Intuit’s TurboTax users can get an extra $85 each as part of a settlement it reached with 50 U.S. states over an alleged deceptive scheme in which it made its consumers pay for tax services they should have received for free

TurboTax is a company that offers tax filing services, their software is used by millions of people in the United States. If you have been a customer of theirs for the past few years, you may soon be receiving extra money.

According to information released earlier this week, users of Intuit’s TurboTax may get an extra $85 each as part of a settlement it reached with 50 U.S. states over an alleged deceptive scheme in which it made its consumers pay for tax services they should have received for free.

This financial compensation will be real thanks to the agreement that was reached for $141 million dollars, after the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, announced the agreement that Intuit, owner of TurboTax, agreed to during 2022.

The settlement includes Intuit’s commitment to discontinue its “free, free, free” advertising campaign, which, according to the lawsuit filed against it, misled consumers into believing that its services would be free when in fact they were not. Thus, those who were victims of this scheme will receive financial compensation for the unfair charge.

The situation was uncovered after a report made by Propublica in 2019, who found that Intuit used deceptive tactics to get low-income taxpayers to request their tax filing services, in exchange for a certain fee, something that represented an abuse, since these services were eligible to be free resources.

“Today, every state in the nation holds Intuit accountable for defrauding millions of taxpayers, and we are putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of affected Americans,” James said in Thursday’s release.

In a press release, Intuit said, “Intuit is pleased to have reached a resolution with state attorneys general that will ensure the company can return its focus to providing vital services to American taxpayers today and in the future.

Who is eligible to receive compensation from TurboTax?

According to official figures, 4.4 million consumers in the United States are eligible to receive part of this financial compensation. They must meet the following requirements:

-Have been a TurboTax customer during fiscal years 2016, 2017 and/or 2018.
-Have used TurboTax Free Edition.
-Not have used Free File from the Internal Revenue Service a tax year prior to your claim.
-Receive an email from TurboTax informing them of eligibility.

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