$2.9 million from national Intuit settlement coming to eligible Indiana TurboTax users

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita says $2.9 million dollars is coming to Hoosier TurboTax users.

The money is part of a nationwide $141 million settlement with Intuit Inc., the company behind TurboTax.

A spokesperson for Rokita's office tells WRTV there were approximately 98,715 affected Indiana transactions. However, those transactions including filings in 2016, 2017 and 2018, so a single customer could have been responsible for up to three of those transactions.

You do not need to make a claim for the money. Here is how the Attorney General's Office says payment will work.

• A settlement administrator will be hired to handle restitution payment
• Intuit will provide the settlement administrator with the list of affected consumers and their last known addresses.
• The administrator will identify current mailing addresses for them and send mail or email to each consumer providing notice of the settlement
• A process by which the consumer can request electronic payment instead of payment by check, if preferred, will be established.
• Checks will be mailed or electronic payments will be made.
• The settlement administrator will send reminders about uncashed checks and re-issue checks as necessary.

Nationwide, nearly 4.4 million taxpayers were affected.

The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in March, and the settlement was reached in May.

The attorneys general of all 50 states, including Rokita, signed the settlement, which calls for Intuit Inc. to suspend TurboTax’s “free, free, free” ad campaign and pay restitution.

"Most tax filers can’t use the company’s “free” service because it is not available to millions of taxpayers, such as those who get a 1099 form for work in the gig economy, or those who earn farm income,” the FTC said.

The commission alleged in 2020, for example, approximately two-thirds of tax filers could not use TurboTax’s free product.

As WRTV Investigates reported in January, TurboTax opted out of the IRS Free File program, a public-private program that lets you prepare and file your federal income tax online using guided tax preparation or you can file at an IRS partner site.

Earlier this year, Intuit told WRTV that its $0 Any Way program would allow 60 million people with simple federal and state taxes to file for free.

Several companies offer IRS Free File, but TurboTax and H&R Block no longer participate.

WRTV Investigates Kara Kenney contributed to this report.