With over 10 million taxpayers using TurboTax Free to file their federal and state income tax returns every year, it’s the most popular way to e-file taxes.
The straightforward interface with simplicity allows taxpayers to prepare their tax returns quickly. However, not everybody is eligible for TurboTax Free. You must meet income and other requirements. Here is everything you need to know about the filing requirements in 2024 for TurboTax.
Requirements to file with TurboTax
- You have a W-2 income, meaning you work for an employer.
- You’re not itemizing deductions.
- You claim the earned income tax credit.
- You qualify for the child tax credit. As long as you qualify, it doesn’t matter if you received the advanced payments of the credit or not.
- You have limited interest and dividend income reported on Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV.
- Your adjusted gross income is $39,000 or less.
Additionally, your filing status isn’t important. As long as you meet the above eligibility requirements, your filing status won’t matter. You can file taxes as a single taxpayer, a married couple filing a joint return or separately, head of household, or a qualifying widow(er).
Click here to file taxes on TurboTax for free.
The bottom line for filing taxes electronically through TurboTax Free is your tax return must be simple. As TurboTax won’t provide you with certain tax forms like Schedule A, which you use to itemize deductions, you must pay for a subscription.
Relatively speaking, filing taxes through TurboTax or another tax preparation service electronically results in a higher refund in most cases. That’s, of course, assuming that you don’t know the tax code from start to finish. If you know everything that you’ll claim on your return, paper filing might be a better option as it’s completely free.
Exceptions to the requirements
There are exceptions to the above requirements. The $39,000 AGI limit doesn’t apply to you if you’re military personnel. The AGI limit for military servicemembers looking to file their tax returns through TurboTax Free is $72,000.
Also, you may qualify for the TurboTax Free e-filing through the Tax Counseling for the Elderly program or the VITA. In these cases, the AGI limit is moved up to $57,000.