4 May 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — If you paid to use Intuit TurboTax to file your taxes in 2016, 2017, or 2018, you might be getting money back. The attorney general’s office in Kansas says more than 40,000 people will get some money back.
State attorneys general claimed that Intuit “engaged in deceptive and unfair acts and practices” to get people to pay for something advertised as a free service.
You may remember the Intuit commercials that claimed, “Free, free, free, free.” The attorneys general said Intuit’s ads “misrepresented that consumers were eligible for a free version of its products.”
Investigators claimed that Intuit hid its free file website from internet search engines during tax season and had search engines send customers looking for the IRS Free File Program to Intuit’s paid products.
While Intuit did not admit to any of the accusations, it is paying a $141 million settlement. The Kansas portion is $1.2 million.
Customers who used TurboTax in 2016, 2017 or 2018 might get money back. The settlement goes to those who paid to use a TurboTax product after they:
Were eligible to use an Intuit IRS Free File product
Started filing a tax return using a TurboTax Free Edition product
Were told they were ineligible to use a TurboTax Free Edition product
And had not used the Intuit IRS Free File Product in a previous year
Most of those affected will get between $29 and $30.
You do not have to do anything to get the payment. Those who are affected will automatically be mailed a check. Rust Consulting, a third-party administrator, is in charge of mailing the checks this month.
Customers should not contact Intuit directly. Instead, if you are eligible, you should get an email, but no other action is required on your part.
Rust Consulting advises customers that they do not have to pay money or provide account information to receive a payment.
Click here for the Intuit Multi-State Settlement website. It includes a section of common questions that customers might have.