TurboTax Free is supposed to cover simple taxes. The things they charge you extra for are almost all either additional sources of income, or expenses that do not typically affect the poor, like donations or employment expenses. The ONLY exception to this is medical expenses, which disproportionately affect the poor and disabled. Why are people with a decreased ability to cover these costs responsible for them? How do they justify this? Why did this change? This is barbaric.
Please see the list below enumerating what is or is not included in the free version.
Simple tax returns include:
Employment income
Pension income
Other employment income such as tips
RRSP contributions
Child care expenses
COVID-19 benefits and re-payments
Unemployment (EI) and social assistance
Worker’s compensation
Disability amount
Worker’s benefit
Amount for eligible/infirm dependents
Tuition, scholarships, bursaries, grants, student loan interest
Caregiver tax credit
Disability transfer
Home accessibility tax credit
Tax on RESPs and RDSPs
Tax installment payments
Age amount
Income, credits, and deductions not listed above are not covered by TurboTax Free, including:
Employment expenses (meals, lodging, etc.)
Donations
Medical expenses
Investment income and expenses
Rental property income and expenses
Self-employed income and expenses
Thank you for choosing TurboTax.