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Average IRS tax refund is up 10.2%, based on early filing data
The average IRS tax refund is up 10.2%, based on early filing data. Here's what filers need to know.
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Average IRS tax refund is up 10.2%, based on early filing data
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA@in/katedore/
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Key Points
- The average tax refund is 10.2% higher so far this season, compared to about the same period in 2025, according to early IRS filing data.
- As of Feb. 20, the average refund amount for individual filers was $3,804, up from $3,453 about one year prior, the IRS reported on Friday.
- The year-over-year percentage change is down from the 14.2% increase reported last week.
- The latest batch of IRS data includes some payments with the earned income tax credit, or EITC, and additional child tax credit, or ACTC, which can boost the average refund size.
Andreypopov | Istock | Getty Images
The average tax refund is 10.2% higher so far this season, compared to about the same period in 2025, according to the latest IRS filing data. The year-over-year percentage change is down from the 14.2% increase reported last week.
As of Feb. 20, the average refund amount for individual filers was $3,804, up from $3,453 about one year prior, the IRS reported on Friday.
The total amount refunded was about $109 billion, up 6.9% from 2025, according to the IRS release. But the total returns processed were down by 2.4%.
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Amid consumer concerns about affordability, the Trump administration has emphasized how Trump's "big beautiful bill" may impact the size of tax refunds this season.
In a late January release, the White House said average tax refunds could increase "by $1,000 or more," citing several media reports that reference early October research from investment bank Piper Sandler.
A Feb. 26 report from Oxford Economics estimates that tax refunds will jump by nearly 20% this year, with more benefits flowing to middle- and upper-income households than usual, based on changes enacted via Trump's 2025 tax cuts.
However, individual refunds could vary based on 2025 paycheck withholdings and which of Trump's provisions impact their family's situation, experts say.
Average tax refunds typically increase by late February
By law, the IRS can't send refunds claiming the earned income tax credit or the refundable part of the child tax credit, known as the additional child tax credit or ACTC, until Feb. 15.
That means the agency's first two filing season statistics releases, reflecting data through Feb. 6 and Feb. 13, respectively, did not include the millions of refunds with these credits.
"As we head into late February, the average refund size pops — it gets larger," said Andrew Lautz, director of tax policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit think tank.
[Trump tax laws to produce higher refunds in 2026]
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VIDEO4:0804:08
Trump tax laws to produce higher refunds in 2026
From Feb. 13 to Feb. 20, the average tax refund size jumped from $2,476 to $3,804. But with limited tax filing data, it's too early to make conclusions about average tax refunds this season, experts say.
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