The IRS generally issues refunds within 21 days of accepting your return. Once the payment is initiated, your money will be available in your prepaid card account up to two days faster than if you’d elected to deposit your refund into a bank account. Some cards limit the amount you can have deposited at one time. For example, the Netspend Visa Prepaid Card limits deposits to $7,500. If you’re expecting a larger return, you’ll need to contact the bank beforehand. Yes, there are two ways to get an advance on your federal tax refund. A tax refund loan, not to be confused with a refund advance offered by some tax preparation services, is offered by small lending companies that usually charge a flat fee to give you a loan you repay when your tax refund arrives. The terms of a tax refund loan are not unlike a payday loan and can be very expensive. But a tax preparation service like Intuit TurboTax, Jackson Hewitt, and H&R Block can usually give you access to part of your refund (based on the amount of your refund) via a tax refund card. TurboTax issues its Turbo Visa debit card to provide its customers with an advance on their return once their return is accepted by the IRS.