The paid plan upgrade is based on which forms you input, not necessarily which deduction you get. So hypothetically, even if your best choice is the standard deduction, they expect you to pay if you have some of those other tax forms.
I guess my question is, if you know the standard deduction is the right choice, can you just not input the tax forms that you don't need for that?
Everyone should just use freetaxusa.com. I've used it for years, the UI looks almost the same as TurboTax and costs like 12$ total to file both state and federal.
No, you need to file every tax form that applies to you. I assume you are talking about forms like the 1099-B, which TurboTax charges you to file (~$80 IIRC). If you don't file a form and the IRS knows about it, you will have a bad time.
I don't know if the standard deduction is right for me (after the latest tax reform it probably is, but previously my deductions were close to the line so I needed to do my forms both ways to find out)
I guess my question is, if you know the standard deduction is the right choice, can you just not input the tax forms that you don't need for that?