Question: Regarding the TurboTax settlement (808ne.ws/415Z5R7), what if I didn’t get an email and I think I’m eligible? Is there a way to make sure I wasn’t skipped? I have changed my email address since last using TurboTax.
Q: What if I moved since I used TurboTax? How will I get the money?
Answer: Checks are being mailed this month to about 4.4 million consumers nationwide — including up to 15,904 in Hawaii — who were deceived by TurboTax’s owner, Intuit Inc., into paying for tax-preparation service that should have been free, Hawaii’s Office of Consumer Protection said in a news release.
Restitution is for Intuit TurboTax customers who meet the following criteria: “In tax years 2016, 2017, or 2018, the customer was eligible to use an Intuit IRS Free File Product; began his or her (federal income tax return) using a TurboTax Free Edition Product; was informed that he or she was ineligible to use a TurboTax Free Edition Product; subsequently paid to use a TurboTax Paid Product, and had not used the Intuit IRS Free File Product in a previous tax year,” according to the website for the Intuit Multi-State Settlement.
Eligible consumers were notified via email by the settlement fund administrator, Rust Consulting, and will automatically receive checks in the mail this month, the OCP said.
People who believe they are eligible but were not notified by email can ask the settlement fund administrator whether they are eligible, via the contact form on the settlement website, agturbotax settlement.com/. Don’t use the contact form to try to update your address or to request a reissued payment, the website says.
As for the second question, “if you moved since filing your return, we likely already have your updated address on file, or the payment will be forwarded automatically to you by the Post Office,” the website says.
Consumers who were notified don’t need to do anything. Checks will be mailed automatically, starting this week and continuing through the end of the month, the website said.
Eligible consumers will receive about $30 for each of the years they qualify, with a maximum payment of about $90.
The payments come a year after the $141 million settlement of a class action involving all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Of that, a total of more than $481,135 is available to Hawaii consumers.
“This settlement compensates Hawaii residents who were tricked into paying for tax preparation services that should have been free,” OCP Executive Director Mana Moriarty said in the news release. “This is a reminder that companies who mislead the public and engage in deceptive practices will be held accountable for their actions.”
New York’s Attorney General began investigating Intuit after the journalism site ProPublica reported in 2019 that the company used “deceptive digital tactics to steer low-income consumers toward its commercial products and away from federally-supported free tax services.” Other states signed on to the effort and the settlement was reached; Intuit did not admit wrongdoing.
Q: When is Summer Fun registration?
A: Online registration is scheduled to begin Monday at 4 p.m. for District 1, and continue through the week by geographic district, according to Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Parents planning to enroll their children in the recreational summer program should create an account on the registration site, pros.hnl.info/, before registration opens, the department said.
Mahalo
Many thanks to the honest shopper at the Kapolei Walmart, who found and returned my black bag to the Service Desk. — K.F.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
