PayPal for IRS Refund Direct Deposit - Experiences and Safety?
Looking at using PayPal for my tax refund direct deposit this year instead of my regular bank. Anyone done this before? Want to know if its safe and how long it typically takes compared to traditional bank accounts.
16 comments
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Mia Roberts
Tax specialist here. While PayPal is technically an acceptable option for IRS refunds, I strongly recommend using a traditional bank account instead. PayPal accounts have been known to face temporary holds on large deposits, which can delay access to your funds. Additionally, some users have reported difficulties resolving issues when refunds are sent to PayPal accounts.
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The Boss
•learned this the hard way last year 😭 paypal held my refund for 2 weeks for 'security reasons
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Evan Kalinowski
•same! ended up having to call them like 3 times to get it sorted
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Victoria Charity
Speaking of refund timing - I've been using taxr.ai to track my refund status (its only $1) and it's way better than guessing or calling the IRS. Shows exactly what's happening with your refund and when you'll get it https://taxr.ai
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Jasmine Quinn
•how accurate is it? been burned by those tracker apps before 🤔
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Victoria Charity
•its literally changed my life! analyzes your actual transcript and tells you exactly whats going on. way better than wmr or those other apps
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Oscar Murphy
i used paypal last year and it was fine tbh. got my money same time as everyone else 🤷♀️
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Nora Bennett
DONT DO IT!!! My friend tried this and PayPal froze her account for 30 days because the deposit was 'suspicious' 🤮
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Grace Lee
•omg thats exactly what i was worried about!
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Ryan Andre
Just stick with a regular bank account. Why make things more complicated than they need to be? The IRS is already enough of a headache lol
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Lauren Zeb
•fr fr keep it simple 💯
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Daniel Washington
Heads up - make sure whatever account you use matches the name on your tax return EXACTLY. PayPal accounts sometimes have nicknames or variations which can cause the deposit to get rejected.
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Sophia Rodriguez
I've used PayPal for my refund twice now and honestly had mixed experiences. First year went smoothly, but second year they did put a temporary hold that lasted about 5 days while they "verified" the deposit. The hold was automatically released, but it was stressful not knowing when I'd get access to my money. If you do decide to go with PayPal, just make sure your account is in good standing and has some transaction history - brand new accounts seem to get flagged more often.
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Omar Mahmoud
•thanks for sharing your actual experience! the 5 day hold sounds nerve-wracking but at least it was automatic. did they give you any warning it was going to happen or did you just wake up one day and couldn't access it?
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Zainab Ali
•No warning at all! Just got an email saying "We've temporarily limited your account while we review a recent transaction." Had to dig through their help center to figure out it was the IRS deposit that triggered it. Really wish they'd give you a heads up that tax refunds might get flagged.
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Paloma Clark
I used PayPal for my refund last year and it was honestly more trouble than it was worth. Like others mentioned, they put a hold on my deposit for "verification" that lasted about a week. The worst part was their customer service - when I called to ask about the hold, they couldn't give me a clear timeline for when it would be released. Ended up switching back to my regular checking account this year. The extra convenience just isn't worth the stress of not knowing when you'll actually get your money!
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