(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that, thanks to a multistate settlement, checks will be sent to Ohioans who were tricked by Intuit into paying for free tax services.
The $141 million settlement with Intuit, the owner of TurboTax, includes $5.3 million to be paid to the 174,000 Ohioans who were misled by the company. Nationwide, 4.4 million consumers fell victim to Intuit’s deceit.
“The checks are in the mail – or will be soon,” Yost said. “I’m beyond thrilled that cheated Ohioans will see money go back into their pockets after Intuit’s shameless scheme.”
Consumers eligible for settlement money are being contacted via email by the settlement fund administrator, Rust Consulting. All checks are expected to be mailed by the end of May.
The settlement with Intuit, announced by Yost in May 2022, was joined by all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The company became the focus of an investigation after the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica reported that Intuit was using deceptive digital tactics to steer low-income consumers toward its paid products and away from federally supported tax services that are free.
Those eligible for settlement money include consumers who paid to file federal tax returns through TurboTax for tax years 2016, 2017 and 2018 but were eligible for free filings through the IRS Free File Program.
The amount that consumers receive is based on the number of tax years for which they qualify, with most expected to receive about $30 each.
For more information about the settlement fund and eligible consumers, visit www.AGTurboTaxSettlement.com.