Today I received a note from Intuit that despite using the Refund Processing Service (where TurboTax fees are deducted directly from an IRS refund), I will soon have my fees charged to my credit card on file... because the expected refund (of approx. $5,900) has yet to be processed by the IRS 7-weeks after it was "Accepted" on Jan 29, 2024.
While my CA state refund of $2,800+ was processed and refunded 10-days after filing, my IRS refund has yet to be issued. After 3 weeks of investigation, several hours with TurboTax Customer Service, 3 appointments with the IRS and two in-person IRS appointments, the reason for the delay is revealed (and resolved): the REFUND PROCESSING SERVICE was reason for the IRS to flag my return as "potential fraud" requiring in-person ID-verification and an expected "6-10 week delay" in processing of the refund.
While my refund remains set to be issued to the 3rd-party account setup to receive the refund, deduct TurboTax fees and forward remaining balance to my bank... now TurboTax plans to charge me again -- for a service that has caused the problem to begin with
