Richmond, Virginia – In a significant development for nearly 120,000 Virginians, the state’s Attorney General, Jason Miyares, announced on Thursday that almost $3.7 million will be disbursed this month as part of a settlement with Intuit, the corporation behind the widely-used TurboTax software.
The sum represents Virginia’s portion of a sweeping $141 million nationwide settlement, initially declared in May 2022. According to Attorney General Miyares, Intuit engaged in “deceptive digital tactics” to entice low-income consumers into utilizing its products, rather than taking advantage of federally supported free tax services.
The catalyst for this investigation was a 2019 ProPublica report, which brought Intuit’s business practices under scrutiny and ultimately led to the multi-state inquiry culminating in the settlement at hand.
The beneficiaries of this settlement include individuals who paid to file federal tax returns through TurboTax for the tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018, while they were, in fact, eligible to file for free through the IRS Free File Program, Miyares explained.
In the coming days, eligible consumers will receive email notifications regarding the settlement, eliminating the need to file a claim. Although the amount disbursed to each recipient will vary depending on the number of tax years they qualify for, most individuals can expect to receive approximately $30, as stated by Attorney General Miyares.
