GetYourRefund is a third-party tax preparation service, not a government agency, and it charges fees to file your taxes

GetYourRefund.com is a legitimate business that helps people file federal tax returns, but it is not run by the IRS and it is not free. The site is operated by a tax preparation company that charges a fee — usually a percentage of your refund — to prepare and file your return electronically. If you use GetYourRefund, you are paying a private company to do what you could do yourself for free through the IRS Free File program or through a tax software company.

The confusion happens because GetYourRefund's name and marketing make it sound like a government service that gets your money back faster or easier. It is not. It is a business that takes a cut of your refund in exchange for handling the paperwork. That does not make it a scam — it is a real service with real tax professionals — but it does mean you should understand what you are paying for and whether you need it.

Key Takeaways

  • GetYourRefund is a private tax preparation company, not a government program, and it charges a fee that comes out of your refund.
  • The IRS offers free tax filing through its Free File program if your income is below a certain threshold, which is genuinely free and requires no fee.
  • GetYourRefund does not speed up your refund — the IRS processes all returns on the same timeline regardless of who files them.
  • If you use GetYourRefund, read the fee agreement carefully before you submit your return, because the fee is deducted from your refund amount.
  • You can file your own taxes for free using IRS-approved software or by mailing a paper return to the IRS.

How GetYourRefund makes money from your refund

GetYourRefund charges a fee based on a percentage of your refund or a flat dollar amount, depending on the service you choose. The fee is taken directly from your refund check, so if you are owed $2,000 and the fee is $300, you receive $1,700. This is disclosed in their terms, but many people do not read the fine print before they submit their return.

The company also offers a refund advance option, where they lend you money against your expected refund before the IRS processes your return. That loan comes with interest charges on top of the filing fee, making it significantly more expensive. If you need money before your refund arrives, a refund advance is one of the most costly ways to get it.

What the IRS Free File program offers instead

The IRS partners with tax software companies to offer free filing to people whose income falls below a certain threshold — usually around $73,000 for the 2023 tax year, though this changes yearly. If you meet the income limit, you can file your federal return completely free using IRS-approved software. No fee is taken from your refund.

You can find the list of participating companies on the IRS website under "Free File." The software walks you through your return step by step, and you can file electronically without paying anything. If your income is above the free threshold, you can still file your own return using paid tax software for $15 to $30, which is usually less than what GetYourRefund charges.

Why GetYourRefund does not speed up your refund

One reason people turn to GetYourRefund is the belief that using a tax preparation service will get their refund faster. This is not true. The IRS processes all electronically filed returns on the same schedule, regardless of whether a tax professional, a software company, or the taxpayer themselves filed it. An electronically filed return typically takes 21 days for the IRS to process, and that timeline does not change based on who prepared it.

If GetYourRefund offers a refund advance, that money comes from the company itself, not from the IRS. You are borrowing against your refund and paying interest for the privilege. The IRS refund itself arrives on the same schedule it would have without the advance.

Red flags that separate GetYourRefund from actual scams

GetYourRefund is not a scam in the sense that it does not steal your information or disappear with your money. The company files your return and you do receive your refund — minus the fee. However, there are real tax scams out there that use similar-sounding names to trick people, so knowing the difference matters.

A real scam will ask you to pay upfront before filing, promise a refund that is larger than what you are actually owed, may provide a refund without looking at your documents, or ask you to wire money to a personal account. GetYourRefund does not do these things. It is a registered business with a physical address and a real tax preparation operation. The problem is not that it is fraudulent — it is that you are paying for a service you do not need.

What to do if you have already used GetYourRefund

If you filed your return through GetYourRefund and the fee was deducted from your refund, you cannot get that fee back from the IRS. The fee was part of your agreement with GetYourRefund, not with the government. If you believe the fee was not disclosed clearly or you were charged more than you agreed to, contact GetYourRefund's customer service to dispute it.

For your next tax year, you can file through the IRS Free File program or use paid tax software directly instead of going through a third-party preparation service. You will have more control over your return and know exactly what you are paying before you submit it.

How to file your taxes for free without using a third party

The fastest and cheapest way to file is to do it yourself using IRS-approved Free File software if you meet the income threshold, or using paid software if you do not. Both routes are straightforward: you enter your information, the software calculates your refund or tax owed, and you file electronically. The IRS processes your return and deposits your refund into your bank account within 21 days.

If you prefer not to use software, you can download a paper form from the IRS website, fill it out by hand, and mail it to the address listed on the form. This takes longer — typically 4 to 6 weeks — but it costs nothing. You do not need a tax professional or a third-party service to file your own return.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is GetYourRefund the same as the IRS?

No. GetYourRefund is a private company that prepares and files tax returns. The IRS is the government agency that processes returns and issues refunds. GetYourRefund is not affiliated with the IRS, though it files returns with the IRS on your behalf.

Will GetYourRefund get my refund faster than if I file myself?

No. The IRS processes all electronically filed returns in the same order and on the same timeline, regardless of who prepared them. Filing through GetYourRefund does not speed up your refund. A refund advance from GetYourRefund gets you money faster, but you pay interest for it.

What happens if I cannot afford the GetYourRefund fee?

The fee is deducted from your refund automatically, so you do not pay it upfront. However, this means your refund is smaller than it would have been if you filed for free. If you had known about the IRS Free File program, you could have avoided the fee entirely.

Can I get my GetYourRefund fee back?

The IRS will not refund the fee because it was charged by a private company, not by the government. Contact GetYourRefund directly to dispute the charge if you believe it was not disclosed clearly or was higher than agreed.

What is the safest way to file my taxes?

Use the IRS Free File program if your income qualifies, or use paid tax software directly from the provider. Both are secure and cost less than using a third-party preparation service. You maintain control of your information and know exactly what you are paying.