Tax Deadline TurboTax Giveaway!

Turbotax has given me three codes to giveaway for TurboTax Deluxe for all of you last minute tax filers.

As I mentioned the last time I offered free TurboTax codes, waiting until the last minute is no fun.  If you owe the IRS money like I did this year, I don’t blame you for holding onto your cash as long as possible.  However, the downside of waiting until the last minute to prepare your taxes is that if you need documents that you don’t have or can’t find then you’re in a pinch.

You don’t want to miss out on taking a deduction and you definitely don’t want to miss reporting any income and have it come back to bite you with fees and interest if you ever get audited.  Of course, you can always file for a tax extension if you have to but I’d rather get it over and done with if possible.

Anyhow, for those of you that are scrambling around searching for your W-2, 1099, or other tax forms I might be able to help ease your pain just a little by giving you free federal filing with TurboTax.  I usually hold a TurboTax giveaway at least once every tax season, this year’s been the best so far, I’ve been able to give away free access to the winners three different times.

Since the tax deadline is Monday I know you’ll need to get your return filed this weekend so it will be a quick giveaway. I want to be able to reach the winners quickly by email so if you want to enter, put in your email address below.  You’ll be added to my free email newsletter and entered to win TurboTax Deluxe Federal.

Upgrading & Downgrading TurboTax

I’ve dealt with several people who have filed using TurboTax this year through my previous giveaways.  One thing I learned through this process is that if you fill out your tax form online and then decide you want to upgrade or downgrade versions of TurboTax, there are options for that.

Upgrading Turbotax
The most common scenario is if you’re filling out your tax forms and run across scenarios that you need to account for that aren’t handled in the version of TurboTax you’re using.  You can upgrade from inside TurboTax online pretty easily.  The way to do it might change in the future but for now you just go to Home tab > Program Options and click on the Upgrade link.  So if you used the free version of TurboTax but realized that you need the Deluxe version you can upgrade.  The codes I’m giving away are for Deluxe so you can enter it when you file to waive the federal fee.

Downgrading Turbotax
On the other hand, if you started out with TurboTax Premier but think that you really only need the Deluxe version you can also downgrade.  This is unfortunately not as simple as upgrading but there’s a reason for it.  Before you downgrade, TurboTax will review your account, and make sure there’s no data that you’ll lose by downgrading.

From the TurboTax Support Contact page you choose the Buying -> Billing -> Account -> My Account and Downloads option and then get ahold of TurboTax with online chat or by calling them up.  If your tax return can be filed using Deluxe, they’ll help you downgrade.

I had one reader who won a previous giveaway run into this situation, TurboTax was very accomodating and worked with her to get it sorted out. So, if you still need to file, enter your email below to enter the giveaway, good luck!

Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

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