Average IRS tax refund is up 14.2%, according to early filing data
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The average tax refund so far this season is 14.2% higher than during about the same period in 2025, according to early filing data from the IRS.
According to the IRS, the average refund amount for individual filers as of Feb. 13 was $2,476; that figure was $2,169 about a year ago. reported on Friday. Data is cumulative from the January 26 tax season opener.
According to the IRS statement, the total amount refunded was approximately $32 billion, an 8.3% increase from 2025. However, there was a 2.6% decrease in total applications received.
As the midterm elections approach, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are focused on how Trump’s “big beautiful bill” could affect the size of tax refunds this season.
One Real Social post On Tuesday, Trump said his tax refunds were “significantly larger than ever before.”
“In some cases, estimates are that more than 20% will be refunded to Taxpayers,” he wrote. It’s unclear which predictions Trump was referring to. The White House did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
A few days earlier, on February 13, Treasury Secretary and Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the average tax refund so far this season is 22% higher. It was unclear how many days of returns Bessent’s figure included or what comparison period he used. But that figure was significantly higher than the 10.9% average refund increase the IRS announced later that day.
Treasury did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
Why might average tax refunds increase?
“So far, refunds have increased, which is consistent with our and the Trump administration’s expectations for filing season,” Andrew Lautz, director of tax policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit think tank, told CNBC.
But he said there still isn’t enough filing data to support conclusions about filing season trends.
Typically average payback size increases Payments will begin in mid-February if they include the earned income tax credit or additional child tax credit, the IRS said. Publication of first filing season statistics On February 13.
These figures may be reflected in the agency’s filing data through Feb. 20, which the IRS will release on Feb. 27.
