Updated on Sunday February 18, 2024: Did you buy a copy of TurboTax — maybe at Amazon or at your local retail store like Costco or Best Buy — only to realize that you don’t need it? Maybe you bought the wrong version? Or you changed your mind and decided to file your taxes this year with the help of a certified public accountant (CPA) like those offered by H&R Block? Whatever the reason, we’ll help you see if you qualify for a refund and help you return your unwanted TurboTax software.

Can I Return my Unwanted TurboTax 2024 Software?

If you purchased your CD/digital download version of TurboTax 2024 software directly from intuit.com or at any one of their authorized retailers then you are covered by their 60-day money-back guarantee. That’s even if the store that you purchased the software from does not accept returns on either sealed or opened software programs. That incudes a qualifying purchases of TurboTax Basic, Deluxe, Premier and Home & Business versions.

For 2024, the list of Intuit’s authorized retailers include:

• AAFES (Army Air Force Exchange Store)
• Amazon (only when the order was “Shipped and Sold by Amazon.”
• Best Buy
• BJ’s Warehouse
• CDW
• Costco
• Dell
• Fred Meyer
• Marine Corps
• Meijer
• Micro Center
• Nebraska Furniture Mart
• Newegg.com
• NexWeb (Navy)
• Office Depot/OfficeMax
• PC Mall
• Quill
• Sam’s Club
• Staples
• Target

If you purchased your boxed CD, download or activation code of TurboTax elsewhere — including on eBay — then it’s possible that your have a bootlegged, pirated or otherwise illegal/non-resalable version of the program. If that’s the case, you may be declined a return and refund of your purchase price. If you believe that you are a victim of a scam then be sure dispute the changes with your Credit Card company and report the issue to Intuit directly at [email protected].

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How Can I Request a Refund from TurboTax?

You will need to complete this form when requesting a refund. You will need to provide a scanned copy of receipt/proof of purchase (or order number if purchased directly from Intuit), your product license code (included in your purchase confirmation email or on the DVD case), your contact information including your physical mailing address, and answer a few other basic questions. Your request must be made within 60 calendar days from the purchase date in order to qualify. Keep in mind that any incurred shipping and handling charges are not refundable.

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Track your TurboTax Refund Request.

A refund request may take a few weeks to process by Intuit, especially if it’s may on or around April 15th as their customer service team is usually exceptional busy around this time of the year. However, you can track your refund request at any time using this app. Be prepared to provide your case number and email address used in the initial request.

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Can I Get a Refund for TurboTax Online 2024 Products?

Because all TurboTax Online and Mobile/App products are paid for at the time you submit your completed tax return for efiling, just prior to printing/saving your completed tax return (not prepaid beforehand as is the case with all TurboTax CD/download versions) there are no refunds/returns accepted and no money-back guarantees offered on any of these products.

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Stuck with your TurboTax refund? Then leave your questions or comments below and we’ll do our best to help you out!

Updated on Sunday February 18, 2024: If you’ve purchased a download or CD version of TurboTax 2024 — including Basic, Deluxe, Premier or Home & Business versions (like the ones sold at Costco, Target or Best Buy) — then the terms found in the TurboTax Desktop Software End User License Agreement for the 2024 version (for tax year 2023) specifically state that you can install, authenticate and activate the software on up to 5 different computers as long as they are your own personal machines (home and work). Sounds easy and straightforward, right? No quite.

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Known issues.

Unfortunately, we’re seeing many people reporting problems trying to install the CD/download versions of TurboTax on their second laptop/desktop after the initial installation. The most common error seems to be: “This license code has already been associated with an account. Please check that account and look for it in Downloads.”

The cause of this error appears to be as a result of the initial installation; there is a problem if you installed the CD/download and activated the license key on your computer without first making a TurboTax account or signing in to your existing account at the official Turbotax installation page. For most users, the program DOES NOT ask you to do so, thus this is an error on Intuit’s part. Because your key was used without an account, it later won’t allow you to connect to a new or existing account for additional activations. In this case you’ll have to call Intuit’s TurboTax helpline and ask for a new license key code.

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How can I contact TurboTax by phone?

To get a new license key you’ll need to call and explain the situation with a live customer service representative. You can contact them by calling 1-800-446-8848 and pressing 1 when prompted, and then 1 again for a U.S. agent (press 2 for a Canadian representative). They are available live to take your call from 5:00AM to 9:00PM Pacific Time, 7 days a week, during the tax season. Remember, when asking for a new license key make sure you let them know which TurboTax Federal version you purchased AND any State return(s) you purchased as well.

For reference, you can provide these two threads that discuss the problems in detail from others having the same issues:

• https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/taxes/discussion/resolved-after-many-calls-cannot-reinstall-download-cd-product-on-second-computer/00/1770119
• https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/taxes/discussion/how-many-computers-can-a-turbotax-installed-on-using-one-serial-number/00/1298181

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How to “properly” install TurboTax 2024.

If you bought a TurboTax license (with or without the CD disc included) from a retail store like Costco, these these are the steps you should follow to ensure trouble-free activation:

1. Visit the Turbotax installation page on Intuit’s website and either sign-in to your existing TurboTax account or create a new account if you don’t have one.
2. Enter the License Code that you purchased into your TurboTax account and download the program into your online account.
3. Turn off or pause any other programs that your computer is currently running, including any AntiVirus programs, as this may cause an error at installation.
4. Download the program and open it in your “Downloads” folder. Double click on the exe. file to install it.
5. Copy the License Code from your TurboTax Account using the “Copy Code” link.
6. Enter the License Code when prompted to do so.

To install TurboTax on your additional Mac or PC computer, login to your TurboTax account from your 2nd machine and follow steps #3 to #6 from above. You can repeat this process and install the program on up to five personal computers.

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Comments.

If you’ve run into problems, have questions or know of any better workarounds, then let us know in the comments below.

Updated on Sunday February 18, 2024: Did you know that TurboTax can now specifically help college students in filing their 2024 tax returns? It’ll not only help you check and see if you qualify for up to $1000 in education related credits and deductions but also help you get the biggest refund possible. Best of all, if you have a simple tax return to file this year then you can use TurboTax completely for free (about 37% of taxpayers will qualify for it, form 1040 plus limited credits only).

How to get started?

You can start your tax return for free on TurboTax’s main start page. Once there, you’ll be able to use the education credits and deductions finder widget to see what you will be eligible to claim on your tax return. And it’s not only for full-time or part-time college and university students but also for those that were enrolled in a degree, certificate, credential or any other programs or courses used to improve job skills. After you answer a few questions about your specific situation then you’ll be able to see how much you can claim in lifetime learning credits and/or deduct in tuition and school related fees. If you also paid any student loan interest during this tax filing period then you’ll also see how much of that you can deduct.

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Can can I file with TurboTax for free?

If you’re a student and need to file a simple tax return (form 1040 only) then you may be able to qualify for the TurboTax Free Edition, TurboTax Live Basic Edition, or the TurboTax Live Full Service Basic Edition. This incudes instances where you may have W-2 income, limited interest and dividend income reported on 1099-INT or 1099-DIV forms (i.e. interest earned in a bank savings account), Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC), or child tax credits. However anything beyond that — such as calculating itemized deductions, reporting stock sales, having unemployment income reported on a 1099-G form, reporting business or rental property related income, or anything reported on schedules 1-3 — won’t qualify for free filing with TurboTax.

If you don’t qualify for free tax filing this year then you can still save 10% off your TurboTax purchase by using one of these current offers (the list is updated daily and available to everyone regardless of current student status).

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What if I’m an international student?

U.S. law requires international college and university students that are here on F-1 Visas to file U.S. tax returns if they have worked in the United States, received grants, made income from a U.S. source, received an allowance, or received a stipend (usually by filing a 1040NR tax form). If after your studies ended and you were unable to leave the United States because of a medical condition or medical problem then you might also need to file Form 8843 to exclude days present in the United States for purposes of the substantial presence test.

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Try the free tax simulator.

If this is your first time filing your own tax return and are no longer claimed as someones dependent, but want to take a dry-run before working on the real thing, then you check out Everfi’s free tax simulator. They’ve partnered with TurboTax to design a free tax prep course to help become familiar with the information needed to fill out basic tax forms and learn about the tax filing process. At the moment there are five courses available ranging from “Taxes for Students” to “Tax for Investments and Cryptocurrency”.

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Is there a specific TurboTax “service code” for students?

If you ended up using one of the TurboTax Online versions to file your taxes this year — such as Deluxe, Premier or Self-Employed — you may notice a “service code” box right before you complete your return. This section does not apply to students and there is no service code that you need to enter. This is an area that’s typically only used when being helped by a customer service agent (i.e. to apply an individualized order credit or to tie back a transaction to a specific customer service representative or referral).

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Comments.

Be sure to leave your questions or comments down below.