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SBTPG refund status shows "Funded" with cashier's check issued March 15th - No amount showing in "paid to you" field. How long for paper check to arrive?

So my bank account closed right before my tax refund was supposed to be deposited. The IRS ended up rerouting it to a paper check which happened pretty quick - it was mailed out on March 15th according to my SBTPG refund portal. I just checked the taxpayer.sbtpg.com website at 8:36 and I can see my "Refund overview" shows the status as "Funded" and "Disbursement method: Cashier's Check". The portal shows my "Expected federal refund amount:" but strangely there's nothing showing in the "Amount(s) paid to you:" field which is making me nervous. I know the check has been issued since the status says "Funded" but I'm confused why the amount paid to me isn't showing anything. Does this mean the check hasn't actually been sent yet? Or is this just how the SBTPG portal displays things when they've issued a paper check instead of direct deposit? Anyone know how long it typically takes for these SBTPG paper checks to arrive in the mail after the "Funded" status appears? Getting a bit anxious since I really need that money. I've been checking my mailbox every day and I'm starting to worry the check might have gotten lost. Should I contact SBTPG or is this normal processing time?

Steven Adams

From my experience working with tax matters, when the IRS issues a paper check due to closed bank accounts, it typically takes 7-10 business days to arrive through USPS. However, this can vary based on your location and any USPS delays in your area. The fact that your SBTPG portal shows 'Funded' status is good news - it means the check has been issued and is in the mail system. Since it was mailed March 15th, you should expect it by the end of next week, assuming no postal delays. One thing to note: SBTPG is Santa Barbara Tax Products Group, which handles refund transfers for many tax preparation companies. They're showing it as a 'Cashier's Check' which confirms it's been processed correctly. Keep checking your mail carefully, and if it doesn't arrive by around March 29th, you may want to contact the IRS directly to inquire about the status.

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Grace Durand

Thanks for this detailed info! I'm just nervous because I've never gotten a paper check from them before. Do they come in a specific type of envelope I should look out for?

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22d

Steven Adams

Yes, it comes in a plain envelope from the Treasury Department. It's not overly distinctive, so check all your mail carefully. It won't say 'IRS REFUND CHECK INSIDE' for obvious security reasons.

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20d

Alice Fleming

Sometimes they come in those windowed envelopes too. I got mine that way last year when my account info was wrong. took about 2 weeks after the mail date.

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Hassan Khoury

Make sure to also check with anyone who might collect your mail! My refund check went to my old apartment building and almost got returned to sender.

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18d

Victoria Stark

I was in a similar situation last year and getting accurate information about my refund was a nightmare until I found taxr.ai. The tool helped me understand exactly what was happening with my refund by analyzing the transcript data and explaining all those confusing codes. It showed me exactly when my check was issued and what to expect next. Way better than trying to decipher all the IRS jargon yourself. I highly recommend checking it out at https://taxr.ai rather than stressing like I did!

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Benjamin Kim

Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?

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22d

Victoria Stark

It basically translates all the IRS codes and dates into plain english! You upload your transcript and it tells you exactly what's happening with your refund, when to expect it, and if there are any issues. It caught a potential delay on mine that would have taken me weeks to figure out. Honestly changed my whole tax season experience - no more guessing games with the IRS!

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19d

Samantha Howard

Does it store your information? Sounds sketchy tbh

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Victoria Stark

Nah I had the same concern but they explain everything on their site. They don't keep your data and it's actually cheaper than what I paid my tax guy just to look at my transcript. Saved me hours of stress trying to figure out what was happening with my refund!

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18d

Megan D'Acosta

When my bank account closed mid-tax season, I was panicking about how to reach IRS about my refund. After days of trying to call, I found this calling app called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under an hour! They confirmed my check was in the mail and even gave me an exact delivery estimate. Best money I've ever spent considering I was about to lose my mind waiting on hold forever. Talking to an agent directly gave me so much peace of mind.

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Sarah Ali

How does this even work? IRS lines are always jammed

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Megan D'Acosta

It basically calls for you and navigates all the phone menus, then calls you back when it gets a human agent on the line. Saved me like 3 hours of hold music. The agent I got was super helpful too about my paper check timeline.

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Ryan Vasquez

this sounds to good to be true ngl

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Megan D'Acosta

I thought the same thing but was desperate. It actually worked tho! Got a real person who confirmed when my check was mailed and explained why it happened. Way better than guessing when it would arrive.

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Avery Saint

Did it actually help speed up getting your refund or just gave you info?

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Megan D'Acosta

Mostly gave me actual accurate info instead of guessing, but the agent was able to verify that my address was correct in their system which was huge peace of mind. Worth every penny to know exactly what was happening instead of checking my empty mailbox everyday lol

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Taylor Chen

I had this exact thing happen in October last year. Took exactly 14 days from the mail date to get to my mailbox. The IRS is surprisingly efficient with mailing checks compared to everything else they do lol 😂

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Keith Davidson

Check the Where's My Refund tool on the IRS site. That sometimes gives more accurate status than the SBTPG portal. You can also create an ID.me account and check your full transcript which might have more details.

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Grace Durand

I tried WMR but it just says refund approved and to allow 21 days. Doesn't even mention it's a paper check now. So confusing!

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Keith Davidson

Yeh the WMR tool is super basic. If you can create an account on IRS.gov, your actual transcript will show a code 840 for the refund issued date. That would confirm when it really went out.

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18d

Ezra Bates

U should call the IRS. paper checks can get lost in the mail and if it doesn't show up within a month they can put a trace on it. but u have to wait at least 4 weeks from mail date before they'll do that.

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Ana Erdoğan

Good luck getting through to them! Last time I called I was on hold for 2 hours and then got disconnected 🤡

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Sophia Carson

Try calling exactly when they open in the morning. I got through after only 20 min wait that way.

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Elijah Knight

The USPS is insanely slow right now in some areas. My check took 3 weeks to arrive last year even though I'm only about 100 miles from the processing center. Just prepare yourself for a wait. Paper checks are the worst.

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Brooklyn Foley

Question - is SBTPG showing this or the actual IRS? Because there's a difference. SBTPG is a third party processor that many tax preparers use. If it's showing in SBTPG, that means THEY issued the check, not the IRS directly. Different timelines.

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Grace Durand

It's definitely showing in SBTPG portal. I filed with TurboTax if that helps?

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18d

Brooklyn Foley

That explains it. So SBTPG is TurboTax's bank partner. When your bank rejected the deposit, it went back to SBTPG, not the IRS. So SBTPG is sending you the check. Their timeline is usually faster than IRS - typically 5-7 business days.

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Grace Durand

Ohhh that makes way more sense! I was confused why it seemed to happen so quickly. Thank you!

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Jay Lincoln

Mine took 12 days last year. This whole system is infuriating. WHY CANT THEY JUST ASK FOR UPDATED BANKING INFO UGHHHHH

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Jessica Suarez

You should update your address with the IRS imediately if you've moved recently! Use form 8822. I learned this the hard way when they sent my refund check to my old address 😭

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Grace Durand

Thankfully my address is current! That's one less thing to worry about at least.

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Marcus Williams

Look into whether SBTPG has a phone number you can call. Since they're the ones handling the check, they might have more specific tracking info that isn't showing on their portal.

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Lily Young

Had this issue in 2023. Was supposed to be direct deposit but my account had closed. The check took about 10 days to arrive. Make sure you're checking informed delivery on the USPS website every day if you have that set up!

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Kennedy Morrison

If you used a tax preparer like TurboTax or H&R Block, make sure fees weren't taken out before they sent the check. Sometimes they deduct their fees from the refund amount when this happens.

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Grace Durand

Good point! I did pay for TurboTax with my refund so I'm expecting it to be less. Just hope they didn't add any extra fees because of this situation.

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18d

Wesley Hallow

The IRS and their dinosaur systems drive me INSANE. In 2023 they still can't figure out a better solution than mailing paper checks when there's a bank issue? 🤦‍♂️ The fact we can't just log in and update bank info is ridiculous.

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Justin Chang

FOR REAL! I work in tech and the IRS systems are literally from the stone age. Other countries have this figured out but we're still using tech from the 1980s 🤣

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Grace Thomas

They actually still use COBOL programming language for their main systems. My dad was a programmer and said they can't find people who even know how to maintain that ancient code anymore!

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Hunter Brighton

I had to use taxr.ai during this tax season when dealing with a similar nightmare situation. My direct deposit got rejected and I couldn't make sense of what was happening. The tool showed me exactly where my refund was in the process and what the next steps would be. Saved me hours of research and anxiety. You can check it out at https://taxr.ai and it's so much easier than trying to decode the IRS website.

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Dylan Baskin

How much does something like this cost? Seems like it would be expensive

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18d

Hunter Brighton

Actually way cheaper than I expected considering the headache it saved me. Think about how many hours you spend trying to figure this stuff out yourself or what you'd pay an accountant just to look at your transcript. Worth every penny for the peace of mind alone!

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Lauren Wood

PSA: If you don't receive your check within 4 weeks of the mail date, you can request a payment trace through the IRS. Don't wait too long if it doesn't show up!

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Ellie Lopez

When my bank account got closed mid tax season, I had to wait 3 weeks for my paper check. So frustrating! But it did eventually come. Just keep an eye on informed delivery if you use that.

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