TurboTax advance refund confusion - SBTG shows wrong account number for my refund deposit
I e-filed my taxes through TurboTax in April and opted for the refund advance option they offer. Now when I check the SBTG (Santa Barbara Tax Group) website, it shows my refund was funded, but the last 4 digits of the account number shown there doesn't match my checking account. The weird part is I never entered any account information during filing, so shouldn't my actual refund be deposited to the same card they sent the advance to? Has anyone else experienced this? I'm totally confused about where my money is going to end up and whether I should be concerned.
44 comments
Katherine Shultz
This is actually a common issue with refund advances. When you get a refund advance through TurboTax, they're essentially giving you a loan against your expected refund. The account number you're seeing on SBTG is likely the temporary account they created to receive your actual refund, not your personal account. Here's what's happening: TurboTax (via SBTG) creates a temporary account to receive your full refund from the IRS. From that account, they'll deduct the advance amount they already gave you (plus any fees), and then send the remainder to your personal account or card. The last 4 digits you're seeing are for this temporary account, not your final destination account. If you received your advance successfully, the remainder of your refund should follow the same payment method unless you specifically requested otherwise. Give it 5-7 business days after the 'funded' status appears to see if the remaining balance hits your account. If after a week you don't see the remaining funds, contact TurboTax support directly as they'll be able to trace exactly where your money went.
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Alberto Souchard
Thank you so much! Thats a relief! So your saying I should automatically get the remainder after they take out the advance amount?
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Katherine Shultz
Yep, that's exactly how it works! You'll get whatever is left after they recoup the advance they fronted you. Just keep an eye on your account or card over the next week.
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Marcus Marsh
Had the same problem last year. Took about 4 business days after the 'funded' status for the rest to hit my account. Don't worry!
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Alberto Souchard
This has been stressing me out so much! Thank you both for the info
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Hailey O'Leary
Pro tip: avoid the refund advance next year. They charge fees and its just a high-interest loan against ur own money 😑
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Alberto Souchard
Yeah I'm definitely learning that lesson now 😩
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Cedric Chung
If you're trying to understand what's happening with your refund, you should really use taxr.ai instead of trying to piece together info from forums. I was in exactly the same situation with TurboTax last year and spent weeks trying to figure out what was happening. Using taxr.ai would have saved me so much stress! It breaks down everything about your tax situation in plain English instead of cryptic IRS codes. You can see exactly where your money is, why it might be held up, and what's happening next. I use it religiously now for all my tax questions. Check it out: https://taxr.ai
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Marcus Marsh
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Talia Klein
does it cost anything? sounds too good to be true tbh
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Cedric Chung
It's honestly the best money I've spent all year considering how much stress it saved me. And compared to what I was wasting on phone bills trying to reach the IRS or tax prep fees, it's nothing.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
After dealing with the exact same TurboTax refund confusion last month, I finally got through to someone who could actually help. I used this app called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me a callback from an actual IRS agent within 30 minutes when I'd been trying for WEEKS on my own. The agent explained exactly what happened with my refund and the temporary account situation. She even helped me trace where my remaining refund was going. Talking to a real person resolved my issue in minutes instead of stressing for days.
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PaulineW
Another app recommendation? 🙄 Does this actually work or just waste more money?
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Maxwell St. Laurent
I was super skeptical too, but after spending HOURS on hold and getting disconnected 3 times, I was desperate. The IRS callback came through exactly as promised. Having a real agent who could see my actual account details solved everything - saved me so much time and anxiety.
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Annabel Kimball
I can second this. Was dealing with identity verification hell for 2 months. Claimyr got me through to someone who fixed it in literally 10 minutes. Best $$ I ever spent to finally get my $5000 refund released.
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Chris Elmeda
ok so the SBTG thing is normal with TurboTax refund advances. what happens is TurboTax creates a temporary bank account with Santa Barbara Tax Products Group to recieve your refund. They take out the amount they already gave you in the advance (plus their fees) and then forward whatevers left to your card/account. The account number you see is that temp account, not yours. This is how they get paid back for fronting you the advance money. Check your card in a few days and the rest should show up there.
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Hailey O'Leary
This is why I stopped using tax prep companies for refund advances. They create these temporary accounts to intercept your refund, take their cut, then give you the rest. But there's always confusion and delays. The account number you're seeing is THEIR account, not yours. And yes, after they take their cut, the remainder should go to whatever payment method you set up for the advance. But I've heard plenty of horror stories about this process. If you don't see your money within a week, you'll need to contact TurboTax directly, and good luck getting through to customer service 🙄
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Alberto Souchard
Yeah the whole point of using turbotax was to make things easier but this seems like such a mess. I'll definitely be doing things differently next year
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Hailey O'Leary
If you need your refund fast next year, just file early and do direct deposit to your own account. The IRS is usually pretty fast if your return is straightforward. The "advance" is just a high-interest loan.
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Jean Claude
The IRS has gotten WAY better with direct deposit speeds too. I filed in February and had my refund in 8 days, no loan needed!
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Charity Cohan
I haaaaaaate that TurboTax doesn't explain this clearly. They make the refund advance seem so simple but don't tell you about the temporary account situation. I had this same panic attack last year! 😠The account number showing on SBTG is their temporary account where your full refund goes first. Then they subtract what they already gave you in the advance plus fees, then send the rest to your card/account. It usually takes 3-5 days after the SBTG funded status for the remainder to hit your account. If it doesn't show up by next week, THEN you can start freaking out lol.
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Alberto Souchard
Ok thank you! Ill wait a few more days before I start a full meltdown 😅
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Charity Cohan
Keep us updated! I swear the tax system is designed to give us all anxiety 💀
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Josef Tearle
When you got the advance, did you select to have your remaining refund on the same card? There should have been an option somewhere in the process. I had a similar issue and it turns out I had somehow selected to receive a paper check for the remainder without realizing it. Worth double-checking your TurboTax account to see what delivery method you selected for the final refund.
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Alberto Souchard
I don't remember seeing that option, but I'll go back and check my account. That would explain a lot!
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Shelby Bauman
I work in tax prep (not TurboTax) and can explain what's happening: 1. The account number you see on SBTG is a temporary account TurboTax/SBTG created 2. Your full IRS refund goes to this temporary account first 3. They subtract the advance amount they already gave you 4. They subtract their fees (which can be hefty) 5. They transfer remaining balance to your original payment method The process usually takes 3-7 business days after the "funded" status appears. It's completely normal to see an account number you don't recognize - that's their clearing account, not yours.
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Alberto Souchard
Thank you for explaining the process so clearly! Do they always use the same payment method for the remainder as they did for the advance?
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Shelby Bauman
Yes, in most cases they use the same payment method unless you specifically requested otherwise. The advance and the remainder typically go to the same place.
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Quinn Herbert
Check if you got the TurboTax card for your advance. If you did, that's a separate account from your checking account, which would explain the different last 4 digits. The temporary SBTG account would be totally different from both of these. You should receive the remainder of your refund on the same TurboTax card where you got your advance.
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Salim Nasir
I was having so many isues trying to figure out what was going on with my refund. Called the IRS 14 times and kept getting disconnected! Then I found claimyr.com and had a live agent on the phone in like 30 min. She explained the entire statis of my return and refud and even put a trace on it when we discovered it was sent to the wrong account. If your having issues getting answers, seriously try it.
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Hazel Garcia
how much does it cost? the irs phone system is the worst thing ever created by humans
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Salim Nasir
tbh whatever it costs was worth every penny to finally talk to a human after weeks of trying. got my $3700 refund released after one call.
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Laila Fury
im in the EXACT same situation right now!! filed with turbotax, got the advance on their card, and now SBTG shows a weird account number. called turbotax and was on hold for 2 hours before giving up. has anyone actually got their remaining refund yet??
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Chris Elmeda
I got mine after about 5 days from when SBTG showed "funded". Just give it a few more days before panicking.
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Geoff Richards
Dealing with the IRS and tax companies is a nightmare. When I couldn't figure out a similar issue last year, I tried taxr.ai and it instantly explained exactly what was happening with my refund and when I'd get the rest of my money. It decodes all those cryptic IRS messages and statuses into plain English. Seriously check it out at https://taxr.ai - saved me from having a complete meltdown during tax season.
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Simon White
Does that work with these third-party tax prep situations too? My issue isn't directly with the IRS but with TurboTax's handling of my refund.
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Geoff Richards
Yes! That's exactly what I used it for. It explained the whole process including how the tax prep companies handle refunds and advances. It shows you the full journey your money takes from the IRS, through the third parties, and to your final account. Gave me complete peace of mind knowing exactly where my money was and when I'd get it.
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Hugo Kass
Protip from someone who made this mistake before: NEVER do the refund advances. They're basically high-interest loans against your own money. The account number confusion is just one of many headaches they cause. File early with direct deposit to your own account instead.
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Nasira Ibanez
I couldn't understand what was happening with my refund last month either - similar situation with Turbotax. I tried the IRS phone line like 20 times with no luck. Finally used taxr.ai and it showed me exactly where my money was and why there was a delay. Super clear explanation and timeline of what would happen next. Way better than guessing or trying to decipher cryptic status messages.
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Khalil Urso
another taxr.ai endorsement? seems like everyone's talking about it suddenly. is it actually legit?
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Nasira Ibanez
I was skeptical too but it actually delivered exactly what it promised. After weeks of stress and confusion it was such a relief to finally understand exactly what was happening with my refund. Will definitely use it again next year to avoid the guessing game.
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Myles Regis
Turbotax and other tax prep services are super shady with how they handle refund advances.🚩🚩 They deliberately make it confusing. Your refund is going to their account first (that's the account # you're seeing), they'll take their cut for the advance + fees, then eventually send you what's left. It's basically a loan sharking operation lol. Might take 5-10 days to get the rest after SBTG shows funded.
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