A Refund Transfer allows a taxpayer’s preparation fees to be deducted directly from their tax refund. This enables clients to file their taxes without paying upfront preparation fees.

For you, this can simplify your tax prep fee collection while offering added convenience to clients.

Offer it as a payment option, as you would with checks or credit cards. If they’d like to pay with their refund, a refund transfer is available.

Believe it or not, we see an even split between the three programs. We encourage you to review the details and main program selling points to find the one that works for your office. Or give our Account team a call and we can help you decide.

We encourage you to join our webinars, contact our support teams, and print out and keep your Program Guide handy as well!

e-Collect is a Refund Transfer program that allows you to deduct your tax preparation fees from the taxpayer’s tax refund once it is issued by the IRS, reducing the need for out-of-pocket payments from clients at the time of service.

Yes. EPS Refund Transfer allows tax professionals to collect eligible tax preparation fees for prior-year tax returns, multiple years of tax preparation, and related tax services through the existing Refund Transfer process. Instead of creating a separate prior-year Refund Transfer product or payment workflow for each return, eligible fees can be included within the current EPS Refund Transfer structure, subject to program requirements and applicable fee limits.

Tax professionals can use EPS Refund Transfer programs to collect eligible fees for preparing multiple years of tax returns and related tax services. EPS supports tax preparation fees up to $5,000, making it easier to charge for multi-year tax preparation, amendments, bookkeeping services, catch-up filing, and other eligible work through an existing workflow. Tax preparation fees over $400 require a Tax Preparation Fee Acknowledgement Form, and fees over $1,500 are subject to a 1% High Prep Exception Fee.

No. EPS does not require a separate Refund Transfer product, separate bank product, or separate payment process for each prior-year tax return. Eligible fees for multiple tax years may be included within the existing Refund Transfer process, helping tax professionals streamline operations while maintaining fee flexibility.

Yes. EPS Refund Transfer programs provide fee flexibility that may allow tax professionals to charge for eligible services beyond a current-year tax return, including multiple-year tax preparation, amended returns, bookkeeping, catch-up filing, tax resolution preparation, and other related tax services. All fees must be properly disclosed and comply with applicable program requirements.

No. EPS does not require a separate prior-year Refund Transfer product fee for each prior-year return. Instead, eligible preparation fees may be included within the existing Refund Transfer structure, subject to program requirements and fee limits. This approach helps tax professionals get paid for multiple years of tax work without creating a separate payment product for each return.

e-Bonus is a Refund Transfer bank product that may include additional earning opportunities based on participation levels and volume. Our straightforward rebates could potentially earn up to and over $20 per refund.

e-Advance allows taxpayers to access funds early based on their anticipated tax refund. Plus, when you offer the e-Advance program, you’ll pay no marketing fees⁵ on approved taxpayer advances processed during the tax season.

With this option you can enhance early-season engagement and offer clients added flexibility.

When the client’s tax refund is issued by the IRS or state, your tax preparation fees are withheld and sent to you via direct deposit.

Most customers do end up getting a refund. However, for the handful of refund transfer clients that don’t, we recommend you sign up for our e-Assist program⁶. If your tax preparation fee is still due 11 weeks after IRS Acknowledgement, we take care of contacting your client and auto debiting your unfunded tax preparation fees.

EPS collects a 15% fee for the service, and the remainder is deposited to your account 2x per year.

A Refund Transfer allows you to serve taxpayers who don’t have the funds upfront to pay for tax preparation. Instead of turning those clients away—or discounting your services—you can prepare their return professionally and collect your fees from the refund itself.

That means:

• Your office can expand and grow by serving more taxpayers.
• Clients get access to a professional tax preparer, even if cash is tight.

Refund Transfers also offer flexible, convenient disbursement options:

• FasterMoney® Visa® Prepaid Card⁷ — taxpayers can receive their refund up to 4 days faster⁸
• Printed paper check — if preferred, you can print the check directly in the office
• Secure, reliable processing that keeps refunds moving without unnecessary delays

The maximum standard tax preparation fee that may be collected through an EPS Refund Transfer is $5,000. Tax preparation fees of $400 or more require an acknowledgement form, and tax preparation fees above $1,500 are subject to a 1% High Prep Exception Fee.

No. To qualify for a Refund Transfer, the combined federal and state refund amount must be greater than the total fees being deducted from the refund. Additional eligibility requirements and program conditions may also apply.

After authorized fees are deducted through the Refund Transfer process, taxpayers can receive remaining refund proceeds through ACH direct deposit, an in-office printed check, or the FasterMoney® Visa® Prepaid Card, depending on the selected disbursement method and program availability.

Before submitting a Refund Transfer application, tax professionals should review all fees, refund disbursement options, product disclosures, application terms, and taxpayer agreements. Tax professionals are responsible for verifying identity, answering questions, providing required disclosures, and helping taxpayers understand the fees and documents associated with the Refund Transfer program.

Taxpayer Advance Loans allow qualifying clients to receive a loan based on their expected tax refund. The program is designed to provide financial flexibility before and during tax season.

Pre-Ack⁹ Taxpayer Advance Loans are available prior to the IRS issuing Acknowledgements. They are available from January 2 until the start of e-File.

They are available when the IRS opens for e-File and starts sending IRS Acknowledgements.

Yes, you can offer Advance Loans of $500, $750, and $1,000 at no cost to the taxpayer and no cost to your office whether you choose e-Collect, e-Bonus, or e-Advance.

There is a 36.0% APR, calculated daily, that caps at 60 days. Check out our handy Advance Loan Calculator to help you estimate APR for your clients!

Yes, at the time of application you can tell us if the customer would like a no-cost loan or the highest amount available to them.  All Taxpayer Advance Loans are subject to standard underwriting and approval, and the amount requested by the taxpayer may differ from the amount ultimately approved.

The cost to the tax office for each approved Taxpayer Advance Loan.

When you enroll in the e-Advance Refund Transfer program or choose to disburse refunds on the FasterMoney® Visa® Prepaid Card, EPS waives the marketing fee on approved Taxpayer Advance Loans — meaning no cost¹⁰ to your office for those advances.

For offices using e-Collect or e-Bonus, the in-season marketing fee is just $34.95 per approved advance — the lowest fee in the industry.

The cost is $75 per approved Pre-Ack.

Take advantage of our e-Advance program, which has no in-season marketing fees regardless of disbursement. Alternatively, there is no in-season marketing fee when using the FasterMoney Visa Prepaid Card with e-Collect or e-Bonus.

Offering Advance Loans can:

• Increase early-season traffic
• Improve client retention
• Provide additional value compared to offices that do not offer advances
• It positions your office as solution-oriented and competitive.

EPS offers funding options for tax software through the Software Purchase Assistance program, tax office cash flow assistance through Fee Assist, Pre-Season Office Startup Loan (for operational expenses, marketing, and season readiness), and December Loyalty to capture early-filers and offer holiday funds.

However you would like! We see our successful offices using these funds for:

• Marketing and advertising
• Staffing and payroll
• Office equipment and supplies
• Working capital needs

This flexibility allows you to invest in growth when timing matters most.