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The average tax refund so far this season is about $350 higher than at about the same time in 2025, according to the latest IRS filing data.
As of March 27, the average refund for individual filers was $3,521, up from $3,170 about a year ago, the IRS reported Friday.
The IRS data reflects about 88.4 million individual tax returns received, out of about 164 million expected by the April 15 deadline.
This season, many filers are receiving larger tax refunds under changes enacted by President Donald Trump’s “The Big and Beautiful Bill” enacted in July.
Most workers in the United States are W-2 employees, and companies pay taxes through payroll withholding throughout the year.
President Trump’s bill included tax cuts for 2025, but the IRS did not update tax withholding tables, leaving many workers overpaying in taxes through the remainder of 2025.
Generally, if you overpay in taxes, you can expect a tax refund. Or you might end up with a balance because you didn’t make enough payments.
The size of tax refunds is a focus for Republicans as the November midterm elections approach. Republicans point out that the average refund caused by President Trump’s tax cuts is larger because many Americans struggle with affordability.
Impact of President Trump’s bill on revenue
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview on “Fox & Friends” in late March that nearly 50% of tax returns filed in 2026 included deductions for tip income, overtime pay, senior citizens and auto loan interest, one of Trump’s “signature campaign policies.”
Bessent said the overtime deduction is a “home run” being claimed on 25% of the roughly 20 million returns received by the IRS as of March 20.
The average taxpayer could receive more than $1,000 in additional benefits, the White House said in a Jan. 26 announcement, citing data from investment bank Piper Sandler from early October. But so far, the average tax refund has been smaller, according to IRS data.
“We’re seeing an increase in refunds,” Tom Oseven, director of tax content and government relations at the National Association of Tax Professionals, said at a news conference last week.
“I don’t know if it’s substantial, but what’s substantial to one person is trivial to another,” he said.
