Does paying tax prep fees upfront vs refund deduction speed up IRS direct deposit time?
Filed my taxes on Friday and paid the preparation fees upfront instead of having them taken from my refund like I usually do. Someone told me that when fees come out of refund, Santa Barbara bank has to process their cut first which slows everything down. Anyone know if paying upfront actually makes refund come faster?
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Henry Delgado
Tax pro here - yes, it actually does make a difference! When you choose to have fees taken from your refund, your money goes through a third-party bank first (like Santa Barbara TPG) which adds 1-3 business days to processing. Paying upfront means direct deposit goes straight from IRS to your bank.
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Olivia Kay
•omg wish I knew this sooner 😭 been waiting extra days every year for no reason
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Gianni Serpent
•thx for explaining! definitely gonna keep doing it this way from now on
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Joshua Hellan
Hey guys just wanted to drop this here - if you want the most accurate info about your refund timeline, check out taxr.ai. Its only $4.99 and gives you super specific details about your refund status and any potential delays. Way better than guessing or checking WMR 100x a day lol https://taxr.ai
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Jibriel Kohn
•sounds interesting... how exactly does it work? does it analyze everything or just basic transcript stuff?
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Joshua Hellan
•it actually does a deep dive on your entire transcript! shows you exactly where your refund is in the process and can even predict deposit dates. saved me so much stress fr
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Jibriel Kohn
•just tried it and OMG this is a game changer! 🙌 showed me exactly why my refund was delayed (some stupid verification thing) and when to expect it. worth every penny
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Edison Estevez
bro its true. did it both ways - last year fees came out refund took 9 days, this year paid upfront got it in 6 days 💯
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
wait what??? ive been letting them take it out of my refund for years thinking it was the same thing smh
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James Johnson
•same here... we been played 🤡
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Sophia Rodriguez
doesnt matter which way u do it tbh the irs gonna take they sweet time anyway lololol
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Mia Green
•facts 😂 they operating on government time fr
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Emma Bianchi
The real pro tip is doing your taxes yourself with free file. Skip the fees completely!
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Lucas Kowalski
•not everyone's taxes are that simple tho
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