Many tax preparation firms offer their clients a refund anticipation loan (RAL). For a fee, the firm will give a client his refund when the return is filed. The loan is repaid when the IRS refund is sent to the firm. The RAL fee is equivalent to the interest charge for a loan. The schedule in Table 4 is from a major RAL lender.
Use this schedule to find the annual rate of interest for the RALs
in Problems 75
RAL Amount RAL Fee
$0-$500 $29.00
$501-$1,000 $39.00
$1,001-$1,500 $49.00
$1,501-$2,000 $69.00
$2,001-$5,000 $89.00
75. A client receives a $475 RAL, which is paid back in 20 days.