Many TurboTax Desktop Users Will Have to Pay More
Investors, the self-employed and others will need to upgrade—or find alternatives—to prepare their 2014 tax returns.

NOTE: After an onslaught of criticism from long-time users, TurboTax announced on Jan. 29 that customers who have already purchased its Deluxe desktop program will be able to upgrade to its Premium or Home and Business programs for free in early February. Deluxe customers who have already upgraded can go to www.TurboTax.com/25 to request a $25 refund. Next year, TurboTax will restore Schedules C, D and E to the desktop Deluxe program.
If you’ve been using TurboTax’s most popular desktop tax-preparation program, filing your taxes could cost you more this year. TurboTax’s Deluxe desktop version, which retails for $59.99, will no longer provide a question-and-answer interview for customers who need to report income from investments (except for interest, dividends and mutual fund capital gains distributions), self-employment and rental property.
Customers have two choices: Enter the information on the forms manually (which means you won’t be able to file electronically) or upgrade to a more expensive program. TurboTax Premier ($89.99) covers investment income reported on Schedule D and rental income reported on Schedule E; Home and Business ($99.99) also includes Schedule C, used for reporting self-employment income. For both those products as well as Deluxe, you pay an additional $19.99 to e-file your state return.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
The online versions of the products are slightly less expensive: $54.99 for Premier plus $36.99 for a state return; $79.99 for Home and Business plus $36.99 for a state return. However, customers who use the online products can prepare and e-file only one tax return, versus up to five for the desktop products. And some customers prefer the desktop version because they believe it’s more secure.
The change in TurboTax Deluxe has ignited a firestorm of criticism from customers who say they didn’t discover that the forms were missing until after they purchased the software. Longtime user Edgar Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org, says he was shocked to learn he couldn’t use it to report his self-employment income this year. The updated checklist on the back of the box was easy to overlook, especially for customers who have purchased the product for years, he says. “That’s why people are so irate.”
TurboTax vice-president Bob Meighan says the change will bring its desktop programs in line with its online products. TurboTax started requiring online customers to use Premier or Home and Business for Schedules C, D and E last year. If you’ve already purchased the desktop version of TurboTax Deluxe, here are your options:
Make sure you really need to upgrade. You can still use Deluxe to report income from interest, dividends and mutual fund capital gains distributions. You can also use it to report miscellaneous income from a 1099-MISC.
Complain. Customers who are unhappy with their purchase can contact TurboTax (go to www.turbotax.com for contact information). While the company is dealing with complaints on a case-by-case basis, it has provided free upgrades to some customers.
Switch. If you’ve already purchased TurboTax Deluxe, H&R Block is offering a free download of H&R Block Deluxe + State, which retails for $44.95, plus $19.95 to e-file a state return. H&R Block Deluxe supports Schedules C and D (users who want to use the Q&A to report rental income need to upgrade to the $64.95 premium product). To receive a free download, e-mail your name, address and phone number, the type of operating system you use (Windows or Mac) and a photocopy of your receipt or download code to SwitchToBlock@hrblock.com. You can import the previous year’s TurboTax return to the H&R Block program.
Block also allows users to electronically import W-2s and 1099s from the majority of vendors that provide these documents. However, its list isn’t as comprehensive as TurboTax’s, which imports information from more than 1 million participating employers and financial institutions.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Block joined Kiplinger in June 2012 from USA Today, where she was a reporter and personal finance columnist for more than 15 years. Prior to that, she worked for the Akron Beacon-Journal and Dow Jones Newswires. In 1993, she was a Knight-Bagehot fellow in economics and business journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has a BA in communications from Bethany College in Bethany, W.Va.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Step Back From New Highs
Investors, traders and speculators continue the low-volume summer grind against now-familiar uncertainties.
-
Ask the Editor — Tax Questions on the New Senior Deduction
Ask the Editor In this week's Ask the Editor Q&A, we answer tax questions from readers on the new $6,000 deduction for taxpayers 65 and older.
-
Why Your Summer Budget Feels Tighter: Tariffs Push Up Inflation
Tariffs Your summer holiday just got more expensive, and tariffs are partially to blame, economists say.
-
Don’t Miss Alabama Tax-Free Weekend 2025
Tax Holiday Ready to save? Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 back-to-school Alabama sales tax holiday.
-
Parents Prepare: Trump's Megabill Brings Three Crucial Tax Changes
Tax Changes Are you a parent? The so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ (OBBB) impacts several key tax incentives that can affect your family this year and beyond.
-
‘I Play Pickleball in Retirement.’ Is It HSA-Eligible?
Retirement Tax Staying active after you retire may be easier with these HSA expenses. But there’s a big catch.
-
Mississippi Tax-Free Weekend 2025
Tax Holiday Just in time for Prime Day, Mississippi celebrated a tax holiday in July. Find out what back-to-school essentials were included.
-
Ten Cheapest Places to Live in Virginia
Property Taxes The Commonwealth of Virginia has some cheap places to live. Here are a few if you hate paying property taxes.
-
2025 SALT Cap Could Hurt Top 'Hidden Home Cost'
Tax Deductions The GOP tax bill could make hidden homeowner costs worse for you. Here’s how.
-
Retire in the Bahamas With These Three Tax Benefits
Retirement Taxes Retirement in the Bahamas may be worth considering for high-net-worth individuals who hate paying taxes on income and capital gains.