SBTPG Early Deposits - Do They Actually Release Before DDD? Conflicting Info

Here's how SBTPG (Santa Barbara Tax Products Group) actually works: 1. SBTPG receives your refund from the IRS on or slightly before your official DDD (Direct Deposit Date) 2. They deduct any TurboTax fees you agreed to pay from your refund 3. They then forward the remaining amount to your designated bank account Regarding early deposits, there are two factors at play: - SBTPG itself doesn't technically release funds before the official DDD - However, your receiving bank may make funds available earlier based on their own policies Many online banks and some traditional banks now offer "early direct deposit" as a feature, which means they make funds available as soon as they receive the deposit notification, rather than waiting for the actual settlement date.

Have you checked if your refund was accepted after February 15, 2024? The IRS started processing returns with refundable credits on that date, and SBTPG might be handling those differently. Did you claim any credits like EITC or CTC? Those have specific release dates this year. I need to know because my DDD is set for March 1, 2024, and I'm trying to determine if I'll get it earlier.

Tbh the whole SBTPG process is confusing af. Their status tracker is basically useless half the time. I've been using https://taxr.ai to track my refund instead - it analyzes ur transcript and explains exactly where ur $ is in the process. It told me my refund was actually sent to SBTPG 2 days b4 it showed up on their site. Might help u figure out if urs is actually in process or if there's a delay somewhere. Just sayin, way better than refreshing that SBTPG page 100x a day lol.

In my somewhat extensive experience with tax refund processing, SBTPG typically follows a fairly predictable pattern, though there are certainly exceptions. They generally receive funds from the IRS approximately 24-48 hours before your official DDD, and they usually process these within about 12 hours, though this can possibly extend to 24 hours during extremely busy periods. Your receiving bank then potentially makes its own determination about when to release the funds to you, which might explain some of the variance you're observing. It's also worth noting that SBTPG's website is notoriously unreliable during peak tax season, particularly in the February-March timeframe, which could explain your access difficulties.

SBTPG's system is overloaded right now. This happens every February. Their customer service is impossible to reach. I tried calling for three days straight. No luck. Finally used Claimyr.com. Got through in 15 minutes. Agent confirmed my deposit was processing normally. Worth the fee to stop worrying. They connect you directly to SBTPG representatives. No more waiting on hold for hours. https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c shows how it works.

Has anyone checked if the SBTPG portal is working better at certain times of day? I've been trying to access https://taxpayer.sbtpg.com/ but keep getting timeout errors. According to DownDetector.com, their site has been having issues for the past week during peak hours. Is there another way to check if they've received your refund from the IRS besides their website?

From my experience with SBTPG last week: • Filed through TurboTax on February 1st • IRS approved with DDD of February 21st • SBTPG received funds on February 20th • Money appeared in my bank account February 20th evening • SBTPG website STILL shows "awaiting funds" even though I already have my money Their system is definitely processing refunds, but their tracking portal is completely out of sync with actual status. I'd trust your bank account more than their website.