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February 28, 2021
Question

IRS accepted refund and sent it to TurboTax but turbotax never paid me

  • February 28, 2021
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1 reply

Employee
February 28, 2021

@White12088  wrote:  "IRS accepted refund and sent it to TurboTax but turbotax never paid me."

 

A Federal refund does not go to TurboTax.   It goes to a temporary account in your name at a third-party's bank that I'll explain below.

 

What tax year are you referring to?   A current 2020 return or a prior-year return?

 

Did you choose to pay the TurboTax fees out of your Federal refund?  If so, the IRS sends a Federal refund to a temporary account in your name at an intermediary bank where the fees are subtracted, plus a $40 service fee ($45 for California filers.)  Then that intermediary bank sends the rest on to your bank account (or card.)  The company that handles that is called SBTPG (Santa Barbara Tax Products Group.)

 

If you're asking about a 2020 return, does the IRS WMR tool confirm that your Federal refund was released and sent?

https://www.irs.gov/refunds

 

How long has it been since the IRS released and sent your refund?   The IRS says to allow up to 5 days after the IRS sent it due to variations in bank processing protocols.

 

We can tell you how to check on it once you answer my questions.