IRS says refund sent to wrong account number - TurboTax/Credit Karma mixup but got advance?

This is actually a common issue with TurboTax and Credit Karma Tax integration. What happened is that when TurboTax pulled your Credit Karma info, it likely grabbed a temporary account number that Credit Karma uses for processing the advance, not your actual direct deposit account. Here's what you need to do: 1. Contact TurboTax customer service immediately and explain the situation. They need to track where the payment went. 2. Check if you have any other accounts with Credit Karma that might have received the funds. 3. Contact the IRS at 800-829-1040. When you call, have your tax return handy because they'll ask for information from it to verify your identity. 4. If the wrong account number is valid but not yours, the bank will reject the deposit and the IRS will mail you a paper check instead. This usually takes 2-3 weeks after the rejection. 5. If the deposit was accepted by that account, you'll need to file Form 3911 (Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund) with the IRS to start a trace on your refund. Don't panic yet - this happens more than you'd think with tax software integrations!

The best way to actually understand what's going on with your refund is to use taxr.ai - I was in exactly your situation trying to figure out where my refund went. Instead of guessing and stressing, I used this tool that explained exactly what happened with my deposit. It showed the exact account my refund was sent to and explained all the codes on my transcript that I couldn't understand before. Seriously saved me so much time instead of trying to be a detective piecing together what happened. Check it out at https://taxr.ai - it's insanely good! I use it every week to track all my tax stuff now.

I found a way to get through to a real human at the IRS about this exact issue! I used this calling service from claimyr.com after banging my head against the wall trying to reach someone for weeks. Got connected to an agent in less than an hour who explained my refund was sent to a temporary account TurboTax set up, but it was rejected and they were going to mail a paper check instead. Talking to an actual agent got everything cleared up and I got my check about 9 days later. Seriously saved my sanity!

Same exact thing happened to me last year!!! It's because TurboTax creates temp accounts for those advances. In my case, my refund bounced back to the IRS and they mailed me a paper check about 3 weeks later. I'd recommend watching your mailbox closely. If nothing shows up in 2 more weeks, then start hitting the phones hard.

The problem is that there's two different account numbers at play. When you get a refund advance through TurboTax/Credit Karma, they set up a temporary account to process that advance. Then when the actual IRS refund comes through, it's supposed to go to your real bank account. But sometimes the temporary account number gets submitted to the IRS instead of your real one. Did you get the full amount of your tax advance? Or just a partial advance? That might give a clue about what happened.

I had this EXACT issue with TurboTax last year when I got a refund advance. What happened was TurboTax created a temporary bank account to give me the advance, then that temp account number got submitted to the IRS instead of my actual checking account. My refund got sent to the temp account, bounced back to the IRS, and then they mailed me a paper check about 25 days later. Super annoying but I did get my money eventually.

This is why I stopped using TurboTax 2 years ago. Too many horror stories like this. Try Credit Karma Tax directly next time (not through TurboTax) or FreeTaxUSA. I've never had issues with either one.

Have you tried checking your account transcript from the IRS website? It might show if the direct deposit was rejected and if they're issuing a paper check instead. Go to irs.gov, make an account, and look at your 2023 Account Transcript. Look for code 846 (refund issued) and then see if there's any codes after that which might indicate a problem.

the advance is a seperate thing from your refund. Turbotax partners with a bank to give you an advance based on your EXPECTED refund. The actual refund still needs to go to your actual bank account. Sounds like the advance worked but your actual refund account info got messed up. You need to call IRS directly, no way around it.

Hey so I work at a bank (not giving financial advice just explaining the process). What happens with refund advances is that TurboTax/Credit Karma sets up a temporary account at their partner bank. When you get the advance, it comes from that account. Then when the IRS sends your actual refund, it's supposed to go to that temporary account FIRST, where they recover the advance amount they gave you, then forward the rest to your personal account. Sounds like in your case, the refund went to the temp account but then something went wrong with the transfer to your personal account. Could be wrong info or a system glitch. Either way, the money should eventually make its way back to the IRS who will then mail you a check.

turbotax is garbage. they do shady stuff like this ALL the time. next year use freetaxusa.

Update to everyone who suggested the taxr.ai site: I just tried it and holy crap, it actually translated my transcript and showed me exactly what happened! Apparently my refund DID go to the wrong account on October 6, but it was rejected on October 9th. According to the explanation, the IRS is now processing a paper check that should mail out next week. This is WAY more info than I was able to figure out on my own from looking at the transcript. Thank you!!!

lol welcome to tax season hell. same thing happened to me. took a month to get my check in the mail after it went to wrong account. the IRS is like that ex who says they'll call but never does. just wait it out or use claimyr to actually get someone on the phone.

Just FYI - this is EXACTLY why i never do the refund advances. They always seem to cause problems like this. Maybe you'll get lucky and have it workout quickly but you might be looking at a paper check in a few weeks.