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The average tax refund this season is 11.2% higher than around the same time in 2025, according to the latest IRS filing data.
The average refund for individual filers as of April 10 was $3,397, up from $3,055 about a year ago, the IRS reported Friday.
IRS data reflects approximately 114 million individual returns received out of approximately 164 million expected by tax day. Next week’s application update will include data through the April 15 deadline.
President Donald Trump’s 2025 bill, renamed the “Working Families Tax Cut,” has become a key talking point for Republicans on Tax Day.
As November’s midterm elections approach and Republicans maintain a slim majority in Congress, many Republicans are emphasizing President Trump’s tax cuts and increase in average refunds.
Meanwhile, affordability has become a top priority for many Americans as gas, electricity, food and other living costs soar.
Nearly a quarter, or 23%, of filers expecting a refund this season plan to use the funds to pay down credit card debt, and the same percentage said they would save money on their payments, according to a quarterly financial survey released in April by CNBC and SurveyMonkey. The survey was conducted at the end of March among 3,494 U.S. adults.
Who benefited from President Trump’s ‘Big and Beautiful Bill’?
“It’s been a great tax season for Americans,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at a White House press briefing Wednesday, noting that many Americans have benefited from President Trump’s tax cuts.
The Treasury Department also announced Wednesday that more than 53 million filers have claimed at least one of President Trump’s “highlight new tax cuts”: deductions for tip income, overtime pay, senior citizens, and auto loan interest.
According to the Treasury Department, filers who claim deductions under Schedule 1-A receive an average tax reduction of more than $800. Depending on the filer’s situation, tax reductions can increase the amount of your refund or reduce the amount of tax owed.
Some filers who itemize their tax deductions also find themselves benefiting from an expanded federal deduction limit for state and local taxes, known as SALT. President Trump’s bill would increase the cap from $10,000 to $40,000 in 2025.
The latest SALT deduction limit changes are expected to primarily benefit high-income earners, according to a May 2025 analysis of various proposals from the Tax Foundation.
The Treasury Department has not released data on the number of filers who claimed the SALT deduction during the 2026 filing season.
