I have used efile for the last few years. This year I had difficulty getting the free file form to work. We file 3 returns in my household, the first one filed free no problem, I had to delete and redo the 2nd one several times because it kept wanting to charge me $49.99 when all I entered was 1 W-2, no other forms or deductions. I redid the 3rd one 4 or 5 times and it kept charging me $49.99 when all that was entered was 1 W-2. I started to use other free file companies but then didn’t want my daughter’s personal info over several free file sites and was tired of entering info so I paid the $49.99 just get her taxes filed. I emailed efile and never heard back. If anyone actually reads this please me about getting a refund. contact me
UN
Unknown
PRODUCT IS NOT FREE!
PRODUCT IS NOT FREE!
When you start the "free" version you'll spend 1-2 hours going through and filling it out as needed. This entire time it mentions it is free and never states certain features are Premium-only. Then when you finish it'll show you your Federal Returns and State Returns and require you to pay $30 if you want to file your State Returns! ... NOT FREE. On top of that, even if you try to skip submitting State Returns it STILL requires you to purchase the Premium version of the product if you used ANY of the "Premium-only" features throughout the entire tax form (Again: It does not mention during the entire form that any of the features are "Premium-Only"- only at the END after you've input everything!)
... Complete waste of time. It is a company that advertises their product as free, makes you waste 1+ hours, then tells you "oh now you have to pay money to finish".
Their product has a 'free' version and a 'Premium' version. But they don't tell you that at the start.
Now the owner will probably respond to this message stating "Oh there's a free plan and premium plan". To which I say: The product never states what features are "Premium-only" until you FINISH. This is an unethical way to trick/force people into buying your product.
Response from E-file.comMar 13, 2022
I am very sorry for the confusion with this. We offer free federal filing for those who qualify for our basic software. There is a fee for our state filing software and also a fee for our deluxe or premium software which is often used with more complicated returns.
It sounds like a form needed for your return is not included in our basic software, so the system is upgrading you. When an account is upgraded, the version is noted at the top of the screen.
You are correct, the fee for our state tax preparation software is $29.99, this is one of the lowest rates among all tax software providers with many charging nearly double this. We do our best to provide affordable pricing on all our software. Nonetheless, I apologize if you thought you were eligible for the free version and were not.
TL
Ted L.
E File is out to suck seniors dry extra…
E File is out to suck seniors dry extra $40 fee to have your refund sent to your bank. they use a third party turbo tax to send your refund.
These people are scammers they set out to scam seniors
Response from E-file.comMar 3, 2022
I apologize for the confusion here. We do not have any relationship with turbo tax, nor do we charge users a fee to have their refund sent to their bank. Please contact us if you have further questions about your account.
DH
Dianne H.
It says it's free...it's not!!!!!
It says it's free...it's not!!!!!
At the end, after you've entered all your information and you're tired they ask you to agree to their terms and there's a fee...I decided to just go for it, I was tired.
Then at the very end it charges a $39.00 deluxe upgrade...What is that about??
! Overall, my free e-file was $66.00...what a rip off...never again!
Response from E-file.comJun 4, 2021
I am very sorry for the confusion with this. We offer free federal filing for those who qualify for our basic software. There is a fee for our state filing software and also a fee for our deluxe or premium software which is often used with more complicated returns. It looks like your return required forms not included with our basic software, this is why you were upgraded from the free basic software to our deluxe version. The cost for this software is $25.99. Now, you chose to pay for this purchase out of the proceeds of your refund. When a taxpayer selects to pay with their refund, the refund goes to a third party financial institution (like an escrow service), when the financial institution receives the taxpayer's refund, they pay us for the software and deposit the balance to the taxpayer. The financial institution does charge a fee for this service, I believe this is what you are referring to. There is no additional cost for paying with a credit/debit card.
JU
Julia
Another Internet scam
Another Internet scam, $46 at the end, illegal bait and switch. Didn't calculate right either. Terrible, holding up my stimulus money until I file. I'm self employed and have regular job...can't handle my situation. Overly complicated and confusing beyond belief.
Response from E-file.comApr 14, 2021
I'm very sorry for any confusion with this. It sounds like you felt that you would qualify for our basic federal software which is provided free of charge. However, since you have self-employment income, your return likely required additional forms that are not included in our basic software. There is a fee for our state filing software and also a fee for our deluxe or premium software which is often used with more complicated returns. If you would like to know what you entered that caused your filing not to qualify for our free basic software, you can contact our customer support by logging into your account and clicking the "Help & Support" link in the top right navigation. From here, you will find contact information and answers to common questions.
AM
Avraham M.
Lousy-Efile-StateTax-Software
I used the web page on my (Windows 10) desktop.
1. Numerous drop-downs are irresponsive to the point that makes you wonder who programmed it.
2. I was unable to enter short term profit / loss and long term profit and loss - I could do only one.
3. While entering profit / loss, the box numbers DO NOT correspond to the box numbers on the forms provided by the broker (Ameritrade) rendering it VERY difficult / impossible to complete this section
4. I have already filed my FED taxes. Why do I need to re-enter lots of information that has already been filed? In the least, provide the user a tool to upload the information from the FED tax return file on my computer.
LOUSY, LOUSY, LOUSY
Response from E-file.comApr 5, 2021
I’m very sorry for the trouble that you had with this. It does not appear that you attempted to contact our support team, so I’m uncertain what browser you may have been using. We have performed extensive testing with all the major browsers, but it is possible that an out-of-date version of a less common browser may cause some issue. Most likely, this was caused by one of your local settings and/or a browser add-on. If you had notified our support team, we would have been happy to try and assist with this.
As to the other concern that you listed, you noted that you had already filed your taxes. If that is the case, I’m not sure what you were attempting to do on E-file.com. Please note, we offer software to prepare and transmit tax returns. If you had already filed your return, our software should not have been necessary.
LM
Larry M.
Deceptive company sneaks in upgrade…
Deceptive company sneaks in upgrade cost but doesn't tell you until you've spent wasted time entering secure information. Reading their response to a previous one star reviewer, they claim the upgrade is shown at whatever triggers the upgrade. I sure didn't see it. Only when I went to review my return for accuracy, did "e-file" demand payment and disclose they had upgraded my account to Deluxe. I stopped and tried to delete account, but was unsuccessful. Called their number but was put on hold. Already wasted enough time. Not happy that I was suckered into disclosing extremely sensitive information to such an unscrupulous company. I have e-mailed them and asked them to close my account. No response from e-file. Anyone looking for a legit company should look no further than "freefillableforms.com", less time, easy to navigate no charge.
Response from E-file.comMar 23, 2021
We reviewed your account and it appears that you had initially entered information which required forms/schedules that unfortunately are not included with our Basic (free) version. As such, the software upgraded to the Deluxe version so that you could proceed with preparing your return. When you contacted support, the specialist offered to assist with moving you back to the free version, however, you preferred to proceed with deleting your account. I'm sorry we could not be of assistance with your tax filing this year.
CU
Customer
Terrible and expensive program with hidden costs
Terrible. I had a simple return but I had to include student loan interest that I had paid. They charged me for a deluxe version.
Please do not be fooled they sneak every charge they can . You think you are filing a basic return and in the end you can go nowhere other than to pay them or you cannot file. They do not allow you to view your return.
It was awful. There are just so many more efficient and less costly programs. Don't get stuck like I did at the end
Response from E-file.comMar 17, 2021
I was unable to search for your account since you did not leave a name or any other information. With that said, if you entered student loan interest in order to claim the adjustment to income and lower your tax liability, this would have required an upgrade to the Deluxe software. When this upgrade occurred, it should have been noted at the top of the screen. Now, it is not a requirement to report deductions or adjustments that would reduce your tax liability. So, if you preferred to use our free Basic software, you certainly could have done so by not claiming this adjustment. I suspect this income adjustment saved your more than the $25.99 that our Deluxe software costs, however, I can’t be sure since you did not leave any other information about yourself. Regardless, I apologize for any confusion/frustration over what is included with our free version. If you still need to view the return that you prepared, you can print a PDF of the return from the My Account page when you log in to your account. If you need any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.
