In May 2022, Intuit agreed with all 50 states and the District of Columbia to pay $141 million to consumers who paid to file for tax years 2016–2018 despite eligibility for IRS Free File. State investigators said Intuit steered users toward paid products; the settlement also requires advertising and product-practice changes. Payments began in 2023.
The multistate investigation found that Intuit limited consumers’ participation in the IRS Free File Program, including by using confusingly similar names for both its IRS Free File product and its commercial “freemium” product. Intuit bid on paid search advertisements to direct consumers who were looking for the IRS Free File product to the TurboTax “freemium” product instead. Intuit also purposefully blocked its IRS Free File landing page from search engine results during the 2019 tax filing season, effectively shutting out eligible taxpayers from filing their taxes for free. TurboTax’s website also included a “Products and Pricing” page that stated it would “recommend the right tax solution,” but never displayed or recommended the IRS Free File program, even when consumers were ineligible for the “freemium” product.
An investigation of these products found that Intuit steered users away from its IRS Free File product and towards its “free” commercial product using deceptive techniques and “dark patterns.” For example, taxpayers who began with Intuit’s “free” commercial product but provided TurboTax with sufficient information to establish their eligibility for the company’s IRS Free File product, were not notified that they were eligible for that truly free product. Instead, TurboTax falsely informed these users that they must upgrade for fees starting at $59.99 to “accurately complete [their] taxes.” In addition, up until Intuit ceased its participation in the IRS Free File Program in 2021, TurboTax’s “Products and Pricing” page did not list the IRS Free File product as an option. The only way to access the product was through a convoluted and unintuitive path that started with TurboTax’s support database or certain posts on TurboTax’s blog.
The states’ investigation centered on claims that Intuit used deceptive web tactics to conceal the existence of a genuinely no-cost, do-it-yourself online tax program that Intuit offered for low-and-middle-income users under an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and, at the same time, duped consumers who were seeking the free tax help Intuit promoted in TV commercials into upgrading to costly paid products.
In 2022, the Division of Consumer Affairs joined the attorneys general of New York, Tennessee, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, in announcing a $141 million multistate agreement with Intuit for deceiving millions of low-income Americans into paying for tax services that should have been free. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have signed onto the agreement.
On July 24, 2026, an Ontario court certified consumer-protection, Competition Act and unjust-enrichment claims against Intuit Canada ULC and parent Intuit Inc. Consumers allege TurboTax’s “free” advertising was misleading and that fees appeared after they entered personal and financial information. Intuit denies the allegations and signaled an appeal; the court has not decided the merits.
For taxation years before 2021, Intuit advertised the software in Canada as free without qualification, including in television, print, online and social media campaigns using the tag line "free, free, free." Beginning with the 2021 taxation year, Intuit changed its advertising to state that the software was "free for simple tax returns."
In March 2025, the ACLU alleged that Intuit and HireVue’s video interview process disadvantaged a deaf, Indigenous employee seeking promotion, including through inaccessible instructions and inaccurate speech recognition. Intuit said the allegations were without merit and that it provides reasonable accommodations; HireVue’s CEO said its AI assessment was not used in this interview. The claims remain allegations.
Financial software multinational Intuit and human resources software company HireVue discriminated against a deaf, Native American woman by denying her a promotion after an automated video interview, the woman alleged in filings with state and federal agencies.
The employee allegedly requested human-generated captioning as an accommodation so she could access interview instructions and questions. Intuit allegedly denied the request and after the interview, rejected her for the promotion due to her communication style, according to the complaint. The ACLU alleged that Intuit’s and HireVue’s actions violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act.
By Grace Elletson ( March 19, 2025, 8:41 PM EDT) -- Intuit and a human resources technology vendor violated federal and state law by turning away a deaf job applicant after interviewing her using artificial intelligence-based video technology that puts disabled and nonwhite applicants at a disadvantage, the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday. . . .
In March 2026, the Fifth Circuit ruled that the FTC’s in-house adjudication of its deceptive-advertising claims against Intuit violated separation of powers and vacated the agency’s order. The court said the claims must proceed in federal court, not that they had been resolved on their merits. Intuit had denied wrongdoing. A separate multistate settlement addressed related allegations.
In 2023, Intuit agreed to a $141 million multistate settlement resolving similar allegations that its marketing misled consumers into paying for services they could have obtained for free through the IRS Free File program. The agreement covered the tax years 2016 through 2018 and resulted in payments to approximately 4.4 million taxpayers. The settlement resolved state-level claims, but it did not impact the FTC’s separate enforcement.
In 2022, Intuit agreed to a settlement with all 50 states to pay $141 million in restitution and stop a specific ad campaign that marketed TurboTax as “free, free, free.”
An appeals court invalidated the Biden-era Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to punish Intuit for allegedly deceptive ads that pitched TurboTax as free.
The case stems from FTC allegations that Intuit misled consumers by marketing TurboTax as “free” when many taxpayers did not qualify for the no-cost product. According to the agency, the advertising suggested broad eligibility for free filing, even though millions of taxpayers—particularly gig workers and those with more complex returns—would ultimately be required to upgrade to paid versions.
The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against Intuit Inc., the maker of the popular TurboTax tax filing software, by issuing an administrative complaint against the company for deceiving consumers with bogus advertisements pitching “free” tax filing that millions of consumers could not use. In addition, to prevent ongoing harm to consumers rushing to file their taxes, the Commission also filed a federal district court complaint asking a court to order Intuit to halt its deceptive advertising immediately.
Intuit won a legal victory on Friday when the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a Federal Trade Commission decision barring Intuit, the maker of the Turbo Tax tax preparation software from advertising the product as “free," Reuters reports. The appeals court, in a 3-0 decision, determined that it was unconstitutional for an FTC administrative law judge to rule on deceptive advertising claims.
Intuit expanded gender-affirming care benefits in 2020 after employees raised workplace-transition concerns, and its trans advisory board works with HR and product teams. The company also helped employee Jessica Darke relocate from Arizona to Connecticut after she feared for her safety and future access to care. CEO Sasan Goodarzi has continued to participate in the company’s Trans+ Summit despite reported backlash.
It all started when the company hosted its first Trans Summit. About a year after Tanner Arnold, a program manager for QuickBooks payroll, came out at Intuit, he started talking with other trans coworkers about the challenges in transitioning at work, from name changes in the company’s systems to health care coverage. When the company’s then-head of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Scott Beth, heard about these issues, he suggested the company hold a summit.
Jessica Darke recently relocated to Connecticut from Arizona, where gender-affirming care has been restricted for minors and transgender athletes are effectively barred from competing in some school sports. As a trans woman, Darke feared for her safety, well-being, and future access to necessary health care. So she opted to uproot herself, and her employer’s relocation benefits helped her absorb the costs of a 2,500-mile move to the opposite corner of the country.
A May 20, 2026 report, citing an internal memo from CEO Sasan Goodarzi, said Intuit plans to eliminate about 3,000 jobs—17% of its workforce—to simplify its corporate structure and focus on AI. Intuit did not immediately comment; the report did not specify a completion date.
Enterprise software giant Intuit is letting 17% of its staff go, or about 3,000 people, as it seeks to divert resources toward baking AI into its products, Reuters reported, citing an internal memo sent to employees.
A July 2022 HR Dive report said Intuit was among companies that had adopted a travel-stipend model to help employees access abortion care. The article gave no Intuit-specific benefit terms or reimbursement limit; it noted that details varied among companies and that a $4,000 cap was common.
While many companies by now have announced their unequivocal intention to support access to abortion care, the details have mostly been vague. A travel stipend seems to be the prevalent model emerging, with Citigroup and Dick’s among the early adopters of the benefit. According to reporting by The New York Times, Warner Bros., Disney, Meta, Bank of America and Intuit are among the many companies that have adopted the model. A common reimbursement limit appears to be $4,000, although Zillow said it would provide up to $7,500, the Times reported. Some companies have been more specific than others in what “travel” includes, noting the coverage for lodging and transportation or specifying the distance required to travel (over 50 miles, for example, in the case of JPMorgan Chase).
Fortune reported that Intuit donated $500,000 to the National Center for Transgender Equality in 2022, participates in the business coalition America Competes, and hosts transgender employee summits and GenderCool programs. Intuit said it makes no sweeping policy changes in response to state laws, instead assessing employees’ additional care-access needs case by case.
In 2022, Intuit donated $500,000 to the National Center of Transgender Equality, an advocacy group working to change policy and society to advance trans equality. Intuit is also a member of America Competes, a coalition of 40 businesses making the case that the anti-LGBTQ laws being passed around the country are bad for businesses.
Several Fortune 500 companies have publicly expressed support for their trans employees in the past, and some now offer to pay travel costs for employees who need to go out of state to avoid bans on gender-affirming care. (Many have put similar plans in place for employees who need abortions.) But despite the imminent impact on employees and their families, many companies have stayed out of the public conversation about the new anti-trans legislation. Fortune reached out to Amazon, Target, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, and Intuit, all of which have previously committed to covering gender-affirming care.
The supplied Human Rights Campaign listing shows Intuit with a score of 50/50 for inclusive benefits, 25/25, and 20/20, alongside the label “No Penalty.” The evidence does not provide a publication date or further explanation of the scoring.
The Human Rights Campaign’s corporate resource page lists Intuit Inc. with a 5/5 rating under “Workforce Protections.” The supplied evidence does not specify when the rating was issued or what criteria were used.
An OpenSecrets recipient profile for Intuit reports $551,872 in contributions: 89.13% from individuals and 10.87% from PACs. It shows federal candidate contributions favored Democrats overall ($443,679, or 81.31%) over Republicans ($101,961, or 18.69%), while listing contributions to candidates and groups from both parties. The evidence does not specify the reporting cycle.
<td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Democratic Party of South Dakota</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Democratic Party of Oregon</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Democratic Party of Arkansas</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Massachusetts Democratic State Cmte</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Utah State Democratic Cmte</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Democratic Party of Vermont</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Democratic Party of Texas</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Indiana Democratic Congressional Victory Cmte</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Missouri Democratic State Cmte</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$0</td> <td>Political Party</td> <td>Democrat</td> <td>Party</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Democratic State Central Cmte/Maryland</td> <td>$810</td> <td>$810</td>
OpenSecrets’ archived listing shows Intuit lobbying reports in the 116th Congress addressing a range of bills. The most-reported listed item was House Resolution 810, expressing support for the Free File program, with 31 reports. The evidence identifies reported bill issues but does not state Intuit’s position on them.
<table> <thead> <tr> <th>Bill Number</th> <th>Congress</th> <th>Title</th> <th>No. of Reports & Specific Issues*</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>H.RES.810 </td> <td>116</td> <td>Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Free File program has made vital contributions to the public.</td> <td>31</td> </tr> <tr> <td>S.4116 </td> <td>116</td> <td>A bill to extend the authority for commitments for the paycheck protection program and separate amounts authorized for other loans under section 7(a) of the Small Business Act, and for other purposes.</td> <td>29</td> </tr> <tr> <td>H.R.6800 </td> <td>116</td> <td>Worker Health Coverage Protection Act</td> <td>20</td> </tr> <tr> <td>S.3535 </td> <td>116</td> <td>Tax Filing Relief for America Act</td> <td>11</td> </tr> <tr> <td>H.R.748 </td> <td>116</td> <td>Relief for Workers Affected by Coronavirus Act</td> <td>10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>H.R.1044 </td> <td>116</td> <td>Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020</td> <td>10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>H.R.133 </td> <td>116</td> <td>Water Resources Development Act of 2020</td> <td>10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>H.R.7777 </td> <td>116</td> <td>Paycheck
Intuit’s active Data Privacy Framework listing describes processing personal data for account and service operations, product improvement, marketing, personalization, financial-offer eligibility, identity authentication and other stated purposes. It also says workforce data is processed for hiring, administration, investigations and employee services. The listing includes Intuit and Mailchimp entities and identifies complaint channels.
Intuit processes personal data to operate our business for the following purposes that are required to originate and maintain our relationship with you, including but not limited to: provide you with the Intuit Platform and create your account; improve our products and services; run and manage our business, including resolving billing and financial disputes; evaluate your eligibility for financial offers, products and services; provide features to you; allow you to create, send, and manage marketing campaigns, including, e.g., emails, advertisements, websites and mailings; connect you with experts and other users; communicate with you, such as sending you electronic notifications concerning your financial privacy; advertise and market our services and experiences; personalize your experience and tailor recommendations and offers presented to you, including through the development of insights about you and your needs; provide you with support and resolve disputes; conduct research, including by partnering with academic institutions; comply with our legal and regulatory requirements; authenticate your identity, including through the use of biometric data; protect the rights, property, safety or security of the Intuit Platform, our customers, employees or others and prevent fraudulent or illegal activity; to exercise our rights in the course of judicial, administrative or arbitration proceedings; to enforce, remedy or apply our Terms of Service or other agreements; and for other purposes that are compatible with the disclosed purposes if and where this is permitted by applicable law. We process human resources personal data in the context of the employment relationship including hiring and on boarding, workforce administration, conducting investigations, providing compensation, benefits, and other services that may provide benefits or improve the employee experience.
On July 1, 2024, a former TurboTax customer filed a proposed privacy class action against Intuit in California federal court. The customer alleges Intuit did not do enough to prevent a data breach earlier that year, which allegedly exposed thousands of users’ personally identifying information. The claims are allegations, not established findings.
By Dorothy Atkins (July 1, 2024, 10:31 PM EDT) -- A former TurboTax customer hit Intuit Inc. with a proposed privacy class action in California federal court on Monday, accusing the maker of TurboTax and Credit Karma software of not doing enough to prevent an alleged data breach earlier this year that allegedly exposed thousands of users' personal identifying information....
InfluenceWatch says Intuit executive Fennel contributed $17,500 over several years to Intuit’s 21st Century Leadership PAC, which it says split contributions roughly evenly between Democrats and Republicans in recent cycles. The report describes Foundation grants as matching employee donations through a donor-advised fund; employees choose the ultimate recipients, subject to eligibility rules.
Fennel has contributed to a number of Democratic campaigns and PACs, including $500 to Friends for Harry Reid, $3,000 to Gillibrand for Senate, and 1,000 each to the Obama Victory Fund 2012 and Obama for America. However, in 2011 she did contribute $1,500 to Boehner for Speaker and an additional $1,500 to Friends of John Boehner, committees supporting Republican Rep. John Boehner. Additionally, Fennel has contributed $17,500 to Intuit’s political fund, the Intuit 21st Century Leadership PAC, over a period of several years. 10 This PAC has more or less evenly split its contributions between Democrats and Republicans over the last few cycles. 11
Intuit also administers a Super PAC, the Intuit 21st Century Leadership Fund PAC, and the Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation that is focused on donating tax filing software and other financial planning resources. 3 4
The Intuit Foundation does not have an issue area portfolio or accept grant solicitations. The sole direct recipient of funding is the American Online Giving Foundation, a donor-advised fund. This funding matches employee charitable donations, so employees of Intuit determine where the funding ultimately goes. 7
The Intuit Foundation received tax-exempt status in 2002. In 2004 the foundation matched employee charitable donations up to $1,000 per year for eligible charities. Eligible charities did not include faith-based organizations that discriminated in services; schools that promoted a specific religious viewpoint; or political, fraternal, and labor organizations. 5 As of 2021, the foundation matches employee donations up to $5,000 per person per fiscal year. Information regarding eligible charities is not publicly available. 6
OpenSecrets lists Intuit’s lobbying spending at $3.72 million in 2024 and $3.64 million in 2023. For the 2024 election cycle, it reports $781,966 in political contributions, mostly from individuals; the figures include contributions to recipients from both major parties.
FEC records for Intuit Inc. 21st Century Leadership Fund show $78,844.29 in receipts, all reported as individual contributions, and $96,244.26 in disbursements for Jan. 1, 2025–Oct. 14, 2026. The committee reported $91,000 in contributions to other committees and no independent expenditures.
Intuit agreed to pay $1.995 million to resolve a proposed class action alleging it used forfeited 401(k) funds for employer contributions instead of plan expenses. A federal judge granted preliminary approval in July 2025; the deal could benefit more than 32,000 people covered from 2018 to 2021, pending final approval.
Intuit Inc.'s class settlement of nearly $2 million received initial court approval, paving the way for resolution of a legal challenge to how the technology company handles forfeited contributions in its 401(k) plan.
Intuit Inc. signed a class settlement worth nearly $2 million in a lawsuit saying it wrongly uses forfeited money in its employees’ 401(k) plan for its own benefit.
In June 2018, businesses told the New York Post that Intuit stopped processing payments for gun-related sales, including some non-firearm purchases, and reversed customer charges. Intuit told one business owner it believed sales violated its rules; the company later said its bank partner required firearm transactions to be face-to-face.
Several gun-related businesses were suddenly — and without warning — disrupted in recent weeks when Intuit stopped processing credit card payments because phone and internet sales were gun-related, The Post has learned.
The supplied OpenSecrets page excerpt reports “Contributions” of $781,966 for Intuit Inc. It does not specify the time period, recipients, or whether the figure represents company or employee contributions.