The IRS says the refund was sent to my account but the funds are not available

[mesquitebean]

Does this IRS "Where's My Refund" tool say your funds have actually been sent?
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.irs.gov/Refunds">http://www.irs.gov/Refunds</a>

If the IRS has actually sent the funds, the IRS FAQ page says to allow "up to 5 days" due to variations in bank processing procedures and times.

However, there may be another link in the chain that you can check if you used the following service:

Did you have any TurboTax fees that you chose to pay out of the Federal refund?  If so, the funds go first from the IRS to a temporary account at an intermediary bank where the fees are subtracted.   Then that intermediary bank sends the rest of the funds on to your bank (or card.)   If you used that method to pay fees, and if the IRS has actually released the funds, we can tell you how to check on the funds at the level of the intermediary company.   

And how did you choose to receive the refund--direct deposit to your bank or direct deposit to a Turbo Prepaid Visa Card or another prepaid debit card?

[terrencegafeney]

Direct Deposit to the bank

[mesquitebean]

You didn't answer the main question above.   Did you have any TurboTax fees that you chose to pay out of your Federal refund?  If so, we can tell you how to check on it.

If you did not have any fees paid that way, then the deposit is only between the IRS and your bank.

[terrencegafeney]

I chose the option to pay with my tax refund

[mesquitebean]

I'll leave you some info below on how to check on it.

[mesquitebean · Accepted solution]

Check with this tool to see if the IRS has actually released your funds:
http://www.irs.gov/Refunds

If you chose to pay your TurboTax fees out of your Federal refund, your funds will first go from the IRS to a temporary account at an intermediary bank--either Civista Bank of Sandusky, Ohio, or Green Dot Bank.  At the intermediary bank the fees are subtracted, then the rest of your funds are sent on to your bank (or prepaid debit card) in a second deposit.  The company that handles that is SBTPG (Santa Barbara Tax Products Group.)

Less commonly there can be delays at the intermediary bank, and additional ID info, etc. might be required.

If for any reason the second deposit fails (the one that is actually to your bank or card), it will bounce back to SBTPG's bank who will issue you a paper check in the mail.

Once the IRS has released your funds, you can log in to your temporary account at SBTPG to see the status of your funds.

To log in, choose the taxpayer portal at:
https://www.sbtpg.com/

SBTPG has a phone contact page at the following link. It also shows their business hours.  Even when they are closed, you may be able to get automated info, or you can log in as above.

https://help.sbtpg.com/hc/en-us/articles/230084587-Contact-Information