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It's quick and easy Direct Deposit your tax refund

into a Serve Prepaid Debit Account


We have no hidden fees.

See our fee chart

Your Guide to Help with Tax Season

Before You File

Deposit funds into your Serve Account

Deposit funds into your Serve Account

Deposit funds into your Serve Account
›› When You File
When You File

Getting your refund is fast and secure. Ensure your refund is added to your Serve Account with the guidelines below:

How to fill out your tax form for Direct Deposit

  1. 1. Log in to your Account to view your Account number.
  2. 2. Serve Accounts have the routing number: 124071889
  3. 3. Select the option “Checking”.

Don’t forget!

1. Ensure your Account is activated
Serve cannot issue a refund into an inactive Account. Activate now.

2. Match your information
The primary name and social security number on your tax return must match your Serve Account information.

3. Joint Filing
If you’re filing jointly with your spouse, the first name and social security number listed on the tax form must match your Serve Account information.

›› After You File
After You File

Using Your Refund

Let Serve’s features and benefits help you get more out of your tax refund.

  • Shop

    Use your American Express® Card to make purchases in stores and online virtually anywhere American Express Cards are accepted. Over 1.6 million more places in the U.S. started accepting American Express Cards in the last year*.

    * Based on internal comparison of American Express U.S. small merchant locations in December 2017 to American Express U.S. small merchant locations in December 2018.

  • Cash Access

    Withdraw up to $750 of your tax refund for FREE at over 30,000 MoneyPass® ATMs, or from other ATMs nationwide for a fee.2

    Or, you can withdraw up to $2,900 of your Tax Refund or Refund Advance daily for a fee at over 4,500 Walmart® stores using Cash Pickup Powered by Ria®.3

    Cash Pickup Powered by Ria

     

    Learn more

  • Pay Bills

    Use your refund to pay anyone, anytime with FREE Online Bill Pay. Learn more.

  • Direct Deposit

    Did you like getting your Tax Refund up to 2 days faster?1 With FREE Early Direct Deposit, you can get your paycheck up to 2 days faster.4

  • Security

    Shop in-store or online knowing your tax refund is safe and secure. If your American Express Serve Card is lost or stolen, we can protect you against fraudulent charges.

Your refund status:

You can check your refund status anytime by using:

Only the IRS will have the updated information on the status of your refund. American Express will notify you once your refund has been received, and is ready for you to access. Then you can use your refund.

Planning for your refund

Use Serve's money management tool to help maximize the value of your refund.

Sample Refund

See Sample Refund

Choose the best Card for you Use your Card this tax season and beyond

Open an Account online and get one of our Prepaid Debit Cards in the mail for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Planning for Tax Season

    Can I have my federal tax refund added to my American Express Serve Account?

    Yes! With Direct Deposit, get access to your federal tax refund up to 2 days faster than a standard electronic deposit from the IRS1. Your tax refund will be added to your Account as soon as your return is processed and completed by the IRS. To check the status of your refund, please visit the IRS Where’s My Refund? tool, IRS2Go App, or by calling the IRS at 800-829-1954.

    If your state allows, you can Direct Deposit your state tax refund to your American Express Serve Account. Please consult your state for instructions.

    Why should I have my tax refund added to an American Express Serve Account?

    Because you can get your tax refund fast! With Early Direct Deposit, you won't have to wait to receive a check in the mail. And you’ll get to keep your full refund – no need to pay to have your refund check cashed, it is free to receive your tax refund on Serve. Once you have received your refund, there are many great ways you can use your refund. Check Use Your Card to see how.

    What do I have to do before filing my taxes on a Serve Account?

    When can I expect to receive my tax refund?

    There are two ways that you can file your taxes, either electronically (e-file) or by mailing a paper return. According to the IRS, most refunds are issued in less than 21 calendar days. If you choose to have your refund direct deposited into a Serve Account, you could receive your refund up to 2 days faster than standard electronic deposit from the IRS1. The IRS provides the most up to date information on the status of your refund. Use the IRS Where’s My Refund? tool, IRS2Go App or the IRS Hotline (800-829-1954) to check your refund status – American Express does not have information on the status of your refund until it has posted to your Account. It will take 24-48 hours for your funds to be available on Serve after your refund has been released by the IRS.

    • If you have e-filed your tax return, you can start to check your status within 24 hours after the e-filed return has been received
    • If you have printed and mailed your tax return, you can start to check your status 4 weeks after you mail your paper return.

    Where can I go for additional information about planning for Tax Season?

    Please consult the IRS Frequently Asked Questions for any other inquires specific to your Tax Refund.

    Please visit our Tax Resource Center, or if you are a customer Tax Command Center for more information.

  • Filing your Taxes

    How do I fill out my tax forms to have my refund added to my Serve Account?

    In order to successfully add your tax refund to your Serve Account, please make sure to follow these steps:

    1. The primary name and Social Security Number on your tax return matches the name on your Serve Card exactly.
    2. In the refund Section:
    • Fill in your Serve routing number (this will be the same for all customers): 124071889
    • Fill in your 16-Digit Serve Account number (this is unique to your Account)
    • Select "Checking" as the type of account

    Routing

    How do I find my Account and Routing information?

    Log in to your American Express Serve Account to view your Direct Deposit Routing and Account numbers. This information will only be available if you have activated your Personalized Card that you received in the mail.

    Can I get my tax refund added to my Account if I am filing jointly?

    Yes. However, in order to avoid a delay in receiving your funds, the primary name on the Account must match the name and social security number that we have on file. If you are listed as the primary name on the Account, you cannot be listed as "spouse" on your tax return. If this is not filled out correctly, your refund could be rejected, resulting in a potential delay in receiving your funds from the IRS.

    How many refunds can I receive on my Account?

    There is a limit of two tax refunds per calendar year per Account. You could receive both a federal and state refund on your Account for a total of two refunds.

    Can I receive tax refunds for other people on my Account?

    No. In accordance with IRS guidelines, you cannot Direct Deposit someone else's refund to your Account. In this case, the deposit of the tax refund will be rejected.

    If you have a Subaccount that is used by another person, you cannot receive a tax refund for that person on your Serve Account.

    Where can I go for additional information about filing my taxes?

    Please consult the IRS Frequently Asked Questions for any other inquires specific to your Tax Refund.

  • Staying Informed After You File

    How do I check the status of my refund?

    You can check that status of your refund on the IRS Where’s My Refund? tool, the IRS2Go App, or by calling the IRS at 800-829-1954. The IRS information is updated every 24 hours. American Express Customer Service does not have information on the status of your refund until it has posted to your Account. According to the IRS, most refunds are issued in less than 21 calendar days. It will take 24-48 hours for your funds to be available on Serve after your refund has been released by the IRS. You will receive an email from Serve once the refund has posted to your Account.

    How can I use my tax refund?

    • Use your Card for purchases

    Once your refund is added to your Account you can use the money to make purchases with your Card in store and online at millions of merchants that accept American Express® Cards worldwide.

    • Paying bills

    You can pay bills using your Card on a merchant website, or by using Online Bill Pay.

    How much of my refund can I withdraw at once?

    • Withdraw from ATMs

    You can withdraw your tax refund at over 30,000 Free MoneyPass® ATMs, or from other ATMs nationwide for a fee. You can withdraw up to $750 a day – if you are expecting a large tax refund, you will need to plan to withdraw your refund over multiple days due to daily ATM withdrawal limits. The full schedule of American Express Serve Account limits can be found here. If you have issues with your ATM PIN or forgot your PIN, please login to Reset your PIN.

    • Serve Cash Pickup Powered by Ria

    You can also cash out your tax refund at over 4,500 Walmart locations for a fee. You can cash out up to $2,900 of tax refund dollars direct deposited to your Account. Please visit serve.com/cashpickup for complete details.

  1. 1 Faster access compared to standard tax refund electronic deposit and subject to IRS submitting refund information to the bank before release date. IRS may not submit refund information early.
  2. 2 Transactions at non-MoneyPass® ATMs have a $2.50 American Express Serve fee. ATM operator fees may also apply. See serve.com/atm for locations and other details.
  3. 3 The Serve Cash Pickup service is provided by Ria (defined below) pursuant to Ria's Terms and Conditions and Ria's Privacy Policy and the Serve Consumer User Agreement and is subject to all applicable laws and regulations. Pickup is available in all 50 United States and Puerto Rico. For tax refunds or refund advances that are Direct Deposited to your Account, the daily Cash Pickup limit will be the lesser of (i) $2,900 and (ii) the tax funds amount, until you have withdrawn the tax funds amount. Otherwise, a $900 daily Cash Pickup limit applies. Fee of $3.49 for each withdrawal up to $500, $6.49 for each withdrawal of $500.01–$900, and $9.49 for each withdrawal of $900.01–$2,900 applies. Other limits and terms and conditions apply. Visit serve.com/cashpickup for complete details.
  4. Ria is a registered trademark of Continental Exchange Solutions, Inc. dba Ria Financial Services, licensed as a Money Transmitter by the Department of Financial Services of the State of New York; licensed by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, NMLS ID 920968; and authorized independently or through its affiliate, Ria Financial Services Puerto Rico, Inc. OCIF LICENSE NUMBER TM-2014-031, to operate as a Money Transmitter in all United States' jurisdictions where it conducts business American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. is not responsible for Ria's acts or omissions in its provision of Serve Cash Pickup services.
  5. Serve Cash Pickup orders can be picked up during Walmart store hours (typically 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, but hours may vary) at any Walmart MoneyCenter or customer service desk in the State or territory you specified in your order. To pick up your Serve Cash Pickup order, you must present a valid government-issued photo ID and pickup reference number. You will be required to provide proof of address if your ID does not contain your address or contains a P.O. Box.
  6. 4 Faster access compared to standard payday electronic deposit and subject to your employer submitting paycheck information to the bank before payday. Your employer may not submit paycheck information early.
  7. 5 Earn 1% Cash Back on purchases (less returns/credits) rounded to the nearest dollar, added to your Account after you use your Card. Rounding purchases to the nearest dollar means that you won't earn a fraction of a penny in Cash Back. For example, a purchase of $0.01–$0.49 rounds to $0.00 (you don't earn Cash Back), a purchase of $0.50–$0.99 rounds to $1.00 (you earn $0.01 Cash Back), and so on. Account spend limits apply. The Serve Cash Back Card is the only prepaid Card/Account with 1% Cash Back on purchases, not limited to select merchants or select purchases. Cash Back is typically applied to your Account promptly after your purchase, but could take up to 60 days. Cash Back can be redeemed and used only for future purchases made with your Card and cannot be redeemed for cash or otherwise exchanged for value. Subaccounts are not eligible to earn Cash Back. ATM transactions, fees and Serve Online Bill Pay are not purchases and do not earn Cash Back. For full terms and restrictions, see the Cash Back User Agreement.
  8. 6 If you receive a larger federal tax refund amount or owe less in federal taxes using the same Tax Return Information when filing an amended return through another online tax preparation service, then you may be eligible to receive the difference in the refund or tax amount owed up to $100 (minimum $25) in the form of a gift card from Credit Karma Tax. For details and eligibility, click here.
  9. 7Exclusions apply. For details and eligibility, click here.
  10. 8 If the IRS and/or applicable state tax authority imposes penalties and/or interest on you due to a Credit Karma Tax calculation error, Credit Karma Tax will reimburse you up to a maximum of $1,000 in the form of gift card(s). For details and eligibility, click here.
  11. 9 Faster access compared to standard tax refund electronic deposit and subject to IRS submitting refund information to the bank before release date. IRS may not submit refund information early.

Currently there are no cash reload locations in the US Virgin Islands.

The American Express Serve® family of reloadable prepaid accounts are available to U.S. residents who are over 18 years old only (or 19 in certain states) and for use virtually anywhere American Express® Cards are accepted worldwide, subject to verification. Fees apply. Other eligibility and restrictions apply. For complete details please visit serve.com/legal to view the applicable Consumer User Agreement for each Serve reloadable prepaid account.

American Express Serve Service and Card are provided and issued by American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., 200 Vesey Street, New York, N.Y. 10285. American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. is licensed to engage in the transmission of money on behalf of the public. Click here for information about addressing complaints regarding our money services business, lists of our money services business licenses and other disclosures.

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