Is TurboTax really offering free federal and state filing?

What the TurboTax offer includes and what’s not yet clear

TurboTax has announced a time-limited promotion that makes both federal and state tax returns available through its mobile app at no charge for a very large pool of users. The company says the program covers more than 100 million people and runs through February 28. For taxpayers who qualify, the app allows filing without an up-front fee for both the federal return and state returns, a step beyond many free-filing offers that limit free service to the federal return only.

This matters to everyday filers because a bundled free state filing can remove a common extra cost at tax time and could increase the number of people who submit returns electronically early in the season. The app-based nature of the promotion also reflects broader industry trends: major tax-prep providers are pushing mobile-first experiences and limited-time offers to boost adoption and lock in customers for paid services later in the year.

Key points to keep in mind:

• The promotion is delivered through TurboTax’s app and is explicitly billed as truly free for federal and state returns for the window ending Feb. 28.
• The company reports the offer potentially reaches 100M+ users.
• The offer is time-limited and tied to the app experience rather than a permanent policy change.

What remains unknown

It’s not clear from the announcement which specific eligibility rules apply beyond the general figure of 100 million people: whether income caps, filing complexity limits, or state-by-state availability affect who gets free state filing. It’s also unknown whether the company will convert a meaningful share of these users to paid tiers after the promotion ends. For anyone considering this route, the pragmatic step is to download the TurboTax app, check whether your return type qualifies, and file before Feb. 28 if the free option applies.