Why am I being charged $34.99 to pay with my refund?

[mesquitebean · Accepted solution]

There is a service fee for that option because it requires a temporary banking account to be opened in your name to initially receive your refund from the IRS.  The fees are then subtracted at the intermediary bank, which then sends the rest on to your bank in a second direct deposit.  Then the intermediary bank closes the temporary bank account it set up for you.

If you chose that, there is an additional 34.99 service fee for that option.  (39.99 for California filers in paid editions, where it is bundled with Premium Services.)

If you did choose that option to pay out of your Federal refund, you can remove it prior to filing and then pay the TurboTax fee upfront with credit card, debit card, or a prepaid debit card you can buy in a store.   Here's how to remove it, depending on your location:

Non-California filers:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900517-how-do-i-remove-the-refund-processing-service

California filers (where it is in the "Premium Services" bundle) :
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2154391-how-do-i-remove-the-premium-services-fee