HR Block N' The Emerald Card How EXTREMELY disappointing and aggravating!! Newton New Jersey

1. HSBC has not changed their policy since last year. Nearly 90% of my customers who applied for the instant or 1-2 day loan were approved and received their funds. If you were denied for the loan the person who did your return or the manager of that office would have been able to tell you the next day you were denied.
The number on the back of the card goes to the customer service dept. for the card. They have no idea if you were approved or not, they only know information about the card like balance info, what to do if you lost the card, etc.. HSBC should be able to tell you if you were denied as well, and you will get a letter from the mail in 7-10 business days.
2. The IRS takes 8-15 days to issue you your refund. You will recieve it on either a Tuesday or Friday. Again, it is not up to Block but the IRS. You can go to www.irs.gov and click the "Where's my refund" to find out when you will receive your refund on your card. (Looking at when you wrote this you should have recieved your refund already) If you call the office it was done then they will tell you to check the site, if the employee checks the site it is technically illegal because they are using your information to find out personal information from a third party.
3. If you are due a large refund and have a child you most likely qualified for the EIC and child/additional child tax credit. If your boyfriend does not have child then his tax return was not as complicated, or required as many forms, as yours. That is why it would be less expensive. He also qualified for the 1-2 day loan. Again that is something HR Block has no control of.
*4. Lastly, regarding the comment about 7000% interest that is false. Yes I have seen 140% and the likes but that is unusual. Also, you have to understand that that accounts for an anual percent rate. So say your refund was $1000 and you have to pay $12 to get it in 1-2 days (which is typical). That is not a lot of money for the benefit of getting your money 7-14 days sooner. Technically that is 1.2% of the total refund, but the apy is 37% because if you had the loan for a year (but you don't because the IRS issues your refund= paying off the loan in 8-15 days) and you paid $12 every 8-15 days your total interest payments would be $371 dollars. For someone recieveing $4000 who is getting an earned income credit, which is riskier because the IRS can deny the EIC, the interest rate could be 56% and you would be paying $75 for the 1-2 day loan (again this is the typical amount).

Was listening to the guy on the radio the other night. What he explained was rather interesting. He explained all about these "repaid refund" loans. If you file electronically and it goes through, you should expect your refund from the irs in about 5 to 7 working days. Those folks who get a refund anticipation loan aganist their refund pay anywhere up to SEVEN HUNDRED PERCENT INTEREST PLUS FEES to get their money 5 or 6 days earlier. Are they stupid or what? SEVEN HUNDRED PERCENT INTEREST, PLUS FEES on your own money for a couple of days. The amazing part is that IF you have a refund coming, it means your company OVERHELD taxes. Money you should have had all year round. YOU loaned it to the government FOR FREE, for a year. at NO INTEREST. Go to your company's payroll dept. and have them withhold less taxes. You shouldn't get any or much of a refund at all.