Unneeded services

Forum|Forum|2 months ago
March 23, 2026
3 replies
2 views

I have used Turbo Tax for over 10 years and have put up with the ads for added services but this year there appears to be a new spin. During filing I was charged $40 to use Santa Barbara TPG. What is the need or benefit of this service? What is the value added? On the web it seems they have a lot of negative comments.

baldietax

Level 12

when you filed there would have been a screen asking how to pay the TT fees, either to pay TT directly with credit card etc, or "Pay With My Refund". The latter costs $40 additional fee and routes your refund through a 3rd party bank - SBTPG in this case.

VolvoGirl

Level 15

Have you already filed? If not you can remove that fee by paying the fees with a credit card. Are you using the Online version or the Desktop program? In the Desktop program it's usually for how to pay the $25 state efile fee.

If you use the $40 Pay with Refund service your refund has to go through a 3rd party bank to take the fees out. That is in addition to the TurboTax fees. So that might add time on to getting your refund. If you pay the fees upfront the refund goes directly from the IRS to you.

Pay with Refund
https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-product-orders/refund-processing-service/L3zANb1OR_US_en_US

OracleEdAuthor

Level 2

You are correct I was at fault and whipped through that screen too quickly. I did not think to pay the Turbo Tax $25 state filing fee for a cost of 40 dollars was a good value. I did not ask for anything from my federal return as there was a refund but no cost. Why did you assume I had given permission to mess with my federal refund, unless you can not deal with a state refund, at which time I would have preferred a communication advising me of the fact that you can not perform this service and advised me of alternatives. I have begun to hate how Turbo Tax nickels and dimes with added service ads

JohnB5677

Level 15

You will have selected TurboTax's "Pay With My Refund" option when filing your return.

Your refund is processed by a bank called Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG).
There's a processing fee of $40.
The IRS sends the refund to this bank, which deducts ‌the TurboTax fees and deposits the remainder to your local bank account.

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