Why is turbo tax promoting advance tax return payments, has you pay them for filing but does not allow you to file immediately after due to form not finalized by irs?

[hsulton88]

Turbo Tax is offering an advance refund. You have to file but they have you pay first. After I paid I am still not able to file because of "IRS does not have form finalized"  with no other details other than that wording

[xmasbaby0]

What tax year are you trying to file?   E-filing is permanently closed for 2021 or earlier years, and e-filing is not yet open for 2022 returns.   Tax year 2022 is not even over yet.   Documents you need to file a correct 2022 return such as W-2's and 1099's will be issued by the end of January or early February.  The IRS will not start to accept 2022 e-files until late January.  What is the hurry?  The IRS itself has not finalized some of the forms you will need in order to prepare and file a 2022 return, nor has the IRS examined and approved certain forms in the tax software.   

Be patient and wait.   Even if you e-file in early January, your tax return will sit on a server until the IRS begins to accept returns.  And then when you realize you made a mistake you will not be able to fix it.

[xmasbaby0]

And....as for "advance" payments....

There are no refund advance loans available at this time.  If  TurboTax offers refund advance loans  for 2022 returns it will be during January to mid-February.   The loan has to be offered to you; you cannot apply for it.   And the money is not issued until your e-file is accepted by the IRS.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/offer-details-disclosures-ref...

[hsulton88]

There is a new feature that they have that is an advance on tax refunds, if you’re not aware of it then read more into it. Why? Some people have life altering situations that this new feature would help with, also returns can always be amended, something can always be fixed if needed be, I am lucky enough to have all the info I need to file at the moment so there’s not a worry about a huge difference. 

[hsulton88]

The advance is offered prior to the actual return dates that tax season opens up, the whole purpose of the advance is to be able to access your refund via a loan as opposed to having to wait for the actual tax filing dates to open up. Overall it seems more like a program that turbo tax should have held back on as opposed to offering up due to certain forms not available until a certain time frame, which basically makes the advance option null and void for a lot of people 

[DoninGA]

To see which forms and schedules have not yet been finalized for filing using the TurboTax online editions, click on Review on the left side of the online program screen.

[xmasbaby0]

Sorry----you have to wait.  E-filing is NOT open yet.   Even if you have all of your information.   

And......amended returns take six to nine months to be processed--sometimes even longer---so filing in a hurry and having to amend later is a poor plan of action.

Not sure what you are seeing in regard to advance payments or if you read it thoroughly.    The refund advance loan offered by TurboTax is contingent on your return being accepted by the IRS.  The money is not given to you before that.  And the loan has to be offered to you--you cannot opt in.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/refund-advance

[fanfare]

IRS has not yet opened for e-File.