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The\u00a0average tax refund<\/a>\u00a0is 11.1% higher so far this season, compared with about the same period in 2025, according to the latest IRS filing data.<\/p>\n As of April 3, the\u00a0average refund amount<\/a>\u00a0for individual filers was $3,462, up from $3,116 about one year ago, the IRS reported on Friday.<\/p>\n The IRS data reflects about 99.8 million individual returns received, out of\u00a0about 164 million expected<\/a>\u00a0through the April 15 deadline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Many filers have seen bigger tax refunds<\/a> this season due to the 2025 changes enacted via President Donald Trump<\/a>‘s “big beautiful bill<\/a>.”\u00a0<\/p>\n With higher refunds on average, Republicans have pointed to Trump’s signature policies, such as new deductions for\u00a0tip income<\/a>,\u00a0overtime earnings<\/a>,\u00a0seniors<\/a> and\u00a0auto loan interest<\/a>.\u00a0But rising gasoline prices<\/a> amid the Iran war have threatened to offset that windfall<\/a>, according to some analysts.<\/p>\n Both parties have focused on affordability ahead of the November midterm elections as many Americans struggle with elevated costs<\/a> of gas, electricity, food and other living expenses. <\/p>\n For filers expecting a refund, nearly one-quarter, or 23%, will use the funds to pay down credit card debt, and the same share will save the payment, according to the CNBC and Survey Monkey Quarterly Money Survey<\/a>, released in April, which polled 3,494 U.S. adults at the end of March.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Despite Trump’s legislative changes, the average refund size pattern has aligned with previous years, with the biggest payments<\/a> reported in late February, and refund amounts gradually declining before Tax Day. <\/p>\n In a Jan. 26\u00a0release<\/a>, the White House said the average taxpayer could\u00a0receive an extra $1,000<\/a>\u00a0or more, citing early October data from investment bank Piper Sandler.\u00a0But average\u00a0tax refunds have been smaller<\/a>, with year-over-year payments up around $350 over the past few updates, according to IRS data. <\/p>\n That average could still change with two more IRS updates through the April 15 tax deadline.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “It seems that that tip and overtime earners were incentivized to file early, potentially in anticipation of larger refunds,” Andrew Lautz, director of tax policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit think tank, told reporters Thursday during a press call. <\/p>\n Some 81% of filers with tip or overtime income<\/a> were likely to file in January or February, according to a Bipartisan Policy Center poll of 1,200 Americans from March.<\/p>\n If that’s a broader trend, the average refund size could decrease by April 15 compared with earlier in the filing season, Lautz said. <\/p>\n Alternatively, last-minute filers claiming the federal deduction limit for state and local taxes<\/a>, known as SALT, could still lift average payments, Lautz said. For 2025, Trump’s legislation raised the SALT limit to $40,000 from $10,000, which could offer larger payments for eligible filers who itemize tax breaks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRead more CNBC personal finance coverage<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
How average refunds could still change<\/h2>\n
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