Santa Barbara Tax Products Group

[gaga542]

This looks like a scam. I filed my taxes and was due a refund. I owe no taxes and there was no need to use my refund to pay taxes. I received a email from them that my refund was on its way. Sure enough it came the following day but was short $1,300. Why was this company involved at all? Logged into IRS and they said that they may need additional information to receive full refund???

When I called Santa Barbara TPG their AI agent was only taking information on a Walmart cashiers check issue and there was no one to speak to anyone.

What is going on??

[DoninGA]

The pay with the federal refund option is used to pay the TurboTax account fees, not any taxes owed.

If you requested to have the TurboTax account fees deducted from your federal tax refund, the IRS will send the refund to a third party processor to have the fees and the $40 service charge deducted. The third party processor will deduct the TurboTax fees plus the $40 service charge and then attempt to direct deposit the remaining refund balance into the account that you entered on your tax return.

For the status of your tax refund you will need to contact the third party processor, Santa Barbara Tax Product Group, using their website - https://www.sbtpg.com/

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

Call 1-877-908-7228

Or email - TPG-CSsupport@greendotcorp.com

[gaga542]

Thank you for your fast reply but there is still a significant issue that you did not address. The customer service number for Santa Barbara is only accepting information about a Walmart cashier check issue.

Secondly, I never asked that my refund pay for taxes due since I have no taxes due. Why are they involved at all?

This is a big issue and I am sure that I am not the only one impacted.  How do I speak to a person in either Intuit or Santa Barbara TPG. AI agents are great but this situation where you can't speak to a representative is ridiculous.

[mesquitebean]

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@ gaga542 wrote:

 Logged into IRS and they said that they may need additional information to receive full refund???

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If it was an IRS message, then based on that, it sounds like it was the IRS that didn't send the full amount to SBTPG's bank.

By "logged into IRS" are you referring to a message at the IRS refund tool or an Online IRS account?   Did the IRS tell you anything else to do in the meantime?  Perhaps they are preparing a notice/letter to send you, for which they use postal mail.   Whenever they reduce a refund, the IRS usually sends a letter in about 3 weeks.    However, if you do have an IRS online account, at one of the tabs in the account you can look to see if there have been any notices/letters sent at this point in time, but it may be too early to see something there.

See DoninGA's response in this thread for info on how SBTPG works to pay your product fees out of the Federal refund.

[mesquitebean]

@gaga542 

Addendum:

If the IRS reduced your Federal refund, and if you wish to speak to them before receiving a letter, here's how you can phone them.

IRS:  800-829-1040 (7AM-7 PM local time) Monday-Friday

When calling the IRS do not choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.

• First choose your language.  Then listen to each menu before making the selection.
• Then press 2 for "personal income tax".
• Then press 1 for "form, tax history, or payment".  
• Then press 3 "for all other questions."
• Then press 2 "for all other questions." 
• It may then ask for your SSN, but do not enter it.  Just wait.    If it asks for SSN a second time, still do not enter it.
• Then it will get "tired", and you'll get another menu.  Choose 2 for "personal".
• Then in the next menu choose 4 for "all other inquiries", and it should transfer you to an agent but expect a long wait.
• I usually use a speakerphone so I can work on something else while waiting.

[gaga542]

The Santa Barbara's customer service line and email is not working either. Why are they involved with my return since I never asked for my refund to be used to pay taxes -which I do not owe any?

Yes I logged into the online IRS tool and they said that they are looking at my return and I might get a partial refund until it is resolved.

This is the worst customer experience that I have had with Intuit over my 35 year history with them

THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ESCALATED TO SENIOR MANAGEMENT. i THINK THIS IS A SCAM AND THE SECURITY NEEDS TO BE NOTIFED IMMEDIATELY.

[mesquitebean]

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@ gaga542 wrote:

The Santa Barbara's customer service line and email is not working either. Why are they involved with my return since I never asked for my refund to be used to pay taxes -which I do not owe any?

Yes I logged into the online IRS tool and they said that they are looking at my return and I might get a partial refund until it is resolved.

This is the worst customer experience that I have had with Intuit over my 35 year history with them

THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ESCALATED TO SENIOR MANAGEMENT. i THINK THIS IS A SCAM AND THE SECURITY NEEDS TO BE NOTIFED IMMEDIATELY.

"Yes I logged into the online IRS tool and they said that they are looking at my return and I might get a partial refund until it is resolved."

That sounds to me like the IRS is saying you may only get a partial refund until they finish their investigation of whatever caught their attention in your return.    Only the IRS will know what they are doing with your return.  I left info above on how to phone the IRS if you wish to speak to them instead of waiting to see if you get a notice/letter from them.

You previously asked:  "why was that company (SBTPG) involved at all?"

SBTPG comes into play if you chose to pay your TurboTax product fees out of the Federal refund.  If so, TurboTax has to use a third-party company and its bank to take out the product fees.  TurboTax is not a bank so it can't handle the funds itself, so it uses SBTPG.   But from that message you posted from the IRS, it sounds like the holdup is at the IRS.

You said you're having trouble contacting SBTPG.   I don't know any phone trick other than persistence or trying to fool any AI with different keywords or trying to get around it by pressing 0 several times, etc.   However, what do you see when you log in with your information at SBTPG using their refund lookup tool?   Choose the "For Taxpayer's" link at this site:

https://www.sbtpg.com/

SBTPG's phone support hours are Mon-Fri 7am - 4pm Pacific

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

If you need to speak to TurboTax Support by phone, here's how:

FAQ: What is the TurboTax phone number?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/what-is-the-turbotax-phone-number/00/25632

[gaga542]

Again - I never asked Intuit to have Santa Barbara use my refund to pay fees/ taxes. 

why are they involved. ?????

can Intuit rep answer this question ??

[mesquitebean]

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@ gaga542 wrote:

Again - I never asked Intuit to have Santa Barbara use my refund to pay fees/ taxes.

why are they involved. ?????

can Intuit rep answer this question ??

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If you used a TurboTax product other than Free Edition (or the military promo), it would have had product fees.  If you did not use one of those free products, then how did you pay the fees? Did you pay those product fees upfront with a credit/debit card?   Or did you choose the option to "pay out of  Federal refund?"

I'm sorry, but no one in the forum has access to your TurboTax account, so nothing account-specific can be handled in the user community forum.  A TurboTax employee tax expert might run across the thread, but they can't see your account either.  If you have questions about your TurboTax account and fee payment method, then your best bet is to phone TurboTax Support using the info I provided above.

You asked:  "can Intuit rep answer this question ??"

I'll see if I can attract a TurboTax employee tax expert to this thread.

@DawnC   This user would like to hear from a TurboTax employee.  Is there a comment you can make in this thread, if you're in the forum.    Thanks!

[gaga542]

Thanks for your feedback. 

this whole situation is baffling. It is impossible to speak to a live person in either company. 

[VolvoGirl]

Since your refund is going though sbtpg there must have been some Turbo Tax fees.   Plus when you use that service there is an EXTRA $40 Refund Processing Service charge ($45 in California).  So check  your fees.   If you didn't use the Pay with Refund service then how did you pay the fees?  If you didn't pick to have the fees deducted did you enter your credit card?    Check your bank account or your credit card.    

How to review your fees
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/charges-and-fees/help/how-do-i-review-my-fees-in-turbotax-online/0...

Or did you use the Desktop program instead of the Online version?  

[gaga542]

I used the desktop Premiere version that include the federal and state tax returns. I don't owe any fees.

Not sure what is going on.

[mesquitebean]

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@ gaga542 wrote:

I used the desktop Premiere version that include the federal and state tax returns. I don't owe any fees.

Not sure what is going on.

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If you efiled the state return, there is a state efile fee of $25 (no fee for NY state.)   If you are not in NY, do you recall if you paid the $25 state efile fee upfront by credit/debit card?    Even in the desktop product one might have chosen "pay out of Federal refund" option.

[VolvoGirl · Accepted solution]

I suspected that.  In the Desktop program it is $20  or 25 to efile a state return.  What you got for free was one state PROGRAM download to prepare returns in that state.  THEN each state return including the first one is $20 or $25 to efile, or you can print and mail state for free.   People get going too fast at the end to file and click on the wrong button.   Then you get hit with the $40 extra charge.