TurboTax Military Discount
Free TurboTax filing for eligible enlisted service members. Learn who qualifies, what’s included, and how it compares to MilTax.
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Military members need a robust tax solution to keep up with complex tax situations. TurboTax’s advanced online filing capabilities are well equipped to be able to do so.
TurboTax for Military offers active-duty servicemembers and reservists access to their Free, Deluxe, and Premium filing capabilities at no cost. This offer is limited to eligible enlisted service members and does not apply to officers or veterans, but it comes at a major advantage to those who qualify and need support beyond basic tax returns.
What is the TurboTax Military Discount?
Eligible U.S. servicemembers receive free access to TurboTax’s Free, Deluxe, and Premium online filing plans. TurboTax’s services allow users to file their state and federal tax returns, maximize deductions and returns, and file for investment income, rental property income, and other advanced needs.
Unlike many free filing options, this discount removes cost barriers for enlisted service members whose tax situations extend beyond basic Form 1040 returns.
To learn more about TurboTax’s advanced features, read our TurboTax Review.
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Who is Eligible for the TurboTax Military Discount?
The discount is exclusively available to active duty and reservist service members of an enlisted rank (E-1 through E-9) with a W2 from DFAS.
Veterans, retirees, commissioned officers, warrant officers, and National Guard members are not eligible for this discount. TurboTax limits this offer to enlisted members largely because eligibility is verified through DFAS-issued enlisted pay data. However, there are several other tax filing software options available that are well-suited for these individuals.
Service members who were enlisted for part of the tax year but later commissioned may still qualify, provided their DFAS-issued W-2 reflects enlisted pay for the filing year. Eligibility is determined based on the information reported on your DFAS W-2 rather than your current rank at the time of filing.
How to Access the TurboTax Military Discount
Getting started with the TurboTax military discount is simple! To do so:
- Begin filing with your selected TurboTax Online Product (Free, Deluxe, or Premium).
- Enter your W-2 and verify your military rank when prompted.
- The discount is automatically applied at the final review screen before filing, reducing the cost to $0 if you qualify.
What is Excluded from the Discount?
While the three-tiered filing services are free to eligible service members, other products and services are not included in the discount. Most commonly, users incur costs by selecting optional add-ons, such as benefit bundles like TurboTax PLUS or MAX and products such as TurboTax Experts or TurboTax Desktop.
Optional add-ons, including audit protection, refund advances, or live expert assistance, are not covered and may incur additional fees if selected.
The discount is exclusively for TurboTax Free, Deluxe, and Premium online filing software.
TurboTax Online Filing: A Brief Review
TurboTax’s online filing software provides users with a wide range of tax filing capabilities and tools. When using their products, they guarantee 100% accurate calculations, audit support, and your maximum refund.
They offer three tiers of filing capabilities: Free, Deluxe, and Premium. The Free tier exclusively offers simple Form 1040 filing. The Deluxe tier ups the ante, searching over 350 deductions and credits to find every tax break the filer qualifies for. Additionally, Deluxe offers step-by-step support to filing for homeowners. Finally, the Premium tier is the most conclusive, providing coverage for investors, independent contractors, self-employed individuals, and more.
TurboTax also provides a wide variety of tools to help users best prepare themselves for tax season. With products like refund estimation calculators, tax season checklists, and tax law change explanations, users can enter the tax season with a sense of preparedness.
File with Premium features for free with TurboTax.
Benefits of TurboTax for Enlisted Service Members
It isn’t uncommon for service members to have more complicated tax returns to file than most. When enlisted, factors such as non-taxable allowances, incentive pay, and combat zone tax exclusions can affect both federal and state filing requirements.
TurboTax automatically identifies and excludes qualifying income such as combat pay, Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) when applicable, reducing the risk of overpaying taxes or reporting income incorrectly.
Furthermore, many service members may make PCS moves, be stationed in a state that differs from their residency, or have self-employment or other dual incomes.
The software also assists with multi-state filings and state-of-residence determinations, which are common challenges for active-duty service members and their spouses.
Combining all of these situations can make for a complicated, convoluted tax return that most free versions of online tax filing software doesn’t support. Therefore, TurboTax’s military discount removes the price barrier of service members’ filing needs, allowing them to file high-level tax returns at no cost.
TurboTax vs. MilTax
MilTax is the Department of Defense’s free tax filing program for eligible service members, veterans, and their families. It is widely considered the default option for military tax filing and can handle most common situations, including combat pay, PCS moves, and multi-state filings. MilTax also includes access to tax consultants at no cost.
TurboTax’s military discount does not replace MilTax, but it does give enlisted active duty and Reserve members another free option. While eligibility is more limited, the discount allows qualifying service members to file both federal and state taxes at no cost using TurboTax Online, even for more complex returns.
In general, MilTax may be the better option for officers, veterans, or service members who want access to live tax consultants, while TurboTax may appeal to enlisted members who prefer a guided, automated filing experience, especially when dealing with investments, rental income, or self-employment.
Enlisted service members should compare both TurboTax’s military discount and MilTax’s features to decide which option fits their tax situation and filing style.
