WMR Shows Refund Sent 2/17 - Still Nothing in My Bank Account - TurboTax Fee Deduction Issue?

This is a timing issue. Not a problem with your refund. TurboTax uses a third-party bank. They receive your refund first. Then they take their fees. Then they forward the rest to you. This adds 1-5 business days. Check your TurboTax account for status.

Same boat here! Filed with TT and they said "direct deposit" but what they don't tell you is there's this middle-man bank that handles everything first. My WMR showed sent on 3/15 and I didn't see it until 3/21. Nearly had a heart attack thinking it vanished into the ether, lol. Had to pay my car insurance with spare change until it showed up 😂

I understand how stressful waiting for your refund can be, especially when you need it for medical expenses. Here's what's happening: 1. When you choose to have TurboTax fees deducted from your refund, your money goes through a temporary bank account first 2. This adds processing time - typically 3-5 business days after the IRS sends it 3. If it's been more than 5 business days, you should contact TurboTax directly If you need to speak with the IRS to confirm they sent it correctly, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://www.claimyr.com). They can connect you with an IRS agent in minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. I used them when my refund was delayed last month and was able to confirm exactly where my money was in the process.

I had exactly the same issue last year. My refund of $3,742 was sent on February 24th according to WMR, but didn't hit my account until March 3rd - exactly 7 days later. The TurboTax representative I spoke with confirmed they use Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG) as their processing bank, and they hold funds for exactly 5 business days after receiving them from IRS. It's ridiculous we have to wait so long for our own money.

According to IRS Publication 1345 (Handbook for Authorized e-File Providers), when you choose to have tax preparation fees deducted from your refund, your funds must pass through a third-party bank before reaching your account. This creates what's known as a Refund Transfer (RT) or Electronic Refund Deposit (ERD). To check the status of your refund in this intermediate stage, you might find https://taxr.ai helpful. It can analyze your specific refund situation and show you exactly where your money is in the process, including estimated arrival dates based on current processing patterns.

I think most people don't realize that choosing the "take fees from refund" option with tax software companies sort of, maybe creates this whole extra step? It's like the refund has to go to their bank partner first, then they take their cut, then it goes to you. I'm not an expert or anything, but I've seen this happen to quite a few people this tax season. It might be worth checking your TurboTax account for any updates they might have posted there about your refund status.

This situation is like ordering a package that shows "delivered" but isn't at your doorstep yet. Your money is in transit between financial institutions. When you choose to have TurboTax fees taken from your refund, it's like your package making an extra stop at the distribution center before coming to you. I had a similar issue last year and discovered that my bank was actually holding the deposit for 24 hours as a "fraud prevention measure" - even though it was from the IRS! Might be worth calling your bank to see if they're holding it too.

When TurboTax takes fees from your refund, your money actually goes through Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG). I've tracked this process carefully in past years. The timeline usually works like this: Day 1: IRS sends refund to SBTPG Days 2-3: SBTPG processes payment Days 3-5: SBTPG deducts fees and forwards remainder Days 4-7: Your bank processes the deposit Have you checked the SBTPG website to see your refund status there? It might show that they've received it but haven't forwarded it yet.

According to the TurboTax support forums, you can check the status of your refund after the IRS sends it by going to https://taxpayer.sbtpg.com/ - this is the bank TurboTax uses as a middleman when you choose to have fees taken from your refund. I've seen several posts on r/tax confirming this adds 3-7 days to the process. The WMR tool only shows when the IRS sent it, not when you'll actually receive it.

Finally got my refund after dealing w/ this exact same issue! WMR said sent on 3/14, didn't hit my acct until 3/22. Turns out TT uses SBTPG bank and they were holding it. Called them directly (took forever to find the right #) and magically my $ appeared next day. Next yr def paying fees upfront instead of from refund. Such a hassle but at least got my cash eventually!