IRS free file for 1040.com is a scam, they try to charge you 25$ for state file or efile.



I was filing taxes for my parents 
 Using irs.gov free tax file service, which lists partner companies that have websites that will do your taxes for free if you are low enough income, usually under $84,000 or so.
My parents adjusted gross income for 2024 is $76,000.
At that income level, most companies will do federal filing for free, but charge a fee for a state, anywhere between $15 - $25 is typical.

1040.com was a company that advertised free filing for both federal and state for my parents situation (under $84,000). 
When I set up an account there, after entering all the tax forms for income,
1040.com confirmed I qualified for free federal and state taxes.
Then when it got to the final page,
filing for federal was free,
but when I got to state filing, it tried to charge me $25.
Even though our income was $76k, which qualified for free, and 1040.com had confirmed it was going to be free federal and state earlier in the process.

So I got a live chat with a representative, transcript shown below, 
and they just lie and pretend they can't do anything about the fee.
This is false advertising, deceptive and immoral business practice, 
and Turbo Tax used a similar scam a few years ago when they were still under the IRS free filing partners. 

Except at least with turbo tax, they would charge you $25 for efile, but if you didn't want to do that,
they would still give you a PDF of the State completed form, you just mail it in yourself.
1040.com wouldn't even do that. It's either pay the $25 extortion fee that they lied about,
or you don't get filing of any federal or state.


How their $25 extortion scam works

What they're counting on, is after you've spent 2 hours filling out the information,
you'd rather pay the $25 extortion fee rather than complain about it and publicize their crime.
Well I'm wired a bit differently.
My philosophy, if people don't hold other people and business accountable when
they practice unethical and fraudulent schemes, 
it just enables and promotes a (local, state, world) culture that tolerates and accepts lying, cheating, bribery as normal and acceptable in society.
I don't accept that.


Published this article on




emailed Transcript of my chat with 1040.com

(I've changed my name to "john doe")

From: 1040.com Support (FFA) <ffasupport@1040.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 11, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Subject: [009-2F8C1510-0032] Live Chat Transcript
To: <myname@gmail.com>


1040.com Support
Your chat number is 009-2F8C1510-0032
[john doe]
why are you trying to charge me for state file when it said it was supposed to be free?>
Kimberly H.
Hi! Thanks for contacting support. I'll be right with you.
You are now chatting with Kimberly H.
Kimberly H.
Good Afternoon,
[john doe]
hi
Kimberly H.
One moment while I review the information.
Kimberly H.
Please provide the amount of the fee that you are being asked to pay.
[john doe]
25$
Kimberly H.
You are being asked for the amount because CA does not participate in the Free Filing Program
[john doe]
that's bullshit and you know it
[john doe]
my son just filed with freetaxusa.com and he got free fed and state
[john doe]
hello?
Kimberly H.
We have no control of the fees.
[john doe]
turbo tax used to do a similar scam, charge you 25$ for efile state, but at least they let you pay 0$ for paper file state. I thought you were doing the same scam, but when i took out efile, saw it still charged 25$.
[john doe]
when i started filing on here it said under 84k$ i would get free fed and state. and that's what the IRS free filing gov site says too.
Kimberly H.
There is no fee for the Federal return. The Fee is for the state return.
This live chat session is no longer active
(Because Kim hung up on me, ended the chat before I could say anything else)
You're receiving this because you are a registered user of 1040.com Support.
You may change email notifications in My Settings.

Correction

Where I had written "filed with freefiletax",
should be "filed with freetaxusa.com"


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