The FTC found TurboTax ran "free, free, free" TV ads at least 84,356 times, in every state, from November 2018 to April 2022, when only about one in three taxpayers qualified for TurboTax Free Edition. Then a federal appeals court threw out the FTC's order, without ever deciding whether the ads were deceptive. The full case file, from the public record.
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taxpayers could use TurboTax Free Edition, the FTC found.
FTC OPINION, JAN 2024, P. 4times, at least, the "free, free, free" TV ads aired, Nov 2018 to Apr 2022.
FTC OPINION, P. 81The order, by the Fifth Circuit in March 2026. It never decided whether the ads were deceptive.
5TH CIR., SLIP OP. 1 TO 4, 24What the record is. The FTC is an agency, not a court, so the deception findings are its own. The only court in this case vacated the order on separation of powers grounds and did not decide whether the ads were deceptive. Intuit's own documents and its September 2020 copy test are as the FTC quotes them.
| Number | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in 3 | Taxpayers eligible for Free Edition, all U.S. taxpayers | FTC op. p. 4 |
| 84,356 | "Free, free, free" TV airings, at least | FTC op. p. 81 |
| 33%, 45% to 57% | Intuit's own copy test: brand name only, then after one "free" ad | FTC op. pp. 39 to 41 |
| 48% | The tested ad with the fine print, "similar," said the FTC | FTC op. p. 41 |
| $141M | The separate 2022 settlement with 50 states and DC | FTC op. pp. 32 to 33 |
Open the documents above. Every number in the video points to its page.
Subscribe for the next fileThe FTC found TurboTax ran "free, free, free" TV ads at least 84,356 times, in every state, from November 2018 to April 2022, when only about one in three taxpayers qualified for TurboTax Free Edition. Then a federal appeals court threw out the FTC's order, without ever deciding whether the ads were deceptive. The full case file, from the public record.
COMINGPremieres Fri 23 Oct, 5:00 PM ET. Subscribe on YouTube so it finds you.
taxpayers could use TurboTax Free Edition, the FTC found.
FTC OPINION, JAN 2024, P. 4times, at least, the "free, free, free" TV ads aired, Nov 2018 to Apr 2022.
FTC OPINION, P. 81The order, by the Fifth Circuit in March 2026. It never decided whether the ads were deceptive.
5TH CIR., SLIP OP. 1 TO 4, 24What the record is. The FTC is an agency, not a court, so the deception findings are its own. The only court in this case vacated the order on separation of powers grounds and did not decide whether the ads were deceptive. Intuit's own documents and its September 2020 copy test are as the FTC quotes them.
| Number | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in 3 | Taxpayers eligible for Free Edition, all U.S. taxpayers | FTC op. p. 4 |
| 84,356 | "Free, free, free" TV airings, at least | FTC op. p. 81 |
| 33%, 45% to 57% | Intuit's own copy test: brand name only, then after one "free" ad | FTC op. pp. 39 to 41 |
| 48% | The tested ad with the fine print, "similar," said the FTC | FTC op. p. 41 |
| $141M | The separate 2022 settlement with 50 states and DC | FTC op. pp. 32 to 33 |
Open the documents above. Every number in the video points to its page.
Subscribe for the next fileThe FTC found TurboTax ran "free, free, free" TV ads at least 84,356 times, in every state, from November 2018 to April 2022, when only about one in three taxpayers qualified for TurboTax Free Edition. Then a federal appeals court threw out the FTC's order, without ever deciding whether the ads were deceptive. The full case file, from the public record.
taxpayers could use TurboTax Free Edition, the FTC found.
FTC OPINION, JAN 2024, P. 4times, at least, the "free, free, free" TV ads aired, Nov 2018 to Apr 2022.
FTC OPINION, P. 81The order, by the Fifth Circuit in March 2026. It never decided whether the ads were deceptive.
5TH CIR., SLIP OP. 1 TO 4, 24What the record is. The FTC is an agency, not a court, so the deception findings are its own. The only court in this case vacated the order on separation of powers grounds and did not decide whether the ads were deceptive. Intuit's own documents and its September 2020 copy test are as the FTC quotes them.
| Number | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in 3 | Taxpayers eligible for Free Edition, all U.S. taxpayers | FTC op. p. 4 |
| 84,356 | "Free, free, free" TV airings, at least | FTC op. p. 81 |
| 33%, 45% to 57% | Intuit's own copy test: brand name only, then after one "free" ad | FTC op. pp. 39 to 41 |
| 48% | The tested ad with the fine print, "similar," said the FTC | FTC op. p. 41 |
| $141M | The separate 2022 settlement with 50 states and DC | FTC op. pp. 32 to 33 |
Open the documents above. Every number in the video points to its page.
Subscribe for the next fileThe FTC found TurboTax ran "free, free, free" TV ads at least 84,356 times, in every state, from November 2018 to April 2022, when only about one in three taxpayers qualified for TurboTax Free Edition. Then a federal appeals court threw out the FTC's order, without ever deciding whether the ads were deceptive. The full case file, from the public record.
taxpayers could use TurboTax Free Edition, the FTC found.
FTC OPINION, JAN 2024, P. 4times, at least, the "free, free, free" TV ads aired, Nov 2018 to Apr 2022.
FTC OPINION, P. 81The order, by the Fifth Circuit in March 2026. It never decided whether the ads were deceptive.
5TH CIR., SLIP OP. 1 TO 4, 24What the record is. The FTC is an agency, not a court, so the deception findings are its own. The only court in this case vacated the order on separation of powers grounds and did not decide whether the ads were deceptive. Intuit's own documents and its September 2020 copy test are as the FTC quotes them.
| Number | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in 3 | Taxpayers eligible for Free Edition, all U.S. taxpayers | FTC op. p. 4 |
| 84,356 | "Free, free, free" TV airings, at least | FTC op. p. 81 |
| 33%, 45% to 57% | Intuit's own copy test: brand name only, then after one "free" ad | FTC op. pp. 39 to 41 |
| 48% | The tested ad with the fine print, "similar," said the FTC | FTC op. p. 41 |
| $141M | The separate 2022 settlement with 50 states and DC | FTC op. pp. 32 to 33 |
Open the documents above. Every number in the video points to its page.
Subscribe for the next fileThe FTC found TurboTax ran "free, free, free" TV ads at least 84,356 times, in every state, from November 2018 to April 2022, when only about one in three taxpayers qualified for TurboTax Free Edition. Then a federal appeals court threw out the FTC's order, without ever deciding whether the ads were deceptive. The full case file, from the public record.
taxpayers could use TurboTax Free Edition, the FTC found.
FTC OPINION, JAN 2024, P. 4times, at least, the "free, free, free" TV ads aired, Nov 2018 to Apr 2022.
FTC OPINION, P. 81The order, by the Fifth Circuit in March 2026. It never decided whether the ads were deceptive.
5TH CIR., SLIP OP. 1 TO 4, 24What the record is. The FTC is an agency, not a court, so the deception findings are its own. The only court in this case vacated the order on separation of powers grounds and did not decide whether the ads were deceptive. Intuit's own documents and its September 2020 copy test are as the FTC quotes them.
| Number | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in 3 | Taxpayers eligible for Free Edition, all U.S. taxpayers | FTC op. p. 4 |
| 84,356 | "Free, free, free" TV airings, at least | FTC op. p. 81 |
| 33%, 45% to 57% | Intuit's own copy test: brand name only, then after one "free" ad | FTC op. pp. 39 to 41 |
| 48% | The tested ad with the fine print, "similar," said the FTC | FTC op. p. 41 |
| $141M | The separate 2022 settlement with 50 states and DC | FTC op. pp. 32 to 33 |
Open the documents above. Every number in the video points to its page.
Subscribe for the next fileThe FTC found TurboTax ran "free, free, free" TV ads at least 84,356 times, in every state, from November 2018 to April 2022, when only about one in three taxpayers qualified for TurboTax Free Edition. Then a federal appeals court threw out the FTC's order, without ever deciding whether the ads were deceptive. The full case file, from the public record.
taxpayers could use TurboTax Free Edition, the FTC found.
FTC OPINION, JAN 2024, P. 4times, at least, the "free, free, free" TV ads aired, Nov 2018 to Apr 2022.
FTC OPINION, P. 81The order, by the Fifth Circuit in March 2026. It never decided whether the ads were deceptive.
5TH CIR., SLIP OP. 1 TO 4, 24What the record is. The FTC is an agency, not a court, so the deception findings are its own. The only court in this case vacated the order on separation of powers grounds and did not decide whether the ads were deceptive. Intuit's own documents and its September 2020 copy test are as the FTC quotes them.
| Number | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in 3 | Taxpayers eligible for Free Edition, all U.S. taxpayers | FTC op. p. 4 |
| 84,356 | "Free, free, free" TV airings, at least | FTC op. p. 81 |
| 33%, 45% to 57% | Intuit's own copy test: brand name only, then after one "free" ad | FTC op. pp. 39 to 41 |
| 48% | The tested ad with the fine print, "similar," said the FTC | FTC op. p. 41 |
| $141M | The separate 2022 settlement with 50 states and DC | FTC op. pp. 32 to 33 |
Open the documents above. Every number in the video points to its page.
Subscribe for the next file
