Early tax filers are having fun with larger refunds in comparison with the identical time final yr, based on the newest figures from the Inner Income Service.
As of Feb. 6, 2026, tax refunds averaged $2,290, up practically 11% from the identical level final yr. “Common refund quantities are robust,” the IRS stated in a statement final week.
Forecasters have predicted filers would benefit from larger checks this yr as a result of a collection of recent tax provisions included within the “one big, beautiful” invoice signed by President Trump in July. One monetary companies agency, Piper Sandler, estimated the common fee would increase by about $1,000 per filer.
The biggest benefits are more likely to circulation to these within the prime 10% of households, specialists have stated. Decrease-earning taxpayers may even see features, however they are not as more likely to get pleasure from as massive a leap in refund quantities as higher-income households, based on a Jan. 30 evaluation from funding agency Principal Asset Administration.
Tax season officially kicked off on Jan. 26, 2026. As of early February, the IRS has obtained practically 22.4 million returns, barely down from 23.6 million the identical time final yr, the company’s information reveals.
Individuals who file electronically normally get their refunds in fewer than 21 days, based on the IRS.
Refund sizes more likely to develop
Refunds will probably develop in dimension as tax season progresses. That is partly as a result of lower-income People are inclined to file early, whereas wealthier households, which have extra advanced tax returns, take longer to file.
The typical refund quantity sometimes begins small, peaks in mid-February after which slips barely by way of the tip of tax season, Andrew Lautz, director of tax coverage for the Bipartisan Coverage Heart, a Washington, D.C.-based suppose tank, stated in a policy brief final month. Final yr, the common refund was $2,939, based on the Bipartisan Coverage Heart.
The IRS sometimes releases a recent batch of knowledge every week throughout tax season and gives just a few subsequent updates after submitting concludes on April 15.
The company stated it expects refund numbers to be greater when it posts an replace on Feb. 27. That is as a result of by that time, the company could have processed among the refunds of People who claimed the Earned Earnings Tax Credit score and Further Little one Tax Credit score, refundable tax credit designed for low- to moderate-income working households.
