TurboTax Refund Advance Issue - SBTG Account Not Found & SoFi DD Questions

What you're experiencing is related to TurboTax's Refund Processing System migration. Previously, TurboTax utilized Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTG) as their Refund Transfer (RT) processor, but they've transitioned to a different Financial Institution Processor (FIP) for the 2024 filing season. This explains why your SBTG lookup is returning no results. The system architecture now routes your refund through their new banking partner, which operates on a different verification protocol. Despite the advance fee refund, your deposit will still process through their intermediary bank before transferring to SoFi. The March 24th date represents the estimated Treasury disbursement date, not necessarily when funds will appear in your SoFi account.

I'm in the same boat as you! Paid that $25 "speed up my money" fee (which I now realize was probably not worth it 😂). Got the same notification about the refund for the fee. I'm using SoFi too, and my refund hit yesterday - exactly on the date TT predicted, not early. The funny thing is, I never could access the SBTG site either. The money just appeared in my SoFi account with no issues. Their notification system is pretty good - got a push alert the moment it landed. Guess TT is having some growing pains with whatever new system they're using!

I went through this exact situation last week. Here's what happened: TurboTax switched from SBTG to MetaBank this year for processing refunds. When they can't expedite, they still process through MetaBank but without the advance. Your deposit date of the 24th is accurate. My SoFi deposit arrived exactly on the date TurboTax specified. No delays. The SBTG site won't work because they're not handling TurboTax refunds anymore - that's why you can't find your account. Don't worry about it - just watch your SoFi account on the 24th.

OMG this whole refund process is way more complicated than it needs to be! Had the EXACT same issue w/ TT and couldn't figure out why SBTG site wasn't working. Tried calling the IRS to confirm everything was ok but kept getting the "high call volume" message and disconnected. Finally used this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in like 20 mins. Agent confirmed everything was fine and that TT just switched their banking partner. Refund showed up right on time. Might be worth the call just for peace of mind if you're worried about where your $$ is!

I'd be careful with expecting exact dates. My situation with TurboTax was similar to yours, but compared to my experience with H&R Block last year, the TurboTax process has been less transparent. I also got the $25 refund notification, but my deposit ended up being delayed 3 days beyond the promised date. SoFi wasn't the issue - when I called, they confirmed they release funds same-day when received. The delay was between the IRS and TurboTax's new banking partner. Just sharing so you don't panic if it doesn't show exactly on the 24th - the money is coming, but the system isn't as precise as they make it sound.

Based on my experience working with tax software integration, what's happening is normal for this tax season. TurboTax terminated their relationship with SBTG and now uses a different financial partner. In previous years, I observed that SBTG's portal would show pending deposits about 48 hours before arrival. The new system doesn't offer the same visibility. For SoFi specifically, I've noticed they tend to post government deposits slightly faster than traditional banks - sometimes even a day early. I'd recommend setting up SoFi alerts so you know immediately when it arrives, but otherwise, there's no cause for concern with your scenario.

According to the TurboTax support forum (https://ttlc.intuit.com/), they've officially switched from SBTG to MetaBank for the 2024 tax season. Many users are reporting the same issue you're experiencing. The IRS Where's My Refund tool (https://www.irs.gov/refunds) should still show accurate information about your federal refund status regardless of which bank TurboTax is using as an intermediary. SoFi has a good reputation for processing government deposits quickly - their banking backend is actually operated by The Bancorp Bank, which handles millions of direct deposits daily. Just make sure your SoFi account number and routing number were entered correctly in your tax return.

I had this same issue and learned some things you should watch out for: • TurboTax switched from SBTG to MetaBank this year • The SBTG website won't work for 2024 TurboTax customers • The $25 fee refund is automatic but takes 5-7 business days • SoFi sometimes posts government deposits a day early • If you don't see it by March 25th, check that your account number is correct • TurboTax customer service wait times are 60+ minutes right now My refund eventually came through fine, but it was stressful not being able to track it through the process like previous years. Hopefully TurboTax improves this for next year!