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FTC Bans TurboTax From Advertising ‘Free’ Services. On Jan. 22, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruled that the tax filing software has been deceptive by advertising "free" services, CNN reports. TurboTax's ads violated the FTC Act because it led consumers to believe that everyone has access to its free services, which is not the case. The FTC first sued TurboTax owner Intuit in 2022, alleging that most people couldn't access "free" services. “such as those who get a 1099 form for work in the gig economy, or those who earn farm income”. The bottom line of the FTC's Jan. 22 ruling is that free goods and services cannot be marketed by TurboTax unless they're free for everyone. "The order also prohibits Intuit from misrepresenting any material facts about its products or services such as the price, refund policies or consumers’ ability to claim a tax credit or deduction or to file their taxes online accurately without using TurboTax’s paid service." FTC release. Intuit has appealed the FTC's “deeply flawed decision” . "Absolutely no one should be surprised that FTC Commissioners — employees of the FTC — ruled in favor of the FTC as they have done in every appeal for the last two decades." , Intuit spokesperson, via statement. "This decision is the result of a biased and broken system where the Commission serves as accuser, judge, jury, and then appellate judge all in the same case." Intuit spokesperson, via statement. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT