What was the average tax refund for 2026?

If you have already finished your tax filings for the year, you might have noticed a little more extra cash in your bank account compared to last cycle. According to the latest data from the IRS, taxpayers are generally seeing higher refunds across the board this year.

Tax season by the numbers

As of May 8, the IRS has processed 144.9 million tax returns for the 2025 tax year. While that reflects a slight dip of 0.6% in total returns processed, the agency has handled 143.9 million returns to date—a 0.3% increase compared to last year. Electronic filing remains the dominant method for Americans, accounting for 141 million of those returns.

Refund totals are on the rise

The total volume of refunds has climbed by 6%, reaching 99.138 million in 2026 compared to 93.569 million in the previous year. Even more impressive is the total dollar amount refunded, which sits at $324.78 million, marking an 18% jump from the previous year.

On an individual level, the average refund hit $3,276 this year, representing a 12% increase over last year’s average of $2,939. This trend was predicted by President Trump, who attributed the growth to the One Big Beautiful Bill, which implemented various tax cuts, an expanded standard deduction, and increased child credits.

Direct deposit remains the gold standard

The shift away from paper checks continues to accelerate, with direct deposit becoming the preferred route for most taxpayers. The IRS issued 99.23 million refunds via direct deposit, a 14% increase from last year. For those opting for direct deposit, the average refund check was $3,273, an 8% increase over the $3,034 average recorded last year, according to 205focus.com reporting.