Varo users with Direct Deposit Date 3/17 - has anyone received their refund without fees deducted?

IRS transcript and Where's My Refund tool processing dates can be confusing. For a 3/17 direct deposit date, many banks won't release the funds until that exact date, even if they receive the transaction earlier. Some online banks like Varo, Chime, and Current sometimes release funds early, but it's not guaranteed. The good news is that if you didn't opt for any refund advance or have fees deducted from your refund, no fees should come out. When you chose to pay TurboTax fees upfront or used the free version, the full amount goes directly to you. Check your TurboTax account to confirm your selected payment method for their service. If you paid upfront (via credit card), then your full refund should arrive intact. If you selected to pay TurboTax from your refund, they take their fee before sending the remainder to your bank. For 3/17 direct deposit dates, most people should see their refunds by the end of that business day. If you don't receive it by 3/18, I'd recommend calling the IRS refund hotline or checking your transcript for any updates.

I was in the EXACT same situation a month ago - couldn't figure out what was happening with my refund and WMR wasn't telling me anything useful. Tired of stressing over it, I used this tool called taxr.ai that explained my entire transcript and refund situation in plain English. It showed me exactly when the money would hit my account and confirmed no fees were being taken out. Turns out there was just a processing delay on my bank's end. Saved me from calling the IRS and waiting on hold for hours. Seriously, worth checking out: https://taxr.ai

After 3 weeks of checking WMR obsessively and getting nowhere, I finally managed to talk to an actual human at the IRS who fixed my issue in 10 minutes. Used Claimyr.com to get through to an agent instead of waiting on hold forever. Got a callback and an agent resolved everything - turns out there was a small error code on my account they needed to clear. My refund hit my Varo account within 48 hours with no fees taken out. Talking to a real person was the only thing that worked after weeks of stress - it was the best money I've ever spent to finally get my questions answered.

I use Varo and had a DDD of 3/15. Got my deposit early this morning with no fees taken out. I also filed through TurboTax (paid with credit card not from refund). Hang in there, yours is probably just about to hit!

The IRS is a damn mess this year. My DDD was 2/28 with Varo and still nothing. Called IRS yesterday and they said it was sent but now I have to do a payment trace which takes 6 MORE WEEKS. Apparently happens a lot when the banking info isn't exact. Check your transcript to make sure it actually shows as REFUND ISSUED and not just scheduled.

I bank w/ Varo and had a 3/17 date too. Mine hit yesterday afternoon (3/15) with the full amount. If you paid TurboTax directly and didn't use their refund transfer option, you should get the full amount. The system is showing deposits for 3/17 DDDs starting to go out now.

Word of advise people - if your worried about your refund, STOP using tax filing services that take fees from your refund!!! Just pay upfront or use one of the free options. That way the money goes directly from IRS to your bank with no middleman. these tax prep companies use temporary accounts when you let them take fees from refund and it just adds an extra step where things can go wrong.

Have you checked your tax transcript??? That will tell you if the refund has actually been sent. WMR isn't always accurate but transcript will show exact date IRS sent it. Login to your IRS account at irs.gov and look at your account transcript for 2023.

Not Varo but I use Chime and had DDD of 3/16. Got mine yesterday (3/14) with no fees taken out. But I didn't use TurboTax - used H&R Block and paid fees with credit card.

The whole "fees taken out" thing only applies if you chose to have your filing fees taken from your refund (refund transfer). Did you pay for TurboTax with a credit card or did you choose to have the fees taken from your refund? That makes all the difference.

I've noticed Varo has been slower with tax refunds this year compared to previous years. I had a DDD of 3/10 and it didn't hit until 3/10 at 3pm. Previous years they were always 2 days early. Seems like they changed their policy maybe?? Just wait until your actual DDD before worrying.

ProTip: Next time use taxr.ai to monitor your refund status. I was going crazy checking WMR every day but taxr showed me exactly where my refund was in the process and explained all those cryptic transcript codes. It even predicted exactly when my refund would hit my account down to the day. https://taxr.ai saved my sanity this tax season!

I spent 3 hours on hold with IRS yesterday trying to figure out why my direct deposit was delayed. was just about to hang up when I remembered claimyr.com from another thread here. Got a call back with an agent in 45 mins! Found out my refund had a small error that needed clearing. Got it fixed and my deposit hit this morning! talking to an agent got my refund released so fast.

LPT: If you really need your refund fast and reliable, just select the paper check option. SIKE! That's even worse 😂