Average tax refund is 11% higher, latest IRS filing data shows
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The average tax refund so far this season is 11.1% higher than it was for about the same period in 2025, according to the latest IRS filing data.
As of April 3, average repayment amount For individual filers, that amount rose to $3,462 from $3,116 about a year ago, the IRS reported Friday.
IRS data reflects approximately 99.8 million individual returns received. approximately 164 million are expected Until April 15.
Many filers have seen larger tax refunds this season due to 2025 changes enacted through President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”
With higher refunds on average, Republicans pointed to Trump’s signature policies such as new deductions for tip income, overtime earnings, senior citizens and auto loan interest. However, according to some analysts, rising gasoline prices during the Iran war threatened to offset this unexpected decline.
Both parties have focused on affordability ahead of November’s midterm elections, as many Americans struggle with rising costs of gas, electricity, food and other living expenses.
About a quarter, or 23%, of applicants expecting a refund will use the money to pay off credit card debt, and the same share will save money on payments. CNBC and Survey Monkey Quarterly Money SurveyThe survey of 3,494 U.S. adults was published in April and conducted at the end of March.
How might average paybacks still vary?
Despite Trump’s regulatory changes, the average refund size pattern remained consistent with previous years. The largest payments were reported in late February, with refund amounts gradually decreasing ahead of Tax Day.
on January 26 releaseThe average taxpayer could get an extra $1,000 or more, the White House said, based on early October data from investment bank Piper Sandler. But average tax refunds have been smaller, with annual payments increasing by about $350 in the last few updates, according to IRS data.
This average could change with two more IRS updates before the April 15 tax deadline.
“It appears that tip and overtime earners were encouraged to file early in anticipation of potentially larger refunds,” Andrew Lautz, director of tax policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit think tank, told reporters at a news conference Thursday.
About 81% Filers with tip or overtime income The filing was likely due in January or February, according to a March poll of 1,200 Americans by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
If this is a broader trend, the average refund amount could decrease by April 15 compared to earlier in the filing season, Lautz said.
Alternatively, last-minute filers who claim the federal deduction limit for state and local taxes, known as SALT, could still raise average payments, Lautz said. For 2025, Trump’s legislation increases the SALT limit from $10,000 to $40,000; This could offer larger payments to eligible applicants who itemize tax deductions.
