The 2026 filing season in numbers
| IRS figure (M = million, B = billion) | 2025 (to May 9) | 2026 (to May 8) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Returns received | 145.9M | 145.0M | −0.6% |
| Returns e-filed | 139.5M | 141.0M | +1.1% |
| Refunds issued | 93.6M | 99.1M | +6.0% |
| Total amount refunded | $275.0B | $324.8B | +18.1% |
| Average refund | $2,939 | $3,276 | +11.5% |
| Average direct deposit refund* | $3,034 | $3,273 | +7.9% |
These are the IRS's cumulative numbers for returns filed from the season's opening (January 26, 2026) through May 8, the last weekly report of the season. Refunds counted are for 2025 tax returns. *Direct deposit figures also include refunds on prior-year returns. Late filers and people on extension are not in these numbers.
Average refund week by week
The average rose from $2,290 in early February to a peak of $3,804 on February 20, then eased to $3,276 by May 8, 2026. Every week it was above the same point of 2025, which ended at $2,939. Each point is the average of all refunds issued so far that season.
| Week ending | Average refund 2026 | Same point 2025 | Change | Refunds so far |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6 | $2,290 | $2,065 | +10.9% | 7.4M |
| Feb 13 | $2,476 | $2,169 | +14.2% | 13.0M |
| Feb 20 | $3,804 | $3,453 | +10.2% | 28.7M |
| Feb 27 | $3,742 | $3,382 | +10.6% | 36.5M |
| Mar 6 | $3,676 | $3,324 | +10.6% | 43.8M |
| Mar 13 | $3,623 | $3,271 | +10.8% | 50.4M |
| Mar 20 | $3,571 | $3,221 | +10.9% | 56.7M |
| Mar 27 | $3,521 | $3,170 | +11.1% | 63.0M |
| Apr 3 | $3,462 | $3,116 | +11.1% | 69.8M |
| Apr 10 | $3,397 | $3,055 | +11.2% | 78.0M |
| Apr 17 | $3,275 | $2,942 | +11.3% | 90.4M |
| Apr 24 | $3,268 | $2,945 | +11.0% | 95.7M |
| May 1 | $3,273 | $2,947 | +11.1% | 97.9M |
| May 8 | $3,276 | $2,939 | +11.5% | 99.1M |
The average was higher than the year before in every week, by $225 to $360, and by about $320 to $360 from mid-February on. The 2025 figures are for the week ending one day later (February 7 to May 9, 2025); both seasons opened on a Monday.
Why refunds were bigger in 2026
Returns filed in 2026 covered tax year 2025, the first year of the tax law signed in July 2025. It added several deductions many workers could claim on top of the standard deduction:
- No tax on overtime: up to $12,500 of overtime premium ($25,000 joint).
- No tax on tips: up to $25,000 of qualified tips.
- A $6,000 deduction for people 65 and older.
- Car loan interest on a new U.S.-assembled car: up to $10,000.
- A bigger standard deduction ($15,750 single, $31,500 joint) and a $2,200 child tax credit.
The IRS left its 2025 withholding tables unchanged for the new law, so unless they filed a new W-4, workers who qualified for the new deductions got the savings as a refund rather than in their paychecks. The IRS says the average federal income tax rate on 2025 returns fell to 12.6%, a 4% relative decline, based on returns filed through mid-July. These are averages; how much any one refund changed varies widely.
Why the average peaked in late February
By law, the IRS can't send refunds that include the earned income tax credit or the additional child tax credit before mid-February. Those refunds are often large, so when they were released the average jumped from $2,476 (February 13) to $3,804 (February 20). After that, people with smaller refunds and the April rush pulled the average down to about $3,270.
More numbers from the IRS for fiscal 2026
From the IRS's report on its fiscal year ending September 30, 2026:
- About 90% of people who filed electronically got their refund in less than 21 days.
- 12% more refunds went by direct deposit than a year earlier, in line with the order to phase out paper checks.
- IRS.gov had more than 954 million visits, and people ran nearly 469 million Where's My Refund? checks.
- About 37.6 million people used an IRS Individual Online Account, up 34%.
- The new IRS app was downloaded more than 140,000 times in its first five days.
- The IRS stopped about $38 billion in identity theft refund fraud.
- Nearly 70 million Trump Accounts are open, and 27 million have received money.
What this means for your 2027 refund
Returns filed in 2027 cover tax year 2026. The deductions continue, the standard deduction rises to $16,100 single and $32,200 joint (2026 brackets), and overtime now has to be reported on your W-2 in box 12, code TT. If your 2026 paychecks already reflected the new deductions, for example through the 2026 Form W-4, part of the savings came during the year and your refund may be smaller than last year's. Estimate yours with the tax refund calculator, and see when it should arrive.
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Overtime Kept, "Average tax refund in 2026: IRS data, week by week," https://overtimekept.com/average-tax-refund-2026/
Common questions
What was the average tax refund in 2026? $3,276, according to IRS filing season statistics through May 8, 2026. That is 11.5% more than the $2,939 average at the same point in 2025. The average direct deposit refund was $3,273.
How many tax refunds did the IRS send in 2026? 99.1 million refunds totaling $324.8 billion by May 8, 2026, compared with 93.6 million refunds and $275.0 billion a year earlier.
Why were tax refunds bigger in 2026? Returns filed in 2026 were the first to include the new deductions for overtime, tips, seniors and car loan interest, plus a larger standard deduction and a $2,200 child tax credit. The IRS left its 2025 paycheck withholding tables unchanged for the new law, so unless they filed a new W-4, workers who qualified for the new deductions got the savings as a refund rather than in their paychecks. The IRS says the average federal income tax rate fell to 12.6%. This is an average; individual changes vary widely.
Why was the average refund highest in late February? By law the IRS can't send refunds that include the earned income tax credit or the additional child tax credit before mid-February. Those refunds tend to be large, so the average jumped from $2,476 on February 13 to $3,804 on February 20, then eased as more returns came in.
Will my 2027 refund be as big? It depends on your withholding. If your 2026 paychecks already reflected the new deductions, for example because you filled in the 2026 Form W-4, more of the savings came during the year and your refund may be smaller. Use the tax refund calculator to estimate yours.
Updated November 5, 2026. Source: IRS filing season statistics, weekly releases from February 6 to May 8, 2026; IRS news release IR-2026-129 on fiscal year 2026 (October 29, 2026); IRS news release IR-2025-82 on 2025 withholding tables (August 7, 2025).