TurboTax Pricing 2026: Free, Deluxe, Premium and Expert Costs

TurboTax costs nothing to $139 federal to file yourself in 2026, plus $64 per state on the paid tiers: Free Edition is $0 federal and state for a simple Form 1040, Deluxe is $79 and Premium $139. Expert Assist, where a tax expert answers questions and reviews the return, runs $59 to $209 federal. Expert Full Service starts at $129 federal, and its main filing page advertises a $199 federal-and-state offer for new customers.

Those are the prices for 2025 tax-year returns, read on TurboTax's filing options page and its tier pages on October 26, 2026, before the January filing window opens. Intuit says a paid price is set on the day you print or e-file, and the strikethrough figures on its pages are its anticipated late-season prices. A return finished in April can therefore cost more than the same return priced in January, so date every number you compare.

Toolradar data: of the 42 tax software tools listed on Toolradar, the software directory we run, 15 offer a free plan as of October 26, 2026, and the median entry paid plan costs $24.92. TurboTax's Deluxe tier, at $79 federal before state, sits at more than three times that median. That gap is the premium Intuit charges for its interview and its expert ladder. The category figures are on the tax software statistics page and the record is TurboTax on Toolradar. Finpresso data: Beehiiv's export for this newsletter, refreshed November 8, 2026, counts 33,000+ active subscribers, with an average open rate of 33%.

TurboTax prices at a glance

Every figure in the table is a list price for one return. Federal prices sit on each tier's card; the state fee sits behind the card's "State additional" link, so confirm the amount at checkout before you file.

How does TurboTax pricing work?

Two things set your price: what is on your return and how much help you buy. Intuit's own FAQ says it that way, and the table above is the grid it produces. Moving across a row adds help, from software alone to on-demand experts to a preparer who files for you. Moving down a column adds complexity, from a W-2 to Schedule A deductions to Schedule C self-employment.

The upgrade is decided by forms, not by income. A single 1099-NEC with no expenses to deduct lands on Deluxe; add a home office or mileage and the return needs Premium, whose federal price is $60 higher by our arithmetic. Intuit warns that it may uncover something mid-return that requires an upgrade, and you pay at the end, when you e-file, not when you start.

State is a separate line on every paid product, and it is not one flat fee. The state return costs $64 on the Do It Yourself tiers, $59 on Expert Assist Basic and $69 on the other expert products. A two-state filer on Premium therefore pays $128 of state fees on top of federal, by our arithmetic. Free Edition is the only product where the state return is included, which is a large part of why it beats every rival for the simplest returns.

Who still qualifies for Free Edition

Free Edition takes a simple Form 1040 and nothing else, with the schedules needed for the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, student loan interest and the new Schedule 1-A deductions. W-2 wages, interest and dividends without a Schedule B, the standard deduction and taxable retirement distributions all fit. Intuit's own estimate is that roughly 37% of taxpayers qualify.

Everything outside that list is a paid product: itemized deductions, unemployment income on a 1099-G, freelance or gig income, stock or crypto sales and rental income. The form-by-form test, and the IRS Free File route for returns that fail it, is on the Is TurboTax free? page, and the zero-cost alternatives are in how to file taxes for free; this page assumes you already know which column you are in.

The expert ladder: Assist and Full Service

Expert Assist is the same software with unlimited expert questions and a final expert review before you file. Intuit prices it as its own tier set, so a filer on Deluxe pays $50 more for the expert version, and a Premium filer $70 more, by our arithmetic, plus a state fee that is $5 higher than the do-it-yourself one. A one-time offer printed this season adds a review of your 2024 return for missed deductions, for customers who did not file that year with TurboTax.

Expert Full Service is priced like a preparer, by the forms on the return, and Intuit's pages print two different prices for it. The Live page lists it from $129 federal for a W-2 and a Form 1040, plus state, with the final price confirmed by your expert before work starts. The main filing options page instead advertises $199 for federal and state together, against a crossed-out $499. That price is an offer for customers who did not use Full Service last year and who file by March 31, 2026. Treat the offer as a limited-time price and the forms-based figure as the one that survives the season; neither includes add-ons.

What a W-2 filer with one state pays, against FreeTaxUSA

The scenario is one federal return plus one state return at list price, on the cheapest tier that covers the situation. FreeTaxUSA, the usual comparison, charges nothing for any federal return and $15.99 per state, read on FreeTaxUSA's pricing page the same day.

All TurboTax totals are federal plus one state at the fees in the first table. The FreeTaxUSA Pro Support row adds its $64.99 upgrade to the state fee, and every total is our arithmetic on the printed prices. The simplest return is the one place TurboTax is cheaper, and it wins by less than the price of a FreeTaxUSA state return. Every form you add moves TurboTax up a tier while FreeTaxUSA's bill stays flat, which is the whole argument of the FreeTaxUSA vs TurboTax comparison. The self-employed matchup with H&R Block is on TurboTax vs H&R Block, and the field beyond those two is in best tax software for self-employed.

Gotchas and hidden costs

• Prices move with the calendar. Intuit sets the paid price on the day you file, and its strikethrough figures are the anticipated late-season prices for April 1 to October 31. A return priced in January and filed in April can cost more.
• Paying from your refund costs up to $40. The Refund Processing Service fee applies when TurboTax takes its fee out of your federal or state refund; paying by card avoids it.
• The state fee changes with the service level. Three different state prices sit behind the same "State additional" link, and the highest one belongs to the expert products.
• Full Service grows by the form. The base price covers one W-2 and a Form 1040; each extra schedule adds to the estimate your expert confirms before starting.
• The mid-return upgrade is real. Entering a 1099-G, a 1099-NEC or a stock sale in Free Edition triggers a move to a paid tier, and the state return stops being free at the same moment.
• The Full Service offer has a deadline and an exclusion: it ends March 31, 2026 and is closed to anyone who used Full Service for their 2024 taxes.

Which TurboTax product should you buy?

Take Free Edition if every line of your return fits the simple-1040 list, and nothing else at any price, because the included state return makes it the cheapest option on the market for that return. Buy Deluxe or Premium only if you value the interview and import more than the roughly $127 to $187 a FreeTaxUSA filer saves on the same return, by our arithmetic above. Choose Expert Assist when you want a professional to check your work for less than Full Service, and Full Service when you want to hand the whole thing over, starting from the forms-based price rather than the headline offer. A filer who wants a cheaper interview-style product before paying Intuit's premium can read the TaxAct review and the Cash App Taxes review first.

Methodology and sources

Federal and state prices were read on October 26, 2026 on TurboTax's filing options page, its Live page and the tier pages for Deluxe, Premium, Expert Assist Basic, Expert Assist Deluxe and Expert Assist Premium. FreeTaxUSA's prices were read on its pricing page the same day. Scenario totals, tier differences and the two-state example are our arithmetic on those printed prices. Toolradar figures are from its tax software category as of October 26, 2026.

Louis Corneloup, founder of Toolradar and Dupple, wrote this page. We run no test lab and give no rating; the method is on how we rate, corrections on the editorial policy and the author note on about.

This page is general information, not personalized financial advice. Confirm the price with TurboTax at checkout before you file, since Intuit changes prices during the season without notice.

FAQ

How much does TurboTax cost in 2026?

Filing yourself costs $0 on Free Edition for a simple Form 1040, $79 on Deluxe and $139 on Premium, plus a state fee on the two paid tiers. Expert Assist runs from Basic to $209 on Premium, federal plus state, and Expert Full Service starts at $129 federal plus state, or $199 for federal and state on a limited-time offer. Prices are for 2025 returns filed in 2026 and can rise later in the season.

Is TurboTax really free?

Yes for a simple Form 1040 with W-2 income, the standard deduction and the credits Intuit lists, and the state return is free too. Intuit estimates roughly 37% of taxpayers qualify. Itemized deductions, unemployment income, freelance income, stock sales or rental income move the return to a paid tier.

How much does TurboTax charge for a state return?

$64 per state on Deluxe and Premium, $69 on Expert Assist Deluxe, Expert Assist Premium and Full Service, and a few dollars less than Deluxe on Expert Assist Basic. Free Edition includes the state return. The figure sits behind the "State additional" link on each tier page rather than on the card.

What is the difference between TurboTax Deluxe and Premium?

Deluxe covers itemized deductions, unemployment income and 1099-NEC income with no expenses to deduct. Premium adds self-employment with expenses, stock and crypto sales and rental property. The federal gap is $60 by our arithmetic, and the state fee is the same on both.

Is TurboTax cheaper than FreeTaxUSA?

Only for a simple return: Free Edition costs nothing with state included, where FreeTaxUSA charges $15.99 for the state. For an itemizer or a freelancer, FreeTaxUSA's flat state fee is $127.01 and $187.01 cheaper than TurboTax Deluxe and Premium with one state, by our arithmetic.

Does TurboTax charge to pay from my refund?

Yes, a Refund Processing Service fee of $40 may apply when TurboTax deducts its price from your federal or state refund. Paying by card at filing avoids the fee.

Cite this: Finpresso, "TurboTax Pricing 2026: Free, Deluxe, Premium and Expert Costs", October 2026.

Finpresso tracks tax software prices through the filing season and flags in-season increases the week they appear. Subscribe at finpresso.com.

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