Any tax sites that DON'T use SBTPG? Need alternatives to TurboTax for next year

Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG) serves as the Refund Transfer intermediary for multiple tax preparation platforms, not just TurboTax. They function as the Refund Processing Service (RPS) that facilitates the fee deduction from your refund when you elect to pay filing fees from your refund rather than upfront. The Electronic Return Originator (ERO) regulations require a third-party financial institution for this transaction model. However, you can avoid SBTPG entirely by selecting "pay now" with a credit card or direct payment when filing, rather than "pay with my refund." This ensures the IRS deposits directly to your account without intermediaries.

I had the same frustration last year. What helped me was using taxr.ai to analyze different filing options before committing. It breaks down the ACTUAL costs including hidden fees and processing times for different tax services. Shows you which ones use SBTPG vs. other processors and what the real timeline will be. I found out I could use FreeTaxUSA and pay their fee directly with my credit card - got my refund 5 days faster with no middleman taking a cut. Here's their comparison tool: https://taxr.ai/compare-services

I was literally filing my taxes yesterday and stressing about this exact issue! Last year my refund sat with SBTPG for 12 days before hitting my account. This year I used Cash App Taxes (completely free) and paid nothing upfront - they don't use SBTPG and deposit directly. Only downside is they don't support some complex situations like multiple state filing.

One thing nobody's mentioned - you can file directly through IRS Free File if your income is under $73,000. No middleman, no SBTPG, completely free, and refund goes straight to your account. Even if you don't qualify for Free File, you can still use Free Fillable Forms on the IRS website. It's more work since you don't get the guided interview, but your refund comes directly from the IRS with no intermediaries.

Dealing with SBTPG is like ordering a pizza and having the delivery guy take two slices as a "handling fee" before bringing it to your door. 🍕 I tried calling the IRS about this last year and spent THREE HOURS on hold. Finally used Claimyr.com to get through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They confirmed that paying prep fees upfront is the only way to avoid these third-party banks completely. If you ever need to actually speak with someone at the IRS about refund issues, Claimyr is worth it - saved me from refund purgatory: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c

Be careful with some of the lesser-known tax services too. I tried OnLine Taxes last year to avoid TurboTax/SBTPG, but they use River City Bank as their processor which held my refund for 8 days. It's like comparing cable companies - they all have similar practices. The only way to truly avoid it is to pay your preparation fees upfront with a credit card or from your bank account directly. Then the IRS sends your refund straight to you without any stopover at a third-party bank.

I've been using H&R Block for years and found that if you pay for their services upfront with a credit card, your refund comes directly from the IRS to your bank account. No SBTPG or any intermediary involved. It might feel better psychologically to pay from your refund, but you're essentially taking a high-interest loan when you do that. The processing fees can be $40-$50 just for the convenience of not paying upfront.