TurboTax actually has a free tax filing service for anyone who earns under $34,000 a year. The only problem? You probably won't be able to find it.

An investigation from ProPublica has been uncovering the lengths TurboTax's maker Intuit goes to hiding the truly free version of its tax filing software, which was developed in partnership with the IRS.

Called TurboTax Freedom, the service actually has its own web page. Unfortunately, Google won't easily find it for you. That's because Intuit has been telling the search engine to avoid indexing the site.

The search engine blocking is located in the computer code for the official TurboTax website, which can tell Google to "disallow" indexing the TurboTax Freedom page. As a result, Googling for "Turbo Tax Free" won't bring it up.

Instead, you'll probably encounter a link to "TurboTax Free Edition." But despite it's name, the service isn't necessarily free. According to ProPublica's reporting, the service may attempt to charge you a significant fee, citing your tax situation, even though when you earn less than $34,000.

For instance, TurboTax will need you to file another form in the event you don't have health insurance, which can only be done through its $59.99 "TurboTax Deluxe" product. If you work as an independent contractor, then you'll need to upgrade to the "TurboTax Self-Employed" product, which costs even more at $119.99.

In fact, the truly free Turbo Tax Freedom page is "not accessible" via the official TurboTax.com website, according to the company's own FAQ. So don't expect it to automatically recommend you to it.

The shady tactics, including Intuit's attempts to lobby Congress to avoid offering a free tax filing solution, have actually been going on for years. But the new investigation from ProPublica, and the ensuing public backlash, may force Intuit to at least reconsider some of its business practices.

"We recognize that our overall search approach may have made it harder for some customers to find a TurboTax Free File Program landing page," the company said in a statement. "So we are undertaking a thorough review of our search practices to ensure we are achieving our goal of increasing eligible taxpayers' awareness of the IRS Free File Program and its availability."

In the same statement, Intuit said it attempted to direct users to TurboTax Freedom through company-generated content and on FAQ pages, which can include an actual link to the page. The company went on to claim it's donated more than 39 million federal tax return filings through the company's truly free tax filing software. Other people eligible for the service include active duty military members who earn less than $66,000 a year.

You can find out more about free tax filing services on the IRS's website.