Posts tagged as:

refund anticipation loan (RAL)

IRS Changes the Way RAL Providers Will Do Business

6 August 2010

The last couple of tax seasons have been tough for many taxpayers trying to utilize popular refund anticipation loans (RALs). With banks increasingly unwilling to provide loans for third party preparers, the potential pool of money available to folks seeking RALs was pretty limited. This made taxpayers unhappy. It made the IRS fairly happy. They, [...]

21 comments Read the full article →

Where’s My Refund?

21 March 2009

About 10% of my “ask the taxgirl” questions right now are asking “Where’s my refund?” – though, admittedly, some ask in a nicer way than others. Your refund information is generally available about 72 hours after your tax return is processed. You can track your refund online with the “Where’s My Refund?” service offered by [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

Ask the taxgirl: Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL) Denials and Delays

26 January 2009

Taxpayer asks: Why was my RAL denied? Taxgirl says: RALs are refund anticipation loans. They are basically loans (usually high interest) against your refund from the IRS. I am not a fan of the RAL. In many cases, I think they’re oversold to folks who can least afford to pay the fees when a normal [...]

63 comments Read the full article →