@ Quaym94 wrote:
Does TPG send the money back to IRS or do they cut a check? How long does it take to receive funds?
You didn't provide any information, so we have to guess a bit. Did you choose to pay your TurboTax fees out of your Federal refund? And did your bank (or card) refuse a direct deposit from SBTPG's bank (the company that handles that?)
Here's how all that works if you chose that option. Once the IRS releases your refund, your funds go first from the IRS to a temporary account at an intermediary bank where the fees are subtracted. Then that bank sends the rest of your funds to your bank (or card) in a second direct deposit. If that deposit at your bank (or card) fails, it would go back to the intermediary bank, and the company that handles that (SBTPG aka "TPG" aka Santa Barbara Tax Products Group) would send a check to you at the address on your return.
Only in less common circumstances does SBTPG send the funds back to the IRS. That's usually when there's an additional problem, such as if they cannot identify you for some reason, or if your check from SBTPG is returned to them in the mail. I don't know what all the criteria are for them sending it back to the IRS instead of mailing one a paper check, but in most cases where a bounced deposit was incurred, SBTPG mails a check to the address on one's return.
If that's your situation, how long that takes would depend on how fast your bank sends it back to SBTPG's bank, and how long SBTPG's processing and turnaround times are, and then there's the transit time in postal mail. If you need more info, you can phone SBTPG, or log in to their website and perhaps you can monitor the process there.
To log in at SBTPG, choose the taxpayer portal at:
https://www.sbtpg.com/
SBTPG also 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 about your refund, or you can log in as above.
https://help.sbtpg.com/hc/en-us/articles/230084587-Contact-Information
