Average IRS Tax Refund Jumps to $2,290, Up Nearly 11 Percent From Last Year
By Ben SmithEarly IRS filing season data show taxpayers receiving larger refunds compared to the same point last year, according to the agency’s latest weekly statistics.
The increase is meaningful, not marginal.
The average tax refund is 10.9 percent higher so far this season compared to the same point in 2025, according to early filing data from the IRS.
The percentage is attention-grabbing. The dollar figures show the scale.
As of Feb. 6, the average refund was $2,290, up from $2,065 a year earlier. The IRS also reported that more than $16.9 billion in refunds had already been issued, a 1.9 percent increase in total dollars compared to last year.
Those are processed returns and issued payments, not projections.
“Average refund amounts are strong,” the IRS said in its latest weekly filing report.
That is how the agency is characterizing the early data. The weekly report also shows that filing activity itself is tracking close to last year’s pace.
"The number of returns received so far this filing season is tracking close to the same pace as the prior year."
That matters because it removes a common distortion in early-filing data. When return volume drops sharply, averages can spike artificially. That is not what the current numbers show. Comparable filing activity combined with higher average refunds suggests the shift is tied to refund size rather than a statistical quirk.
Only after that broader context comes into focus does the seasonal caution become clear.
“Early data [for refunds] can be deceiving,” Andrew Lautz, director of tax policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, wrote in a tax season guide.
He’s not wrong. Filing-season numbers tend to move once mid-February processing restrictions lift, and refundable credits begin flowing. In recent years, average refunds have climbed quickly and then eased as more returns enter the system.
There are other moving pieces as well. Wage growth, changes in withholding patterns, and credit timing can all affect how much comes back at filing time.
Still, the current comparison is not built on thin data. Return volume is tracking close to last year’s pace, and the reporting window is consistent. The increase is showing up in both percentage and dollar terms.
A tax refund is simply withheld income being returned. It is not a new benefit or a new program. If the early numbers hold, more of that income will be landing back in household accounts this spring.
In practical terms, the timing of refunds can influence how households manage early-year expenses. Many taxpayers use refunds to pay down credit card balances, cover medical bills, or rebuild savings after the holidays. A modest increase in the average refund may not reshape long-term financial trends, but for some households it can provide short-term breathing room at the start of the year.
The IRS will update its figures weekly. Those reports will show whether the early bump moderates or sticks. For now, the early data point is what it is: Refunds are running higher than they were at this stage last year.
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