You’ve seen the commercials, let us prepare your taxes and we’ll give you a cash advance on your refund the next day.
Sounds too good to be true right? There’s got to be a catch in there somewhere.
The most obvious question to ask at first would be, what’s the interest on this short term loan, which is essentially what the advance is.
Surprisingly, the answer is 0%. Based on your credit, you can qualify for a portion to almost all of your refund. If it’s not 0% – move along…
Now, on to the catch, what is it? Well, shockingly, you simply have to use the tax preparation companies services.
Most start at $49 and go up depending on how in-depth your tax return is. Companies like Jackson Hewitt and H&R Block are offering programs.
If you’re a do-it-yourself tax guru, TurboTax offers a similar program, but you need to have a paid version of the software.
As always, read the fine print, but if you need cash and you’re already paying for a service or software, these might merit some attention.
