Miss. AG announces over $1.15M to be distributed to misled TurboTax customers

JACKSON, Miss. (WDAM) - Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced Tuesday that about 38,000 Mississippians will receive checks in the mail after being misled to pay for free tax services through Intuit’s Turbo Tax.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the checks are a result of a $141 million multistate settlement that Fitch first announced in May 2022.

The AG’s Office says about 38,000 consumers in the state will get more than $1.15 million.

Eligible consumers include those who paid to file their federal tax returns through TurboTax for tax years 2016, 2017 and 2018 but were eligible to file free through the Internal Revenue Service Free File Program.

Those consumers will be contacted by email about the settlement and will not need to file any claims.

Checks are expected to be mailed out starting the week of May 8, 2023, according to the AG’s Office.

The amount each consumer receives will be based on the number of tax years for which they qualify. Most consumers are expected to get between $29 and $30.

“Nearly 38,000 Mississippians were misled into paying for tax filings services that should have been free,” said Fitch. “I am pleased these Mississippians will finally receive some restitution, and I am hopeful this investigation and settlement will put an end to similar deceptive marketing practices.”

The settlement is the result of a multistate investigation that found that Intuit was using misleading digital methods to guide low-income consumers to its commercial products and away from federally supported free tax services, according to the AG’s Office.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have signed the agreement, and about 4.4 million nationwide consumers will get checks in the mail from the settlement.

Consumers who are eligible for payment will be notified by email by the settlement fund administrator, Rust Consulting. These consumers will get a check in the mail automatically, without filing a claim.

“As with any financial matter, be on the lookout for scams or phishing,” said Fitch. “My office will not be contacting you regarding this matter.

Consumers are advised that they do have to pay money or provide account information to receive their payment. If you receive any email regarding this settlement, be sure it comes from the domain @rcontifications.com.”

For more information about who is covered by the settlement and information about the settlement fund, visit here.

If anyone has any questions, contact Fitch’s Consumer Protection Division at 601-359-3680 or consumer@ago.ms.gov.

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