If you've used TurboTax to do your taxes in the past, you might be getting a portion of a more than $140 million settlement of a class action lawsuit.

Why Was a Lawsuit Filed?

The lawsuit was prompted by what Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey called a classic bait and switch, with the web service's owner, Intuit promising services for free that actually wound up costing consumers money.

Frey says that's just not acceptable:

Citizens should be able to trust that advertisements mean exactly what they say, especially for services like tax filing that can be confusing and stressful.

Over 24,000 Maine residents will be receiving checks to compensate for charges they didn't expect to have to pay.

How Much Money Will Each Recipient Get?

The multistate Intuit/TurboTax settlement totaled $141 million and was announced in May of last year. But, before you start shopping for a new fishing boat, realize that approximately 4.4 million consumers nationwide will be sharing that windfall. Maine is set to receive $740,000, which sounds like a lot but, remember, it's being divvied up by over 24,000 Maine residents. Bottom line, each recipient should get a check for about $30. The amount of the checks will be determined by how many years each person qualified for the settlement.

What Makes Someone Eligible to Receive the Money?

Eligible users of the TurboTax website include those who paid to file their federal tax returns for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018 but were eligible to file for free through the IRS Free File Program. If you qualify, you will receive an email from the settlement fund administrator, Rust Consulting. Checks will be mailed without the need for filing a claim and should start being sent out this week.  Find more information on the lawsuit on the settlement website.

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