Average IRS tax refund is up 10.8%, new filing data shows
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The average tax refund so far this season is 10.8% higher than it was for about the same period in 2025, according to the latest IRS filing data.
As of March 13, average repayment amount For individual filers, that amount rose to $3,623 from $3,271 about a year ago, the IRS reported Friday.
IRS data reflects about 69.7 million individual returns through April 15, down from about 164 million expected.
The latest filing data comes as both parties focus on Americans’ affordability concerns ahead of the midterm elections.
President Donald Trump said this will be the “biggest tax refund season of all time” after the “big beautiful bill” and changes take effect in 2025.
Meanwhile, many Americans are facing rising gas prices amid the Iran war. National average gasoline price reached $3.91 a gallon on FridayA month ago, it was about $2.93 per gallon, according to AAA.
Gasoline prices likely to rise rapidly offset higher tax refunds starting this season, according to an analysis published this week by an economics professor at Stanford University.
“The energy shock is going to hit those with the least cushion… and tax rebates don’t look like they’re going to save them,” Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at the Groundwork Collaborative, a left-leaning economic policy think tank, said at a news conference Friday. he said.
Average tax refund changes
Average return size this season It rose to $3,804 on Feb. 20 from $3,453 about a year ago and has gradually fallen in IRS filing updates over the past three weeks.
A mid-February increase is common when payments begin to reflect refunds that include: The refundable portion of the child tax credit known as the earned income tax credit or additional child tax credit or ACTC.
Payments have been lower so far this season, although the White House said in early January that the average refund could increase by “$1,000 or more.”
Tom O’Saben, director of tax content and government relations for the National Association of Tax Professionals, told CNBC he has filed nearly 200 returns so far this season.
He said those who received refunds saw a difference of about a few hundred dollars compared to last year.
But experts say your tax refund, or the balance due, depends on a variety of factors, including which Trump tax cuts will affect your situation and how much you paid through payroll deductions in 2025.
