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Anastasia Kozlov

Liberty Tax Deep Blue Debit Card Refund Delays - Anyone Received Theirs?

Did anyone file through Liberty Tax & get the Deep Blue debit card? If so, has anyone actually received their refunds yet?! šŸ˜… This is my first time using their service instead of doing it myself and I'm starting to wonder if that was a mistake. Been waiting for what feels like forever... might go back to being my own accountant next year if this is how it's gonna be.

Those third-party debit cards are notorious for delays. According to the Liberty Tax website (just checked), they claim 21 days for processing but that's just the IRS side. The Deep Blue card has an additional processing time that isn't clearly disclosed. IRS.gov shows that direct deposit to your own bank account is still the fastest option by 5-7 days on average compared to prepaid cards. The Liberty Tax arrangement with Meta Bank (who issues the Deep Blue card) creates an extra processing layer.

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Just to add some context - I checked the IRS refund calendar and most people who filed electronically on April 1st are getting direct deposits today, April 12th. But third-party products like these cards often add 3-5 business days. Liberty Tax specifically had system delays reported on March 28th that affected their processing queue.

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Zara Mirza

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I used Liberty last year with their card. Absolute nightmare. Called their customer service 14 times and got nowhere. Finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) to reach an actual IRS agent who confirmed my refund was already sent to Liberty's processing partner five days earlier. The card company was holding it. Once I had proof from the IRS agent, Liberty suddenly "found" my refund and loaded it the next day. Worth the fee to skip their useless hold music.

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NebulaNinja

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I've used the Deep Blue card twice now. Think of it like a funnel with a filter - your money has to pass through extra steps. First the IRS processes your return, then they send it to Liberty, then Liberty routes it to Meta Bank, then Meta Bank loads it to your card. It's like ordering something online that has to go through three different shipping companies before it reaches you. My refund this year took exactly 9 days longer than my wife's, and she just used direct deposit to our regular checking account.

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Luca Russo

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How does that compare to the regular Liberty Tax refund advance? I've heard those come faster but with fees. Did you have any issues accessing your money once it finally showed up on the card?

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Nia Wilson

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OMG dealing w/ same issue rn. Been waiting 4 weeks since acceptance! Finally found taxr.ai online (https://www.taxr.ai) & uploaded my transcript - turns out my refund was sent to Liberty 6 days ago but hasn't been loaded to my card yet! The tool showed exactly which code meant the $ was already sent. Now I know it's not the IRS but Liberty/Deep Blue holding things up. Gonna call them tmrw with this info.

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I'm always wary of these transcript reading tools. How do you know it's accurate? Couldn't you just check your transcript yourself on the IRS website and see the same codes?

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I was skeptical too but it's actually legit. I used it last week and it showed my refund was sent exactly 8 days after filing. The regular IRS transcript just shows code 846 but taxr.ai explained that meant the money was already released and gave me the expected bank posting date. Super impressed with how detailed it was compared to just staring at those codes myself.

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Ethan Clark

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WARNING: Check the fee schedule on that Deep Blue card! They charged me $4.95 for EACH ATM withdrawal last year, plus there's a monthly fee if you don't use it regularly. I thought I was getting my full refund but ended up losing almost $30 to fees before I transferred everything off the card. The "convenience" wasn't worth it. And their customer service is absolutely useless when there are problems.

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AstroAce

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The fee structure is definitely predatory. According to the cardholder agreement (which most people don't read), there's a $5.95 monthly inactivity fee after 90 days, $2.50 for balance inquiries at certain ATMs, and a 3% foreign transaction fee. I calculated that the average Liberty Tax client with the Deep Blue card pays $23.40 in fees on a $3,000 refund if they don't immediately transfer the funds.

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You can avoid most fees by transferring the entire balance to your regular bank account as soon as it hits the card. That's what I did. Just link your bank in the Deep Blue app and do an ACH transfer. Takes about 2-3 business days but saves all those ridiculous fees.

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Carmen Vega

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I got mine yesterday. Filed March 15. Accepted same day. Refund hit Deep Blue card April 11. Exactly 27 days total. No issues with the card. Used it at Target already. ATM withdrawal worked fine too. Just had to pay the fee. Your timeline might be similar. Check your IRS transcript for code 846. That's the release date.

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Could you walk through exactly how you checked your transcript? I've been trying to create an account on IRS.gov but keep getting locked out. Is there a specific time of day when the transcript updates that I should be checking? My filing date was March 18th so I should be on a similar timeline.

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Zoe Stavros

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The Deep Blue card is consistently 5-7 business days slower than direct deposit in my experience. Have you checked your tax transcript on the IRS website? That will tell you if the refund has been issued yet. If it shows code 846, your money has left the IRS and is in Liberty's processing system. What date did you file? What's your current WMR status? Have you received any emails from Liberty about your refund?

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Jamal Harris

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I'm in the same boat waiting on my Deep Blue card to be funded. Filed March 21st and still nothing. WMR shows approved but no deposit. Why do we put ourselves through this every year? The Liberty Tax rep told me "it's still within normal timeframes" but couldn't give me any specific date. Does anyone know if calling the card's customer service is any more helpful than calling Liberty?

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GalaxyGlider

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Next year skip the middleman and just file yourself! šŸ˜‚ I used to go to Liberty but now I just use FreeTaxUSA and have my refund direct deposited to my regular checking account. Saved the $300+ preparation fee AND got my refund a week faster. The software walks you through everything just like a tax preparer would, and you don't have to deal with these prepaid card headaches.

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I feel your pain! I'm in exactly the same situation - filed through Liberty Tax for the first time this year and got the Deep Blue card. It's been 3 weeks since my return was accepted and still nothing. I keep checking the WMR tool but it just says "approved" with no actual deposit date. Starting to think I should have just stuck with my old method of filing myself and getting direct deposit to my regular bank account. The uncertainty is killing me! Has anyone actually gotten through to someone helpful at either Liberty or Deep Blue customer service? Every time I call I get transferred around and told to "wait a few more days.

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Noah Ali

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I completely understand your frustration! I'm actually dealing with the exact same situation right now. Filed through Liberty Tax about 3 weeks ago, got the Deep Blue card, and I'm still waiting too. The "approved" status on WMR without any actual timeline is so stressful! From what I've been reading in this thread, it sounds like the Deep Blue card consistently adds an extra week or so compared to direct deposit because of all the processing layers. I'm definitely going back to filing myself next year - this waiting game isn't worth the convenience. Have you tried checking your IRS transcript to see if there's a code 846? That might at least tell us if the money has left the IRS and is just stuck in Liberty's system.

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PixelPioneer

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I'm dealing with the exact same frustration right now! Filed through Liberty Tax on March 19th with the Deep Blue card and still waiting. WMR shows "approved" but no actual deposit date, which is driving me crazy. I've called Liberty twice and Deep Blue once - all three times I got the runaround and was told "normal processing times are 21-28 days." But from reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the Deep Blue card consistently takes longer than direct deposit because of all the extra processing steps between the IRS, Liberty, and Meta Bank. I'm definitely going back to filing myself next year and using direct deposit to my regular bank account. This uncertainty and delay just isn't worth whatever convenience I thought I was getting. Has anyone had any luck getting a more specific timeline when calling customer service, or do they all just give the same vague "wait longer" response?

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Emma Garcia

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I'm in the exact same boat! Filed March 22nd through Liberty with the Deep Blue card and it's been radio silence since WMR showed "approved" two weeks ago. Called Liberty yesterday and the rep basically read me the same script about 21-28 days, but when I pressed for specifics she admitted they don't actually control the timeline once it goes to Meta Bank. Super frustrating that they market this as a "fast" option when it's clearly slower than just doing direct deposit yourself. I'm definitely learning my lesson here - next year I'm going back to filing online myself and skipping all these middleman fees and delays. At least when you file yourself you know exactly where your money is in the process!

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Fidel Carson

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I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed through Liberty Tax on March 16th and opted for the Deep Blue card thinking it would be faster - what a mistake that was. It's been over 3 weeks and WMR just shows "approved" with no deposit date. I've called both Liberty and Deep Blue customer service multiple times and keep getting the same runaround about "normal processing times." What's really frustrating is that my sister filed her taxes herself the same week and got her direct deposit 10 days ago! After reading all these comments about the extra processing layers and fees, I'm definitely going back to doing my own taxes next year. The $250 I paid Liberty plus all this waiting and uncertainty just isn't worth it. Has anyone found a reliable way to track exactly where your refund is once it leaves the IRS and goes into Liberty's system?

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