Is TurboTax really free?

Only in the Free Edition, which covers simple Form 1040 returns. Intuit publishes the share of filers who qualify, and it is a minority of them; adding common schedules moves you to a paid tier.

Does the state return cost extra?

In the paid DIY tiers, yes — the state return is a separate per-state charge on top of the federal price. Only the Free Edition includes a state return at no cost.

Is the assisted tier worth the premium?

It buys review or preparation by a person, which matters when the return has ambiguity — self-employment expenses, equity compensation, rental depreciation. For a W-2 return with the standard deduction it rarely changes the outcome.

TurboTax Review

Name: TurboTax Review: Pricing, Tiers and Who It Suits
Item: TurboTax
Author: Think Bigger Today editorial team

TurboTax is the most widely used consumer tax product in the United States, sold in DIY tiers and in assisted tiers where a preparer reviews or completes the return. Simple W-2 returns can qualify for a free federal and state filing tier, while anything involving investments, rental property or self-employment moves you into a paid tier, with the state return usually charged separately. It is the most polished interview flow on the market and also, for equivalent complexity, among the most expensive.

Pricing observed August 2026 · Think Bigger Today editorial team

Plans and published prices

Prices shown were read from the vendor's public pricing page on the observation date below. Filing-season prices usually rise as the deadline approaches — confirm the current price on the vendor site before you pay.

Plan	Who it covers	Federal	State
Free Edition (DIY)	Simple Form 1040 returns only — roughly 37% of filers qualify, per Intuit's own published disclosure	$0	$0
Deluxe (DIY)	Itemised deductions, HSA, child and dependent credits	Paid tier — price set by Intuit and raised during the season	Per-state add-on charged separately
Premium (DIY)	Investments, crypto, rental property, self-employment and Schedule C	Paid tier, highest DIY price	Per-state add-on charged separately
Live Assisted / Live Full Service	Expert review, or a preparer who files it for you	Assisted premium on top of the DIY tier	Per-state add-on charged separately

Observed August 2026 on the vendor's pricing page.

What it does well

The interview flow is the clearest of the mainstream products, with plain-language questions instead of form names.
W-2, 1099 and brokerage imports are broad, which removes most manual entry for investors.
Prior-year data carries forward automatically for returning users.
Assisted tiers put a human on the same return rather than moving you to a different product.

Its limits

It is the priciest mainstream option for equivalent complexity once the state return is added.
The free tier is genuinely restricted to simple 1040 situations; adding one common schedule can trigger an upgrade prompt mid-return.
Federal tier prices are not fixed for the season — they typically rise closer to the deadline.
State returns are charged per state, so multi-state filers stack the fee.

Who it suits

· Filers with brokerage or crypto activity who value broad import coverage.
· Anyone who wants the option to escalate to an assisted tier without switching product.
· Returning users whose prior-year data is already in the system.

Who should look elsewhere

· Cost-sensitive filers with straightforward returns — the same return costs far less elsewhere.
· Multi-state filers, where per-state pricing adds up quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Compare all five products Read the tax guide

Think Bigger Today keeps its editorial standards independent of commercial relationships. This review was written by our team using publicly available information, including regulatory filings and published rate sheets. TurboTax did not review, approve or endorse it, and is not responsible for its accuracy. Companies that work with us commercially get no preferential coverage, scoring or placement. This page may link to our free matching service, for which we can be paid a referral fee — that fee never decides what we publish, and you may or may not be matched with TurboTax. Figures can change without notice; always confirm the current terms with the provider. Nothing here is financial, legal or tax advice.

How we built this review

Content and methodology updated: August 24, 2026
Written and maintained by: Think Bigger Today editorial team

Data sources and observation years

TurboTax public pricing page — observed August 2026. Prices change during filing season
IRS annual inflation adjustments (revenue procedure) — observed tax year 2026

We do not claim to be licensed advisers and we publish no anonymous expert reviews. What we do commit to is method: where a figure comes from an ingested dataset we name that source and show when it was observed, and where we cannot verify it we leave it out. See how we source our data.