Miniseries | E+ | Getty Images
The average tax refund is 10.6% higher so far this season, compared to about the same period in 2025, according to the latest IRS filing data.
As of Mar. 6, the average refund amount for individual filers was $3,676, up from $3,324 about one year ago, the IRS reported on Friday. The average is down from the $3,742 reported last week.
The latest filing data reflects roughly 60.7 million individual returns received, out of about 164 million expected through the April 15 deadline.
Typically, the average refund peaks around mid-February, when data begins to include payments claiming the earned income tax credit or the refundable part of the child tax credit, known as the additional child tax credit or ACTC, according to a Bipartisan Policy Center analysis. After that February spike, the average generally drops gradually through Tax Day.
Republicans have highlighted the size of tax refunds as the midterm elections approach, as both parties pitch talking points on affordability to potential voters.
In a late January release, the White House said average tax refunds could jump “by $1,000 or more,” citing several media reports that reference early October research from investment bank Piper Sandler.
Why tax refunds are higher this season
This season, many filers are seeing bigger tax refunds based on changes enacted in President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”
The IRS did not adjust paycheck withholdings after the July 2025 changes, which means many workers overpaid taxes through the rest of the year.
But there could be “a lot of variation between taxpayers,” depending on 2025 withholdings and which new tax breaks apply to their situation, Garrett Watson, director of policy analysis at the Tax Foundation, previously told CNBC.
As of Mar. 8, more than 27.5 million returns, which is nearly 45% of filings, claimed at least one of Trump’s new tax breaks on Schedule 1-A, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said in a news release this week.
Schedule 1-A, which feeds into tax returns, is a new form that includes Trump’s deductions for overtime pay, tip income, seniors and auto loan interest.
Meanwhile, the higher limit for the state and local tax deduction, or SALT, is only available to filers who itemize tax breaks rather than claiming the standard deduction.
During tax year 2022, nearly 90% of returns used the standard deduction, based on the latest IRS data. The same year, about 15 million returns claimed the SALT deduction, which is fewer than 10% of filings.
Those percentages are expected to rise for 2025, which could result in significantly bigger refunds for those who qualify, experts say.