Artiemedvedev | Istock | Getty Images
The average tax refund is 11.1% higher so far this season, compared with about the same period in 2025, according to the latest IRS filing data.
As of April 3, the average refund amount for individual filers was $3,462, up from $3,116 about one year ago, the IRS reported on Friday.
The IRS data reflects about 99.8 million individual returns received, out of about 164 million expected through the April 15 deadline.
Many filers have seen bigger tax refunds this season due to the 2025 changes enacted via President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”
With higher refunds on average, Republicans have pointed to Trump’s signature policies, such as new deductions for tip income, overtime earnings, seniors and auto loan interest. But rising gasoline prices amid the Iran war have threatened to offset that windfall, according to some analysts.
Both parties have focused on affordability ahead of the November midterm elections as many Americans struggle with elevated costs of gas, electricity, food and other living expenses.
For filers expecting a refund, nearly one-quarter, or 23%, will use the funds to pay down credit card debt, and the same share will save the payment, according to the CNBC and SurveyMonkey Quarterly Money Survey, released in April, which polled 3,494 U.S. adults at the end of March.
How average refunds could still change
Despite Trump’s legislative changes, the average refund size pattern has aligned with previous years, with the biggest payments reported in late February, and refund amounts gradually declining before Tax Day.
In a Jan. 26 release, the White House said the average taxpayer could receive an extra $1,000 or more, citing early October data from investment bank Piper Sandler. But average tax refunds have been smaller, with year-over-year payments up around $350 over the past few updates, according to IRS data.
That average could still change with two more IRS updates through the April 15 tax deadline.
“It seems that that tip and overtime earners were incentivized to file early, potentially in anticipation of larger refunds,” Andrew Lautz, director of tax policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit think tank, told reporters Thursday during a press call.
Some 81% of filers with tip or overtime income were likely to file in January or February, according to a Bipartisan Policy Center poll of 1,200 Americans from March.
If that’s a broader trend, the average refund size could decrease by April 15 compared with earlier in the filing season, Lautz said.
Alternatively, last-minute filers claiming the federal deduction limit for state and local taxes, known as SALT, could still lift average payments, Lautz said. For 2025, Trump’s legislation raised the SALT limit to $40,000 from $10,000, which could offer larger payments for eligible filers who itemize tax breaks.