Average tax refund reached $3,275 in the 2026 filing season, IRS data show

The average federal tax refund reached $3,275 in the 2026 filing season, up 11.3% from $2,942 a year earlier, according to IRS filing season statistics for returns processed through April 17. The IRS said on Thursday that total refunds claimed rose 17%.

What happened

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published its fiscal year 2026 results in a news release on Thursday, October 29. It said the total dollar amount of refunds claimed rose 17% from the previous year, and that the average refund was up 11%.

The agency's weekly statistics table, which compares April 18, 2025, with April 17, 2026, gives the underlying figures. The IRS refunded $296.067 billion to individuals in 2026, against $253.116 billion a year earlier, a rise of 17.0%. That is $42.951 billion more (computed).

The number of refunds grew less than the amount. The IRS issued 90,411,000 refunds, up 5.1% from 86,021,000, while it received 140,222,000 individual returns, 0.3% fewer than the 140,633,000 received a year earlier. The average refund therefore rose by $333 (computed) because each check was larger, not because many more were sent.

The IRS said about 90% of filers who filed electronically received refunds in less than 21 days. It also said refunds paid by direct deposit rose 12% from last year. The statistics table shows 90,781,000 direct deposit refunds worth $296.723 billion, with an average of $3,269, up 8.1% from $3,023.

Why the IRS says refunds grew

The release credits tax legislation it calls the Working Families Tax Cuts for the larger refunds. IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank J. Bisignano said the agency "delivered to America's working families historic refunds due to the tax cuts enacted in the Working Families Tax Cuts." The release is the agency's own account of its performance, and the statistics table does not break refunds down by tax provision, so the data does not show how much of the increase came from any single change.

The IRS also reported that the overall average tax rate paid fell to 12.6%, a decrease of 4% from 2025, based on individual income tax returns filed through mid-July for tax year 2025. The release does not give the 2025 rate, and the 4% figure is the agency's own wording, so it is unclear whether it means a relative change or a change in percentage points.

Revenue and service figures

The IRS said it collected a record $5.6 trillion in taxes in fiscal year 2026, an increase of nearly 5% from the previous year.

On service, the agency said IRS.gov recorded more than 954 million visits and taxpayers made nearly 469 million "Where's My Refund?" status checks. About 37.6 million people used an Individual Online Account, up 34%, and payments through those accounts rose 57% to more than $133.6 billion. The IRS said it protected about $38 billion in tax revenue from identity theft refund fraud in fiscal year 2026.

Trump Accounts

The release also reported on Trump Accounts, investment accounts for children under 18 created under the same legislation. The IRS said nearly 70 million are open and 27 million have received funds. The federal government contributes $1,000 to each child born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, the release said.

What to watch

The figures are the IRS's own and cover returns filed for tax year 2025. The statistics table is cumulative to April 17, so later filings, including extensions, are not in it. The agency has not said when the 2027 filing season will open, and its published figures for the next season will show whether average refunds stay at this level.