First time filing taxes and confused about section 35a,b,d showing different bank info?

This is definitely not a dumb question! Those sections (35a, b, and d) are where your direct deposit information goes for receiving your tax refund. If the numbers there aren't your bank account and routing number, that's concerning. Some tax preparation services will offer refund transfers where they receive your refund first, take out their fees, and then give you the rest. However, they should have clearly explained this to you and had you sign authorization forms. This is sometimes called a Refund Anticipation Check (RAC) or Refund Transfer. I'd recommend calling Fiesta right away to ask them about this. If they set up a refund transfer without properly explaining it to you, that's a problem. You want to make sure your refund is going where you expect it to go.

I was in a similar situation last year and discovered the hard way that my tax preparer had put their bank info to get my refund first. I started using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to review my tax documents before signing anything now. You just upload your papers, and it explains exactly where your money is going and flags unusual things like refund transfers. For what it's worth, I found that the service at https://taxr.ai saved me from paying an extra $75 "processing fee" this year by catching it in the fine print of my tax forms. If you still have your documents, you might want to run them through there to see what else might be lurking in those forms you signed.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai that I mentioned being skeptical of earlier. I actually decided to try it with my tax forms after getting a questionable explanation from my preparer about some "required processing fee." Turns out the service flagged exactly where they were adding charges I never agreed to! The analysis broke down every section of my return in simple language and pointed out that my preparer had added a $89 "document processing fee" that wasn't mentioned during my appointment. I was able to go back and get them to remove it. The https://taxr.ai service saved me money and was actually really secure - they don't even keep your documents after analyzing them. Definitely less sketchy than what some tax preparers try to pull!

If you're having trouble getting answers from Fiesta or if they're not being clear about where your refund is going, you should call the IRS directly. The problem is their phone lines are ALWAYS jammed. I spent 3 weeks trying to get through about a similar issue. I finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The IRS agent was able to tell me exactly where my refund was being sent and confirmed my preparer had set up a refund transfer without clearly explaining it to me.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr that I called a scam earlier. After failing to get through to the IRS for two days straight about my bank info issue with my tax return, I decided to try it out of desperation. To my complete surprise, I got a call back in about 25 minutes and was connected to an actual IRS representative! The agent confirmed that my tax preparer had set up a refund transfer without properly disclosing it and added a $45 processing fee. They helped me file a complaint and explained how to make sure this doesn't happen again next year. I've never been able to reach the IRS so quickly before. Usually I give up after hours on hold. Totally worth it for getting a definitive answer straight from the source instead of trusting what my preparer told me.

Just an FYI - this practice of tax preparers putting their bank info on returns is pretty common but they're supposed to CLEARLY explain it to you. It's called a Refund Transfer or sometimes a Refund Anticipation Check (RAC). Basically: 1. IRS sends your refund to the preparer's bank 2. They take out their tax preparation fees 3. They may take additional processing fees (usually $25-60) 4. They send remaining money to you either by direct deposit to your account or on a prepaid debit card Many people use this because they don't have money to pay for tax preparation upfront. But if you didn't agree to this, call both Fiesta and the IRS because they need your consent for this arrangement.

This happened to me too! I freaked out when I saw strange banking info on my return from Jackson Hewitt. Make sure to ask Fiesta these questions: 1. What is the TOTAL fee including tax prep AND refund transfer fees? 2. When exactly will you get your money after the IRS sends the refund? 3. How will you receive the remaining funds? (direct deposit, check, prepaid card) They should have given you a document explaining all this before you signed your return. If they didn't, that's shady business practice and should be reported to the Better Business Bureau.

There's a form you were supposed to sign called a "Refund Authorization Form" or something similar that gives permission for this arrangement. Did they have you sign anything like that? If not, that's a big red flag. Check all your paperwork carefully. Also, just for future reference, there are free tax filing options that don't pull this refund transfer stuff. The IRS Free File program lets most people file for free if your income is under $73,000, and they don't play these games with your refund. Looking at section 35 is smart - always check where your money is going! Not a dumb question at all.