Patent ID: 7657483
Filing Date: 2010-02-02
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. In a relationship between a tax preparer, a financial institution, a money transfer service, and a taxpayer, a method of providing a tax refund to the taxpayer in relation to a tax return, the method comprising: processing an enrollment transaction for the tax preparer, wherein the enrollment transaction comprises a preparer identifier and a set of preparer direct deposit information comprising a first routing number and a first account number, corresponding to a financial account for the tax preparer; correlating, in a table at the financial institution, the preparer identifier with the set of preparer direct deposit information; creating a first account identifier comprising: a) a first money transfer service identifier comprising a set of one or more characters that identifies an account at the financial institution as corresponding to the money transfer service; b) a tax return type identifier comprising a set of one or more characters that designates the tax return as either a federal tax return or state tax return; c) the preparer identifier comprising set of characters that identifies the tax return preparer; d) a zip code identifier comprising a fourth set of characters corresponding to a zip code of the taxpayer; and e) a taxpayer identifier comprising a fifth set of characters that is derived from either a federal taxpayer identification number for the taxpayer or a telephone number corresponding to the taxpayer; creating a second account identifier comprising: a) a second money transfer service identifier comprising a set of one or more characters that identifies an account at the financial institution as corresponding to the money transfer service; b) the preparer identifier; and c) the taxpayer identifier; providing a routing number for the financial institution, along with the first account identifier, to a first governmental entity, as a direct deposit target for a first portion of the tax refund corresponding to the tax return; providing the routing number for the financial institution, along with the second account identifier, to the first governmental entity, as a direct deposit target for a second portion of the tax refund corresponding to the tax return, the second portion of the tax refund corresponding to a fee for the tax preparer; receiving, at a first host computer operated by the financial institution, a first direct deposit transaction from a second governmental entity, the first direct deposit having associated therewith a name of the taxpayer and being directed to a first account identified by the first account identifier; receiving, at the first host computer, a second direct deposit transaction from the second governmental entity, the second direct deposit transaction being directed to a second account identified by the second account identifier; identifying, based on the second money transfer service identifier, the second direct deposit transaction as corresponding to a payment to the tax preparer; identifying, based on the preparer identifier, the set of preparer direct deposit information; performing a funds transfer from the first host system to the financial account for the tax preparer, based on the set of preparer direct deposit information; identifying, based on the first money transfer service identifier, a first direct deposit transaction as relating to the money transfer service; deriving, from the first direct deposit transaction, the name of the taxpayer; performing a host-to-host transaction between the first host computer and a second host computer operated by the money service provider, wherein the host-to-host transaction transfers an amount of money corresponding to at least a portion of the first direct deposit transaction, and wherein the host-to-host transaction has associated therewith a set of data, the set of data comprising the name of the taxpayer, the zip code identifier, and the taxpayer identifier; at the second host computer, identifying the host-to-host transaction as a money transfer transaction having the taxpayer as a recipient; at the second host computer, determining a payout area for the money transfer transaction, based on the zip code of the taxpayer; receiving, within the payout area, a request from the taxpayer to obtain funds from the money transfer transaction; verifying, based on a location of the taxpayer, that the taxpayer is within the determined payout area; verifying, based at least in part on the taxpayer identifier, an identity of the taxpayer; and providing, to the taxpayer, an amount of money corresponding to at least a portion of the amount of the host-to-host transaction.