According to the latest IRS statistics, average tax refunds have increased by almost 6% since this point last year.
IRS data on March 7 shows an average refund amount of $3,324 for 2025, an increase of $179, at $3,145 for 2024. Compared to 43 million people in 2024, there was an increase of 43.6 million people, or 1.5%, in 2025.
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The IRS issued a total of $145 billion this year, up 7.2% last year. The majority of refunds (41.7 million) are paid through direct deposits averaged $3,379.
However, the actual number of returns received and the number processed has decreased. At this point in 2024, the IRS received 62.7 million returns, down 2.1%, compared to 61.4 million this year. It processed 60.7 million returns, down 1.8% from last year's 61.8 million figure.
The overwhelming majority of returns – 59.8 million – are submitted digitally, and filers use tax experts for about half of the returns, and half prepare documents for themselves.
The IRS began accepting and processing taxes on January 27th, and expects more than 140 million returns by the April 15th deadline.
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