HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania residents who used TurboTax may be receiving reimbursement as part of a $141 million multistate settlement announced Wednesday by Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry.
About 4.4 million customers across the nation were misled by TurboTax's owner, Intuit, into pay for free tax services, Henry said.
Pennsylvania will receive more than $4.76 million for the 158,779 consumers who were tricked into paying to file their federal tax return, according to Henry.
Eligible consumers will be contacted by email about the settlement, and checks are expected to be mailed in May, Henry said.
“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.”
Last year, 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, Henry said.
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 more information about who is covered by the settlement, and information about the settlement fund, please visit www.AGTurboTaxSettlement.com.
