Tax Refund Loans Harder to get?
For many taxpayers, the bottom line of their tax return often ends with a refund: You've over-paid Uncle Sam and you're are getting money back.
And in about 10% of the returns, taxpayers want their money back as soon as possible and accept so-called refund anticipation loans from the tax preparers.
It's a huge and profitable business for the Banks and the Tax Preparation Firms.
More than 7 million taxpayers took out refund loans back in 2009, at a cost of $664-million dollars in fees and extra charges. The loans' costs average about $30 to more than $100 dollars and carry interest rates as high as 700% according to the Consumer Federation of America.
Coral Gables Financial Planner Charles Sachs of Evensky and Katz says "They're a terrible deal and cost way to much for people to have to pay to get their own money back, it's a horrible deal."
Following years of consumer complaints, Uncle Sam just started cracking down on the banks that write the tax loans.
As a result, several major lenders across the country are not offering them anymore.
Sachs says " It's almost like preying on the people who can least afford it, who cannot afford all the fees. It's much better to file early and wait the 2 weeks for your check to arrive without paying the extra $50-$200."
The IRS for years has advised Taxpayers who want their refunds back as soon as possible to file early, using Electronic E-File Programs, and have their refunds Direct- Deposited directly into their bank accounts.
The IRS says it can process refunds in 8-10 days and there's no extra charge for them to deposit the money directly into your bank account.
