How to Cancel TurboTax Online in 2026 — Stop Auto-Renewal + Free Tax Alternatives
Updated February 2026 • 5 min read
🚨 TurboTax auto-renews even though you use it once a year. They store your payment info from last year and charge you again ($89-219) when tax season starts. Most people don't realize they're enrolled in auto-renewal.
Turn Off Auto-Renewal
- Go to myturbotax.intuit.com
- Sign in with your Intuit account
- Click Account Settings or your profile
- Look for Subscriptions or Billing
- Find any active subscriptions and click Cancel or Turn off auto-renewal
Cancel TurboTax Live
If you signed up for TurboTax Live (with expert help) or TurboTax Full Service:
- Sign in at turbotax.intuit.com
- Go to Tax Home
- Click Intuit Account → Products & Billing
- Cancel the Live subscription
- If you already paid, request a refund by calling 1-800-446-8848
What TurboTax Actually Costs
TurboTax is the most expensive consumer tax software:
- Free Edition: Only simple W-2 returns (no itemizing, no 1099s)
- Deluxe: $69 (+ $59 per state) — itemized deductions, HSA, student loans
- Premier: $109 (+ $59/state) — investments, rental property
- Self-Employed: $129 (+ $59/state) — freelance, 1099 income
- TurboTax Live: Add $80-200 for expert review
A typical family with investments pays $168-228 total per year for TurboTax. Every competitor handles the same forms for less — or free.
The "Free" Edition Bait-and-Switch
TurboTax's "Free" edition is intentionally limited to push you into paid tiers. If you have ANY of the following, it stops being free: unemployment income, HSA contributions, student loan interest, 1099 freelance income, investment income, or itemized deductions.
The FTC fined Intuit $141 million in 2024 for deceptive "free" advertising. They were literally tricking people into paying when IRS Free File covered their returns for free.
Actually Free Tax Filing Alternatives
- IRS Free File: Income under $84,000? File federal AND state for free through IRS.gov partners
- IRS Direct File: Free federal filing directly with the IRS (expanding to more states in 2026)
- FreeTaxUSA: Free federal, $14.99/state — handles investments, self-employment, everything
- Cash App Taxes: Completely free federal and state — surprisingly comprehensive
- H&R Block Free: More generous "free" tier than TurboTax (includes unemployment, student loans)
- VITA (free in-person help): If income is under $67,000, volunteers will do your taxes for free at local sites
💰 Switch to FreeTaxUSA: Save $100-200
FreeTaxUSA handles every tax form TurboTax does — 1099s, investments, rental income, self-employment — for $0 federal + $14.99/state. That's $15 total vs. $170+ for TurboTax. Same result, same forms, same IRS acceptance.
Transfer Your Tax Data
Worried about losing your tax history? Here's how to switch:
- Download your prior year return from TurboTax as a PDF (Tax Home → Prior Years)
- Most competitors can import last year's return via PDF upload
- Your W-2s and 1099s come from your employers/banks — they're not locked to TurboTax
Get a Refund
- Call 1-800-446-8848 before filing — full refund if you haven't submitted yet
- After filing: No refund (you already used the product)
- Auto-renewal charged you unexpectedly: Dispute with your bank — especially strong case given the FTC ruling
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