee based service to do deduction and whatnot?
If you used the pay versions, and had them take out the fee from the deposit, that is the charge, and they demand it be direct deposit.
Then they take the charges out of the deposit and charge you again.
I have not had that fee taken out. Best way to avoid it I think is to pay with a card when you do the taxes (if not using the free version), and then the fees are not sucked out. They are not very clear on this when you are going through the program. Luckily, the only time I’ve needed to use the longer forms of the service, I bought the cd from Office Depot and the refund was free that year as well.
Of course the reason I needed the pay service was I was near bankrupt from a move, and a sour business arrangement (gee sounds familiar, hey?) and a sudden change in finances due to the loss of savings that went into tools, a truck, and the move, to a job that never paid what was promised to get me to move. I got a goodly amount back(yet was so far in the whole, all it did was postpone the inevitable for another 9 months), but only possible in long form tax forms and failed business refund.
A search of the site shows lots of folks are bit by this.
Wow, neocons crying about not getting something free. Go figure.
You are paying for the convenience of electronically filing through their service. You can always print and mail the returns out your damn self, if you don’t mind waiting about a good month and a half.
Pay the damn 60 bucks, you cheapskates. Or be smart enough to limit your deductions so Uncle Sugar won’t get a free loan with your hard-earned money all year.
Often the free websites have to be accessed from the IRS website links to free programs, and then they’re only free if you make less than $30K. But you ARE allowed to deduct that fee on the next year’s taxes.
yeah, so much for “free”. Kinda like how healthcare will be be “free” if O and Pelosi get their way.
taxact cheaper and better. Did one year taxact, the next turbo, taxact was better got more of a refund.