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SBTPG Complaints – Santa Barbara Tax Products (SBTPG)

 SBTPG Complaints – Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG)

SBTPG ComplaintsSBTPG complaints – Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) is an intermediary that receives payments from the IRS and withholds tax preparation and service fees. TPG Products SBTPG LLC refers to Santa Barbara Tax Products Group.  The company 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”.

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. (Sourcesbtpg.com/about-us)

What Is a TPG Products SBTPG LLC Deposit or Refund?

When you check the pay-by-refund option, you are authorizing an intermediary company to receive your entire refund from the IRS – on your behalf.  In this case, that intermediary company is TPG Products SBTPG LLC.  The intermediary company then deducts the tax preparation fees charged by TurboTax AND a handling fee that it keeps for itself.  The remainder of your refund is then deposited into your account minus the fees.  Therefore, the deposit you receive in your account is from TPG Products SBTPG LLC  and NOT directly from the IRS.

TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxSlayer, and other similar tax software and services make filing taxes straightforward. These companies also offer a pay-by-refund option at the checkout stage.  However, the pay-by-refund option is offered in collaboration with TPG Products SBTPG LLC.

SBTPG Complaints

Many customers are confused when they receive a TPG Products deposit in their account.  There are also SBTPG complaints about not receiving the expected refund amount when using the Pay-By-Refund option with TurboTax.  The pay-by-refund 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). (Source: DayTradrr.com)

SBTPG Complaints from TurboTax Users 

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.

How would you like to pay for TurboTax?…Don’t worry about pulling out your wallet.  We’ll simply deduct your TurboTax fees, PLUS AN ADDITIONAL $39 PROCESSING FEE from your federal refund and send the balance to your bank account. (Source: ttlc.intuit.com)

Customers ask: “I have an extra $40 fee showing on my SBTPG account that is not shown in my TurboTax order review. Why am I being charged an additional fee?”

On the TurboTax checkout page, you must read the fine print. TPG Products SBTPG LLC charges a refund processing fee if you choose the pay-by-refund option. This processing fee is deducted from your refund amount as well. So the total amount deducted from the tax refund would be the TurboTax tax fee AND the SBTPC refund processing fee.

The IRS Encourages Complaints about Tax Preparers

Most paid tax return preparers are professional, honest, and trustworthy. However, the IRS is committed to investigating those who act improperly or “Misdirect your refund”.

If your individual tax return and/or refund have been impacted

You can report a tax return preparer for misconduct, such as:

  • Filing an individual Form 1040 series return without your knowledge or consent.
  • Altering your tax return documents.
  • Using an incorrect filing status to generate a larger refund.
  • Creating false exemptions or dependents to generate a larger refund.
  • Adding or omitting income to generate a larger refund.
  • Creating false expenses, deductions, or credits to generate a larger refund.
  • Misdirecting your refund.

(Source: irs.gov)

Up Next: What Is Credit Card Cloning?

Card CloningCredit card cloning refers to making an illicit copy of a credit card by skimming its electronic data and transferring the details to a new card. The majority of credit card cloning fraud is committed by skimmers. Skimmers scan credit card information such as numbers, full names, and CVV data from the magnetic stripe.  They can be added to hardware such as POS terminals or ATMs.  Once in place, they can skim and store the information of whoever uses that hardware.  With the credit card data, the thief can create an actual credit card connected to the account of the victim. The original cardholder may be unaware that this has even occurred. However, there can be telltale signs when looking at financial statements, bank accounts, or changes in credit scores.

Unfortunately, incidents of cloning and other forms of theft are on the rise in recent years. However, security advancements offer some means to mitigate these types of assaults.  For example, the use of personal identification numbers (PINs) and chip cards offers some additional protection.

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