TPG Products SBTPG LLC and Tax Refunds
TPG Products SBTPG LLC refers to Santa Barbara Tax Products Group which offers B2B pay-by-refund services for tax preparation providers. Many taxpayers, whether individuals or small enterprises rely on tax filing software. The tax software simplifies and expedites tax return filing for Federal and State taxes. TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxSlayer, and other similar tax software and services make filing taxes straightforward. However, some tax software and tax preparation services interface with other service providers to deliver additional business services. TPG Products SBTPG LLC, for example, is a corporation that offers taxpayer services to tax software and preparation providers. Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG) offers business-to-business services to companies like TurboTax and TaxSlayer. For example, refund transfers and auto collections to collect payments from clients who choose to “pay-by-refund”.
On the one hand, this collaboration can benefit the clients who are tax preparers and providers of tax software. However, this alliance can occasionally cause problems for the ultimate taxpayers. Problems can occur when taxpayers do not thoroughly read the terms and conditions. Or, they may not grasp the impact when they check a simple option labeled “pay-by-refund”. For example, a common complaint from TurboTax and TaxSlayer consumers is that their return deposit is less than what it should be.
What Is TPG Products SBTPG LLC?
TPG Products SBTPG LLC is a business that was established in 1991. SBTPG is an abbreviation for Santa Barbara Tax Products Group. They provide tax-related financial products and services to their tax preparation and tax software clients. The organization touts itself as a customer-friendly service provider with reasonable rates. It is a business-to-business service provider. The majority of its financial solutions are aimed at tax preparation franchisees, independent tax practitioners, and online tax preparation service providers.
The headquarters of SBTPG is in San Diego, California. The company became a Green Dot Company in 2014. Green Dot Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary bank of Green Dot Bank. The headquarters for Green Dot Corporation is in Austin, Texas. Green Dot Bank, on the other hand, is based in Prov, Utah. The company offers a variety of products and services, as well as assistance to taxpayers and tax service providers.
Founded in 1991, Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) became a Green Dot company in 2014. TPG serves consumers nationwide with tax-related financial products and services that provide value, are fairly priced, and satisfy consumer needs. TPG offers tax-related financial products through a network of tax preparation franchises, independent tax professionals, and online tax preparation providers. TPG is located in San Diego, California. (Source: sbtpg.com/about-us)
What Is Pay-By-Refund?
Pay-By-Refund is a service provided by Santa Barbara Tax Products Group. The service benefits tax professionals and tax service providers by allowing them to give alternative payment options to their clients. The pay by refund option allows taxpayers to simply pay for tax preparation services after the IRS issues a refund of their tax. When customers use the option, they do not have to pay any up-front fees for tax preparation.
Once the IRS processes a participating taxpayer’s return, the refund is remitted directly to SBTPG. Then, SBTPG deducts the tax service provider’s processing and tax preparation fees – as well as a service fee – before issuing the refund to the client. However, many taxpayers are perplexed by the amounts deducted and what they ultimately receive. Here’s how the pay-by-refund option works according to the SBTPG website:
Step 1: You Choose Pay-By-Refund Option With Your Tax Preparation Service Provider
This option is available if you use a tax professional or online tax preparation service that collaborates with SBTPG. When you select this option, you acknowledge that your total refund amount will be altered to account for the tax preparation cost and a service fee.
Step 2: Tax Return Filing
The next step is to file your tax return in the manner suggested by your tax expert or service provider. SBTPG banking information will be included on your IRS federal tax form. The information about SBTPG identifies the firm as the refund recipient. In other words, you agree that SBTPG should receive your entire refund directly – not you.
Step 3: Refund Processing
The entire refund amount is transferred to SBTPG after it has been processed by the IRS or the state. The tax preparation charge will be deducted and transferred to your tax service provider. Supposedly, the remaining refund is to be transferred to you via the payment method you chose when selecting the pay-by-refund option. For example, direct deposit, GO2bank debit card, or cashier’s check. However, a service fee is also deducted by SBTPG for its collaboration.
TPG Products Sbtpg LLC”
TurboTax Community Feb 2022 – My refund is $59 less, not including the $117 I was charged by TurboTax. And comes from “TPG PRODUCTS SBTPG LLC”. Is TPG PRODUCTS SBTPG LLC affiliated with TurboTax? And was I charged an additional fee? I do not believe I was informed about this additional charge. Can I apply for a refund for that charge? (Source: ttlc.intuit.com/community)
Reddit March 2022 – I have that today, but the figure is $100 less than I expected from IRS (I could’ve screwed up a bit). I also have only seen fed tax refunds get deposited as IRS or something. Hmm. There was a page in TurboTax about Green Dot authorization for refunds (which is apparently under SBTPG). Gotta be a Federal tax refund. (Source: reddit.com)
Reddit March 2022 – Mine is $40 less than I expected. I thought it was $80 short, but I remembered I paid $39 for Turbo Tax Plus, yet I still didn’t receive what I was supposed to. (Source: reddit.com)
Why Do TurboTax Users Receive Smaller Refunds?
Many customers complain about not receiving an expected refund amount when using the Pay-By-Refund option. This option is offered in collaboration with TPG Products Group SBTPG LLC.
You need to read the fine print on the TurboTax checkout page. When you agree to the pay-by-refund option, there is a refund processing fee charged by TPG Products Group SBTPG LLC. This processing fee is also deducted from your refund amount. So the total amount deducted from the tax refund would be the tax fee for TurboTax AND the refund processing fee charged by SBTPC (which is $39 bucks).
Samples of Grievances About SBTPG to ComplaintsBoard.com
TPG Products SBTPG LLC [SBTPG] – Keeping tax refund money (June 2022).
This company is an intermediary company whose bank receives the funds from the IRS when one chooses to pay TurboTax, Tax slayer, and other tax companies, product fees out of the Federal refund. I used tax slayer to file my 2020 tax return, and that’s why I ended up dealing with them. On 5/4/22 they received my 2020 tax return. Tax slayer said Santa Barbara Tax Products are supposed to take out their fees and then pay me. I have sent a message through their website, called the number provided by tax slayer-it hangs up on me, and I have emailed them through several business emails I have found searching the web, plus I messaged them on Facebook, but not one single response! (Source: complaintsBoard.com)
TPG Products SBTPG LLC [SBTPG] – My income tax refund was kept by this company (June 2022)
I filed my income tax for 2021 electronically and when it ask for the payment it had an option to take it out of your refund. I choose that option, Big Mistake this bank Santa Barbra bank & trust received my refund on 04/20/22 all the direct deposit info on my tax return is correct. This bank has had my refund since 04/20/22 and has not deposited my refund after their fees were to be deducted. Instead, they have kept my entire refund without any notice. (Source: complaintsBoard.com)
How do I contact TPG Products Sbtpg LLC?
You can contact SBTPG (also known as Civista Bank) by calling 877-908-7228. Be advised, that many unhappy users complain about being on hold for 2-hours or more. There are also multiple complaints about receiving conflicting information each time they call in. ComplaintsBoard.com reports 196 complaints filed with only 5 resolved at the time of this posting.
Who is Santa Barbara Tax Products Group?
Santa Barbara Tax Products Group is used to process tax refunds when taxpayers elect to have their tax preparation fees deducted from their refund. Therefore, your review page is showing a Direct Deposit to them. According to the SBTPG website, once they process your refund and deduct their fees, the remainder will be deposited into the account you provided.
Where can I see the information SBTPG has?
Once the IRS releases your refund, you should be able to find information about your refund on the SBTPG website. If the IRS sends a check directly to the taxpayer instead, SBTPG will not have any information about the refund.
IRS Warns of Tax Refund Scams
The IRS is warning taxpayers about a scam in which hackers steal data from tax professionals. Then, they use it to file bogus returns. The cybercriminals advise the IRS to deposit the refund into the victims’ accounts using stolen bank account information. Next, the scammers call people posing as collection agencies or the IRS. They claim that the refund was deposited in error and demand that the money is returned. Ultimately, they threaten to arrest, SSN suspension, and other punitive fines.
The IRS is requesting that taxpayers should be suspicious if they receive unexpected tax refunds by direct deposit. They should contact the ACH department of the bank or credit union where the refund was received. If the refund is suspect, they should request that the bank return the refund to the IRS. In addition, the taxpayer should contact the IRS at 800-829-1040 to explain why the direct deposit was returned.
Up Next: What Is IRS Tax Topic 203?
A refund adjustment is referenced as Tax Topic 203 on your IRS Transcript. Once notified, past due debt can legally be withheld and garnished from your IRS tax refund check. One of the primary reasons that the IRS will offset a refund is in response to the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). The Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) manages this program and collects past-due (delinquent) bills owed to state and federal agencies. The program collects a wide range of late payment types. This includes past-due tax bills, child support payments, unpaid unemployment benefits, and student loan loans.
Past due debt can legally be adjusted or garnished from your IRS tax refund check after a typical notification period of 60-120 days. In some situations, these debts might be offset against social security benefits. This refund garnishment is referenced as Tax Topic 203 on your IRS Transcript through the IRS refund information portal. Also, the portal will provide the adjusted refund payment and date, assuming there are no other offsets (for example, IRS tax code 570). The sums reflected against your refund will appear on your tax transcript. Generally, you can find this when you access the IRS WMR (Where’s My Refund) webpage. It will appear as a refund applied to your non-IRS debt. The amount garnished from your refund is applied to offset the debt.
