Do you have clients counting down the days until their return comes in?
Gain more customers by offering Republic Bank's Easy Advance1 product.
An Easy Advance is a loan offered to taxpayers that file their taxes electronically with an ERO that uses Republic Bank for their Refund Transfers2. Advance money is typically available within 24 hours3.
EROs can offer Easy Advances in early January before the IRS even opens by choosing to offer the preACK Easy Advance4.
| Easy Advance Options |
| Easy Advance Plus |
Choose the Easy Advance Plus option and offer loan amounts of $6,000, $4,500, $3,000, $2,000, $1,500, $1,000 or $500 based on the taxpayer’s net refund.
- Customers choose their requested loan amount and pay the associated Finance Charge
- EROs pay same fees for all approved Easy Advances
- Available to new and returning EROs
*Please note: Easy Advance Plus losses more than 4% may result in forfeiture of ERO incentives.
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| Easy Advance Customer Pay5 |
- $500 to $3,000 loan amounts based on taxpayer's net refund
- No charge to the ERO
- Customers choose their requested loan amount and pay the associated Finance Charge
*Please note: Easy Advance Customer Pay losses more than 2% may result in forfeiture of ERO incentives.
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| preACK Easy Advance |
- Attract and retain customers by offering an Advance before e-file starts. After choosing Easy Advance Plus or Easy Advance Customer Pay, you can add on the preACK Easy Advance option. You must opt into this program by logging into the TIC under Options/Features within the Office Info tab.
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What is an Easy Advance?
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An Easy Advance (EA) is a no recourse loan secured by a taxpayer’s tax refund to eligible applicants. If approved, a Finance Charge will apply. Advance money is typically available within 24 hours of IRS acceptance of the tax refund.3 There will be no collections activity on unfunded taxpayers.
Upon receipt of a Federal or State tax refund, the Easy Advance is repaid by deducting the loan amount and Finance Charge from the refund. After repayment, the remaining amount of the refund is disbursed to the taxpayer by the same disbursement option chosen for the Easy Advance proceeds.
Who is eligible for an Easy Advance?
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To be eligible to apply for the Easy Advance, the expected Federal refund must be equal to or greater than the net refund minimum after all authorized fees have been deducted.
What are the disbursement options?
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What does it cost to offer an Easy Advance?
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- A fee will be charged to the ERO for every approved Advance for offices that select Easy Advance Plus. An additional fee will be charged for each approved preACK Easy Advance. Easy Advance Customer Pay has no fee to the ERO.
- If approved, the taxpayer will pay a Finance Charge of 35.99% APR to the Bank. The ERO cannot pass these fees to taxpayers that apply for an Easy Advance.
What is the time frame for an Easy Advance?
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- EROs enrolled in the preACK Easy Advance will be able to offer Easy Advances starting in early January until the start of filing season.
- Easy Advance loans are available from the start of filing season through February 28th.
Additional Details
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- Tax return will be evaluated to determine the likelihood that it will be funded by the IRS.
- All Easy Advance Applications will be on an individual basis so only one taxpayer can apply. It is the taxpayer’s choice in determining who applies for the Easy Advance7.
- Customers do not have to choose a Refund Transfer to apply for the Easy Advance.
- Available to customers in all 50 states.
- To qualify for Refund Transfer incentives, Easy Advance loss rate must be below 4.0% as of May 31st.
1 ERO must be enrolled for Republic Bank’s Refund Transfer Program to offer the Easy Advance programs. Cost to ERO per approved Easy Advance, if any, will be deducted from ERO tax preparation fees and cannot be passed to the taxpayer. If a customer does not choose a Refund Transfer, disbursement options are direct deposit or prepaid card. Net Refund refers to the taxpayer’s expected refund amount after deduction of all fees. Please check with your software provider for availability as some options may not be available. All information is as of June 2024 and is subject to change.
2 A Refund Transfer is a fee-based product offered by Republic Bank & Trust Company, Member FDIC. A Refund Transfer Fee and all other authorized amounts will be deducted from the taxpayer’s tax refund. Pricing and rebates vary by software.
3 EA proceeds are typically available within 24 hours of IRS acceptance of tax return or within 24 hours for those filing before the IRS start date; however, if direct deposit is selected, it may take additional time for the financial institution to post the funds to the account.
4 There will be an additional charge to the ERO for each approved preACK Easy Advance.
5 Not available for all software partners. Please check with your provider for availability.
6 The Netspend Prepaid Mastercard is issued by Republic Bank & Trust Company, Member FDIC pursuant to a license from Mastercard. Ouro Global, Inc. is a registered agent of Republic Bank & Trust Company. This card may be used everywhere Debit Mastercards are accepted. Card use is subject to activation, ID verification, and funds availability. Transaction fees, terms, and conditions apply to the use and reloading of the Card Account. See the Cardholder Agreement at www.republictaxpayer.com/terms for details.
7 The individual who is NOT applying will be listed in Section 5 of the Bank Product Application and Agreement, which states that although they are not an applicant, they are still granting a security interest in their tax refund to repay the loan. Both customers will sign the Bank Product Application at the bottom, however, only the applicant's name will appear on the EA check. Remaining funds in excess of the loan payoff will be issued to all taxpayers listed on the tax return.
