You don't have to use the 3rd party bank. You can pay the fees upfront with a credit card instead of having the fees deducted from your federal refund. Then the IRS will send the refund directly to you without going though the TPG bank.
There is no extra charge to efile. The only charges are to prepare the federal and state returns. The extra $40 Refund Processing Service charge is to have the fees deducted from a refund.
