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The average tax refund this season is up 11.3% so far compared to about the same time in 2025, according to IRS filing data through tax day.
The average refund for individual filers as of April 17 was $3,275, up from $2,942 about a year ago, the IRS said Friday.
The IRS data reflects about 140.2 million individual returns, out of the approximately 164 million originally expected by the April 15 deadline.
The IRS typically provides several more filing season updates after the April deadline before the end of the year, including an October extension deadline. Some filers affected by natural disasters still have time to file their claims.
This season, many Americans received larger tax refunds under changes enacted by President Donald Trump’s “Big and Beautiful Bill.”
The law included tax cuts for 2025, but the IRS did not update the withholding schedules for employers. As a result, many W-2 workers will be overpaying in taxes through the end of 2025, and President Trump said filers will face “the biggest tax refund season in history.”
The White House announced in January that average refunds could increase by “more than $1,000” from a year earlier, based on an October study by investment bank Piper Sandler. But on average, refunds are about $350 higher, according to IRS filing data.
President Trump’s tax cuts and refunds have become a focus for Republicans as many Americans struggle with affordability. As November’s midterm elections approach and Republicans struggle to maintain control of Congress, both parties are focusing on voters’ wallets.
Who benefited from Trump’s tax cuts?
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a Senate Appropriations hearing on April 22 that more than 60 million returns had been filed this tax filing season, one of President Trump’s “highlight new tax cuts,” including new deductions for tip income, overtime pay, seniors and auto loan interest.
Bessent said the average tip deduction this season was more than $7,000, the average tax deduction for overtime income was more than $3,100, and the average deduction for seniors was more than $7,500.
Some filers who itemize their tax deductions also say they’re seeing a windfall benefit from expanded federal deduction limits 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 Treasury Department has not released data points regarding SALT credit claims for the 2026 filing season. But Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said there are “particularly large refunds” in high-tax states, which could signal an expansion of the SALT deduction in states like California and New Jersey.
At a Tax Day press conference, Bessent urged taxpayers to adjust their workplace payroll withholdings in 2026 for “automatic real wage increases,” but many tax experts criticized the advice on social media.
A Bipartisan Policy Center survey found that most filers (about 56%) were at least somewhat aware of President Trump’s tax cuts this season. The nonprofit think tank conducted a survey of 1,200 taxpayers in late March.
But policy experts say it’s difficult to predict whether President Trump’s tax cuts will have an impact on voters during the midterm elections.
