Get our newsletters

PA Attorney General: Intuit to pay millions to consumers firm deceived

Posted

Attorney General Michelle Henry announced yesterday that consumers who were misled by TurboTax’s owner, Intuit, into paying for free tax services should soon expect reimbursement from a $141 million multistate settlement.

Approximately 4.4 million consumers nationwide will receive checks in the mail as the result of the multistate settlement. Pennsylvania will receive more than $4.76 million for the 158,779 consumers who were “tricked” into paying to file their federal tax return, the AGs office said.

Eligible consumers will be contacted by email about the settlement, and checks are expected to be mailed in May.

“By requiring consumers to pay for tax-return services that should have been available for free, Intuit cheated taxpayers out of their hard earned money,” said Henry. “Intuit’s deceptive practices and aggressive advertising campaign were unnecessary and illegal; especially when the IRS offers free tax-return services for eligible consumers.”

In 2022, Attorneys General from Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Texas, and Washington, announced a $141 million multistate agreement with Intuit for deceiving millions of low-income Americans into paying for tax services that should have been free. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have signed onto the agreement.

Eligible consumers include those who paid to file their federal tax returns through TurboTax for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018 — but were eligible to file for free through the IRS Free File Program. Consumers will receive a check in the mail automatically, without filing a claim.

The amount each consumer receives will be based on the number of tax years for which they qualify. Most consumers are expected to receive between $29 and $30. For information about who is covered by the settlement, and information about the settlement fund, visit www.AGTurboTaxSettlement.com.


Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.


X