You select a level to start the process, but then as you move through the information-gathering stages, what you select will prompt a recommendation to upgrade (more on that below). (Image credit: Intuit)Īs always, you don't pay anything up front to start your taxes you pay at the time you file your return. TurboTax Live adds live video chats with tax experts. Intuit’s all-virtual approach to tax preparation is a welcome and worthwhile pandemic-era convenience, and it can save consumers money as compared with going to a tax preparer through real life channels. Still, at least you can see up front what Full Service costs before you start H&R Block’s interface obscures the pricing for its virtual tax prep option online. (See here for a matrix (opens in new tab) of regular and Live TurboTax options.)
You can’t view Full Service’s costs clearly through the standard price comparison matrix (which does list TurboTax Live) rather, this information is only visible if you click on the additional fee link in the description of Live products, or if you walk through a customized three-step questionnaire (opens in new tab) designed to help you figure out which product is best for you. TurboTax has four product tiers based on your return’s financial needs, with the level of help stacking to the price on top of that: Basic (free $50 for Live version, unless filed by Febru$130 Full Service), Deluxe ($60 $120 Live $200 Deluxe), Premier ($90 $170 Live $260 Full Service) and Self-Employed ($120 $200 Live $290 Full Service). TurboTax now offers three types of online federal tax products: TurboTax and TurboTax Live, the latter of which adds live video chats with tax experts and then TurboTax Live Full Service, which is an upgrade from Live.