Dear Turbo Tax Support,
For my federal return, I was support to receive $8,220.00. But only received $8,153.34, the difference being $66.66
I understand this is a relatives small amount. But I would just like to know, because I wasn't made aware that any ADDITIONAL charges would be deducted from my federal return. I paid all the TurboTax fees up front with my credit prior to filing.
I was using the desktop cd software version of turbotax to file the taxes. I paid for the software, paid for the additional state charge, plus another fee. I have a record of all of these purchases on my credit card. But then I was never told that there is this 3rd party called TPG that would also take their cut from my return. May I know, what exactly was the $66.66 dollars for? I check on https://taxpayer.sbtpg.com/dashboard, and it breaks down the $66.66 as total bank fees + total other fees. What exactly are these bank fees? I thought that a direct deposit from the IRS is free of charge. Thank you so much for the help.
If you paid the fees upfront there is no way for you to use any third party processing services ... so check the IRS site to see what the IRS released. Did they reduce your refund ? And did you also have a state refund ? Did the state send it yet ?
My state refund which was deposited directly into my checking account was EXACTLY the amount that turbo tax calculated. The were no issues there what so ever. Everything was correct and good.
However, the federal return amount which turbotax calculated was 8220, which is EXACTLY the same amount on the IRS website, when I log into my IRS account and check the numbers on their end.
So I am not sure why TPG deducted the 66.66 dollars.
Thank you for your help
Again if you used the downloaded program you cannot possibly have anything going thru TPG so you must have used the online program and requested that some fee was to be withheld from the fed refund for an extra bank fee. Could you have bought the downloaded version but used the online version by mistake ?
How to review your fees
Check with TPG
Once you have confirmed that your refund has been released by the IRS and you have selected a Refund Transfer from Santa Barbara TPG you may check the status of your Refund Transfer by visiting our website.
Check the status of your Refund Transfer
For more information, please see the link below:
TPG Santa Barbara Tax Product Group
You can have the state efile fee in the Desktop program deducted from a federal refund. If you filed before March 1 the efile fee was $20. Went up to $25 on 3/1. Then there Extra $40 Refund Processing Service charge (45 in California). So it could be around $65 plus sales tax.
Oh yeah ... not many folks would voluntarily pay an extra $40 to pay a $20 fee especially if they already bought the downloaded program. But if that is what the OP did they have no recourse to get the fee refunded since they had to agree to the terms TWICE in the system.
Thank you, no, there is no way that could have happened. I did everything through the desktop version. I have all the screen shots to prove it. I checked and rechecked and rechecked my return a million times, all through the desktop version. I specifically did the desktop because there were parts of my return the required it. I couldn't use the simple online version. It was literally impossible for me to use the online version. I would remember, it was only about a month ago.
Thank you for those images. Yes exactly, I remember this part. and I chose to PAY WITH MY CREDIT CARD. And in addition, ALL the turbo tax fees, I paid upfront with my credit card. I remember specifically that I did NOT choose to have any of the fees deducted from my return. I paid all the fees upfront.
Does your credit card statement reflect the payment of the TurboTax fee for the state e-file charge of $25?
So did your refund deposit say TPG on it or from the Treasury department? Could you have added another state or service?
If it came through TPG then better contact Turbo Tax
(You need to pick the CD/Download program in the product drop down box.)
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/how-do-i-contact-turbotax/00/26991
What is the Turbo Tax phone number
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/what-is-the-turbotax-phone-number/00/25632
There is no other way for the TPG to get involved unless you asked for it to happen ... open your return and save the PDF and look at your paperwork ... do you see the Processing Bank agreement ? Review the steps you took in the FILE tab ... which path did you take?
i triple checked my credit card statement. when purchasing the turbo tax desktop software in 2022. i made three different payments in total.
the initial payment was for $42.65 (turbotax desktop basic)
then the second payment was for $31.99
and the third payment was for $47.98
the total of all three payments being $122.62
I did find the "Refund Processing Agreement" page in the turbo tax pdf file.
So now I see where these charges were deducted. But my question still remains. What are these processing fees and turbo tax fees, 40 and 25 dollars. If I already paid 122.62 dollars to turbo tax.
Expected Federal Refund $8,220.00
Less Processor Refund Processing Fee $40.00
Less TurboTax Fees $25.00
Less Fees for Additional Products and Services Purchased $
Expected Proceeds* $8,155.00
thank you for your help
I don't know what the third credit card charge was for. But if you bought Basic you had to buy the state program download separately. You could have bought Deluxe or higher. Those come with a free state program. But it is still 20/25 to efile state.
So you had the $25 state efile fee deducted from your refund with a $40 service charge. You could have paid with a credit card to avoid the extra service charge.
I would ask what the second or third charges were for. Did you buy 2 different state programs?
Did you buy the audit protection package maybe ? Is the audit protection agreement/information also in the PDF ? Or did you upgrade to a higher package ... does your program still say Basic?
Going forward, if you need a state program, buy the Deluxe version to start with to save a few $$ and never use the refund processing option ever ... that is a total rip off.
I believe that the second credit card charge was to upgrade the cd desktop version from basic to deluxe (which included 1 free state)
and the third payment on the credit card was something that the turbo tax software said that I needed to make during the final steps of the return process. it gave me the option to have it deducted from my return or to pay it right away, and i chose to pay it right away with a credit card.
"Going forward, if you need a state program, buy the Deluxe version to start with to save a few $$ and never use the refund processing option ever ... that is a total rip off. "
I did indeed make the second payment to upgrade to deluxe from the basic desktop version.
And at NO point was i ever asked to OPT IN to the refund processing option. Had I been asked I would HAVE NEVER agreed to it. And I filled out my return SUPER meticulously. I would have seen them asking me for it. I have no clue how they slipped that in without my knowledge.
I just read the fine print in the "Refund Processing Agreement" Page of the Turbo Tax pdf file.
It states:
"THIS FEE IS COLLECTED ONLY AT THE TIME THE REFUND(S) OCCURS. YOU CAN
AVOID THIS FEE AND NOT USE THE REFUND PROCESSING SERVICE BY INSTEAD PAYING THE
APPLICABLE TURBOTAX FEES TO INTUIT INC. BY CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD AT THE TIME YOU FILE YOUR
2021 FEDERAL INCOME TAX RETURN(S) AND ELECTING TO HAVE YOUR REFUND(S) DIRECTLY
DEPOSITED IN YOUR OWN BANK ACCOUNT OR MAILED TO YOU."
I did indeed pay the applicable turbotax fees to intuit inc by credit card at the time i filed my 2021 federal income tax return. and i did indeed elect to have my refunds directly deposited.
so therefore, i have NO CLUE why i was still charged those processing fees.
Look at my screenshot again. People go too fast at the end to file and just get clicking through on the right bottom box to continue. But that box is to deduct the fee. Many people have missed that. That trips them up.
Well there is nothing you can do about the fees since you agreed to all of them. What I can do for you is give you some info for the future ... first buy the deluxe version WITH THE STATE only since you need to file a state return and then do NOT get sucked into paying more to upgrade the program since deluxe can and does handle all of your tax needs ... all downloaded programs can handle all forms. Although they try to upsell you by saying the upgraded program can "assist" you better it is not needed at all.
And the Audit protection is a racket as well ... if you file a true and accurate return you have nothing to fear from an audit and you can pay for assistance if you ever do need it. The best thing to do is REVIEW the entire return (more than once ) BEFORE you file it ... sleep on it and look again the next day. Only when you feel comfortable should you file it.
And lastly ... if you qualify ... use one of the IRS FREE FILE options ... for 2021 your AGI had to be $73K or less...
There are still eight various software providers who will participate in the Free File program but they will not be available until sometime in January----so if you want to use one of them---WAIT.
Use this IRS site for other ways to file for free:
https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/
thank you again, but which screen shot are you referring to. because the one you posted, it says....
"how do you want to pay"
Pay with federal refund
or
to pay with credit card.
and i chose to pay with my credit card. so then why was the "processing fee" still charged again. where was the option to "remove" it
that's exactly what i did
i made the initial purchase of $42.65 (turbotax desktop basic) + the second payment for $31.99 (deluxe upgrade, inc 1 free state) = $74.64
and the third payment was on that final page for $47.98 (where i opted to pay for it with credit card)
and i checked my return maybe like 20 times before submitting it
WHERE OH WHERE was the information about charging me those processing fees from tpg. NO WHERE did i see them. and even for my final check through, i did it together with my brother, who also did not notice anything about those processing fees.
To contact TurboTax customer service/support use their contact website during business hours. If the problem concerns any type of refund for fees, use the key words billing issues and do Not use the word Refund or you will get a phone number for tax refunds.
Submit your question/problem during business hours and then use the option for Call (a phone number will be provided for Call) to speak directly with a TurboTax agent –
Thank you!
I actually did reach a turbo tax live person a few weeks ago and told them this issue specifically. The only thing they told me is to call tpg and they gave me their number. I called them like 4 times, believe it or not, each time i was on hold for like 1.5 hours, I KID YOU NOT. Never got through to an agent at tpg.