Attorney General Kaul Announces Distribution of $141 Million Settlement to Millions of Low-Income Americans Deceived by TurboTax Owner Intuit

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Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Monday that “consumers who were tricked by TurboTax’s owner Intuit into paying for free tax services will begin receiving checks from a $141 million multistate settlement announced in May 2022.”

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, approximately 4.4 million consumers nationwide will receive checks in the mail from the multistate settlement. Wisconsin will receive more than $2,450,000 for more than 81,000 people who were tricked into paying to file their federal tax return, Wisconsin DOJ officials said.

Eligible consumers will be contacted by email about the settlement. Checks will be mailed throughout May 2023.

“Deceiving consumers for profit is wrong,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “This is just one example of how we are working to protect people’s pocketbooks.”

In 2022, a $141 million multistate agreement with Intuit was announced for deceiving millions of low-income Americans into paying for tax services that should have been free. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have signed onto the agreement.

Eligible consumers include those who paid to file their federal tax returns through TurboTax for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018 but were eligible to file for free through the IRS Free File Program. Consumers who are eligible for a payment will be notified by email by the settlement fund administrator, Rust Consulting. These consumers will receive a check in the mail automatically, without filing a claim. Checks are expected to be mailed out starting next week.

The amount each consumer receives will be based on the number of tax years for which they qualify. Most consumers are expected to receive between $29 and $30.