Tool profile
TurboTax: cost, fit and limits
TurboTax is a tax preparation product made by Intuit, Inc. that lets individuals and businesses file returns themselves in a Free Edition or paid DIY tiers, with live expert assistance and full-service preparation, as online software and a desktop edition.
What to know first
TurboTax runs the widest ladder of help among the tools in this ranking: Free Edition, Do It Yourself Deluxe and Premium, Expert Assist Basic, Deluxe and Premium, Expert Full Service, and business versions. The page read prices only some of it: Free Edition at $0 federal, $0 state and $0 to file, an Expert 365 Business subscription at $61 monthly, and a $40 pay-from-refund fee on the desktop section. No AI feature is named on that page.
TurboTax at a glance
| Maker | Intuit, Inc., Not stated on the vendor pages |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | $0 federal, $0 state (Free Edition) |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Tax Preparation Software in 2026, rank 8 of 10 |
| Website | turbotax.intuit.com |
Who TurboTax is best for
Filers who might need an expert later
Expert Assist and Expert Full Service sit in the same product, so a filer can start free and upgrade without switching software.
Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs
Expert 365 Business is a monthly subscription shown at $61, aimed at those business types. The monthly figure is shown on the TurboTax page alongside the other business offers.
Corporations needing desktop software
TurboTax Desktop includes a Business edition for corporations, with Expert Assist Business and Expert Full Service Business available. Expert Assist Business and Expert Full Service Business are listed beside it, so help is available at higher cost.
TurboTax plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| TurboTax Free Edition | $0 federal, $0 state, $0 to file | Federal and state return at no charge, as listed on the page. Eligibility for the free tier depends on tax situation, which the text read does not detail. |
| Expert 365 Business | Billed monthly at $61 | Subscription for sole proprietorships and single-member LLCs, per the TurboTax page. The page ties this price to sole proprietorships and single-member LLCs rather than individuals. |
| Pay from refund (desktop) | $40 service fee | A Refund Processing Service fee listed on the desktop section for paying from the refund. |
| Do It Yourself and Expert tiers | Not priced on the page read | Deluxe, Premium, Expert Assist and Expert Full Service are listed without prices on the page opened. |
Checked November 2026.
What TurboTax does
- Free Edition
- Federal, state and filing are all listed at $0, and eligibility rules sit behind the page that was read. The page frames it as the starting point of the product line, above which paid tiers add more situations.
- Do It Yourself tiers
- Deluxe and Premium are the self-prepared steps above Free Edition, priced on pages that were not opened. Pricing for these tiers sits on pages that were not opened, so tier differences are not described here.
- Expert Assist
- Basic, Deluxe and Premium levels of Expert Assist let a filer get a professional's input while preparing. Basic, Deluxe and Premium Expert Assist are shown as separate levels, and their costs are not printed on the page read.
- Expert Full Service
- A preparer completes the return, with a business version for sole proprietors and entities. This is the highest-touch option listed, and the business variant covers sole proprietors and entities as well.
- Desktop edition
- TurboTax Desktop is offered, including a Business edition for corporations, for filers who prefer local software. The desktop section is also where the pay-from-refund fee appears, and the business edition targets corporations.
How TurboTax handles your data
The data handling of TurboTax could not be confirmed from the pages read. The Intuit privacy page returned navigation text only, and the security page returned no usable text, so the vendor's policy was not checked for model training, retention, hosting region or certifications. Intuit, Inc. is named as the maker, but no headquarters is stated on the pages opened. A buyer should read the current Intuit privacy statement and the product's terms before uploading tax documents.
Where TurboTax falls short in practice
- Most paid tiers unpriced on the page. Only Free Edition and two subscriptions show prices, so the cost of Deluxe, Premium and the expert tiers needs another page. A buyer wanting to compare totals must open further pages, which makes a quick side-by-side hard.
- Refund fee for paying from the refund. The desktop section lists a $40 Refund Processing Service fee for the pay-from-refund option, which raises the cost of the cheapest filing path. The refund fee is shown on the desktop section, and the text read does not state whether it applies online.
- No AI feature named. The page read names no AI function, so any assistant or import features Intuit sells are not confirmed here. Any assistant, import or chat functions that Intuit markets are therefore unconfirmed in this review.
- Data policy unread. The privacy and security pages gave no usable text, which leaves retention and training questions open. Questions about training on tax data, retention and certifications need Intuit's current privacy statement.
Works with
Alternatives to TurboTax
TurboTax: common questions
What does TurboTax Free Edition cost?
The TurboTax page lists Free Edition at $0 federal, $0 state and $0 to file. The page read does not set out which tax situations qualify, so check eligibility inside the product before entering data. Higher DIY and expert tiers are listed on the same page without prices.
How much does TurboTax Expert 365 Business cost?
The page shows Expert 365 Business billed on a monthly basis of $61, as a subscription for sole proprietorships and single-member LLCs. QuickBooks Simple Start also appears at $38 monthly, but that is an accounting product listed beside TurboTax, not a tax preparation plan.
Is there a fee for paying TurboTax from my refund?
Yes. The desktop section of the TurboTax page lists a $40 Refund Processing Service fee for the pay-from-refund option. Whether the same fee applies to the online editions is not stated in the text read, so confirm it before choosing that payment method.
Does TurboTax use AI?
The TurboTax page we read names no AI feature, and the Intuit privacy and security pages returned no usable text. We therefore cannot say what AI functions exist or how customer data is treated. Check the current product page and Intuit's privacy statement before you decide.
What expert help does TurboTax sell?
The page lists Expert Assist Basic, Deluxe and Premium, plus Expert Full Service, and business versions of both. Prices for these tiers are not shown on the page read. Expect to compare them on a pricing page, since the amounts change with tax situation.