Jennifer
TULSA,#2Consumer Comment
Sat, January 23, 2010
I am thoroughly confused with the Turbotax--SBBT Connection. I have been preparing taxes for over 15 years and have used H&R Block, Tax Act, and Turbotax. I use Turbo Tax about 95% of the time and have never seen anything even remotely referring to Santa Barbara Bank.
First of all SBBT is used when consumer's have their taxes done in offices such as Jackson Hewitt, H&R Block, and others; additionally it's only used if the consumer applies for, and accepts an (Instant) Refund Anticipation Loan (IRAL or RAL). The consumer is then charged a fee for the loan; however if the loan isn't approved for whatever reason--usually because of a federal tax debt, ie..student loan, child support, back taxes, etc.--the consumer is then only charged the tax prep fees.
Because Turbo Tax doesn't offer IRAL/RAL's I therefore don't see how SBBT is even in the mix. In fairness, I have only used the Turbo Tax Online free, basic, and Deluxe versions. So if the messages I read on this report used the software version of Turbotax that you purchase, I would STRONGLY recommend using the online version.
I file approximately 55-105 taxes yearly and have never had a client not receive their refund by the date I told them. If their return is filed & accepted by the IRS by Tuesday, and they do direct deposit, they receive their refund the following Friday, period. So if I filed their taxes on Jan 25th or 26th, they would have their refund by February 5th.
Maybe someone needs to investigate what's going on with these other folks. Hope this helps.