Research
The U.S. Tax Filing Season Report 2026: How Americans File, by the Numbers
A data story on returns, refunds, e-filing, and service for the 2026 filing season, with the multi-year trend.
Published by The Ledgerism Brief. Data current to 2026-06-29. All figures are sourced to IRS, BLS, and the National Taxpayer Advocate. Dollar amounts are in current (nominal) dollars unless labeled inflation-adjusted.
The 2026 filing season (returns for Tax Year 2025) is the reference season throughout. The most recent complete IRS weekly release covers the cumulative period through May 8, 2026, and is used as the headline 2026 dataset. Full-year final 2026 figures will not publish until late December 2026.
Executive summary
- The IRS received 144,992,000 individual income tax returns through May 8, 2026, down 0.6% from 145,855,000 at the same point in 2025 (IRS Filing Season Statistics, week ending May 8, 2026).
- 141,046,000 returns were filed electronically through May 8, 2026, representing 97.3% of returns received in that cumulative count, up 1.1% in volume year over year (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- The IRS issued 99,138,000 refunds worth $324.757 billion through May 8, 2026, up 6.0% in count and 18.1% in dollars versus the same point in 2025 (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- The average refund was $3,276 through May 8, 2026, up 11.5% from $2,939 a year earlier in nominal terms (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- Adjusted for inflation to March 2026 dollars, the average refund has fallen about 12% since 2022, from roughly $3,735 (2022 season) to $3,276 (2026 season), even as the nominal figure rose (Ledgerism calculation; IRS final-season averages; BLS CPI-U).
- Direct deposit accounted for the large majority of refund dollars, with $324.744 billion in direct-deposit refunds recorded through May 8, 2026 (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- The National Taxpayer Advocate reported that about 98% of refunds were delivered by direct deposit and about 65% of returns resulted in a refund in the 2026 filing season (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report to Congress).
- Phone service weakened: IRS telephone assistors answered 9.9 million of 48.1 million calls (21%) during the 2026 season, down from 12.4 million of 50.2 million (25%) in 2025 (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report).
Key findings
- The IRS received 144,992,000 individual returns through May 8, 2026, versus 145,855,000 a year earlier, a 0.6% decline (IRS Filing Season Statistics, May 8, 2026).
- The IRS processed 143,925,000 returns through May 8, 2026, up 0.3% from 143,556,000 in 2025 (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- Electronic filing reached 141,046,000 returns through May 8, 2026, up 1.1% year over year (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- Tax professionals e-filed 75,316,000 returns and self-preparers e-filed 65,730,000 through May 8, 2026 (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- The IRS issued 99,138,000 refunds through May 8, 2026, up 6.0% from 93,569,000 in 2025 (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- Total refund dollars reached $324.757 billion through May 8, 2026, up 18.1% from $274.979 billion a year earlier (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- The average refund was $3,276 through May 8, 2026, an 11.5% nominal increase over $2,939 in 2025 (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- Direct deposit refunds totaled 99,225,000 worth $324.744 billion through May 8, 2026, up 14.1% in count and 23.1% in dollars (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- The average direct deposit refund was $3,273 through May 8, 2026, up 7.9% from $3,034 in 2025 (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- In FY 2025, the IRS processed 162,754,810 individual income tax returns and 271,442,355 total returns and forms (IRS FY2025 Data Book, Table 1-2).
- In FY 2025, 93.7% of individual returns were filed electronically (IRS FY2025 Data Book).
- In FY 2025, the IRS issued 116.9 million refunds to individuals totaling $516.4 billion (IRS FY2025 Data Book, Tables 1-7 and 1-8).
- The IRS estimated more than 20 million taxpayers were expected to file by the extended October 15 deadline in 2025 (IRS news release IR-2025-104, October 2025).
- In the 2026 filing season, about 65% of returns resulted in a refund and about 98% of refunds were delivered by direct deposit (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report to Congress).
- More than one million taxpayers did not receive refunds within normal processing time in 2026, waiting an average of about 5.5 weeks (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report to Congress).
Section 1: Returns received and processed
The IRS publishes weekly cumulative filing statistics during each season, comparing each Friday with the corresponding Friday a year earlier. The 2026 numbers below are cumulative through May 8, 2026, the most recent complete weekly release.
The IRS received 144,992,000 individual income tax returns through May 8, 2026, a 0.6% decline from 145,855,000 at the comparable point in 2025 (IRS, May 8, 2026). The IRS processed 143,925,000 returns through May 8, 2026, a 0.3% increase from 143,556,000 a year earlier (IRS, May 8, 2026).
Returns received and returns processed differ because returns can be received in one period and processed in another, and because the IRS suspends some returns for review. The National Taxpayer Advocate reported that more than 14 million returns were suspended during processing in the 2026 season (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report to Congress).
For the full federal picture, the IRS FY2025 Data Book reports 162,754,810 individual income tax returns and 271,442,355 total returns and other forms filed in fiscal year 2025 (IRS FY2025 Data Book, Table 1-2). Fiscal-year Data Book totals run higher than single-season weekly cumulative totals because they capture late and extension filers across the full fiscal year.
Limitation: The 2026 weekly cumulative figures exclude returns received after May 8, 2026, including most October-extension filers. They are not directly comparable to full-year Data Book totals.
Section 2: E-file versus paper
Electronic filing dominates. Through May 8, 2026, 141,046,000 of 144,992,000 returns received were filed electronically, which is 97.3% of returns in that cumulative count (Ledgerism calculation; IRS, May 8, 2026). E-filed volume rose 1.1% year over year (IRS, May 8, 2026).
Within e-filing, tax professionals submitted 75,316,000 returns and self-preparers submitted 65,730,000 through May 8, 2026 (IRS, May 8, 2026). Self-prepared e-filing grew faster (up 1.7%) than practitioner e-filing (up 0.6%) in that period (IRS, May 8, 2026).
The full-fiscal-year e-file rate is more conservative because it includes the paper-heavy tail of late filers. In FY 2025, 93.7% of individual returns were filed electronically (IRS FY2025 Data Book). In FY 2025, paid preparers e-filed 86.7 million individual returns and 3.2 million returns came through IRS Free File (IRS FY2025 Data Book, Table 1-4). Across all return types, 224.2 million of 271.4 million returns and forms were filed electronically in FY 2025, an 82.6% overall e-file rate (IRS FY2025 Data Book).
Limitation and reconciliation: The 97.3% within-season figure and the 93.7% full-year individual figure are both correct for their respective denominators. The within-season share is higher because paper filers are over-represented among late and extension filers who file after the spring cutoff. For year-to-year comparability, the Data Book individual e-file rate is the cleaner series.
Section 3: Refunds, refund dollars, and average refund
The IRS issued 99,138,000 refunds through May 8, 2026, up 6.0% from 93,569,000 a year earlier (IRS, May 8, 2026). Total refund dollars reached $324.757 billion, up 18.1% from $274.979 billion in 2025 (IRS, May 8, 2026). The average refund was $3,276, up 11.5% in nominal terms from $2,939 (IRS, May 8, 2026).
The average refund rose because total refund dollars grew far faster than refund count. The Forbes analysis of the same IRS data described the 2026 pattern as fewer returns but bigger refunds, attributing the larger average to tax-law changes affecting Tax Year 2025 (Forbes, citing IRS filing-season data, April 2026).
For the full fiscal year, the IRS issued 116.9 million refunds to individuals totaling $516.4 billion in FY 2025 (IRS FY2025 Data Book, Tables 1-7 and 1-8). The FY2025 Data Book reports an average individual income tax refund of $3,173 (IRS FY2025 Data Book footnote, Form 1040 series basis).
Note on direction: A larger average refund is not unambiguously good for taxpayers. A refund represents an interest-free overpayment returned to the taxpayer after the fact, so a rising average refund can reflect over-withholding or new credits rather than improved household finances.
Section 4: Direct deposit
Direct deposit is the dominant refund delivery method. Through May 8, 2026, the IRS issued 99,225,000 direct deposit refunds worth $324.744 billion (IRS, May 8, 2026). Direct deposit count rose 14.1% and direct deposit dollars rose 23.1% year over year (IRS, May 8, 2026). The average direct deposit refund was $3,273 through May 8, 2026 (IRS, May 8, 2026).
The National Taxpayer Advocate reported that about 98% of all 2026 refunds were delivered by direct deposit (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report to Congress).
Methodology note: In the IRS weekly tables, total refunds count current-year returns only, while direct deposit refunds include both current-year and prior-year returns processed during 2026. This is why the direct-deposit count (99,225,000) can slightly exceed the total-refunds count (99,138,000) in the same release. The two columns use different populations and should not be divided to produce a direct-deposit share.
Section 5: Extensions (Form 4868)
Form 4868 grants an automatic six-month extension of time to file an individual return, moving the deadline from April 15 to October 15. It extends time to file, not time to pay (IRS, About Form 4868).
The IRS estimated that more than 20 million taxpayers were expected to file by the extended October 15 deadline in 2025 (IRS news release IR-2025-104, October 2025).
Data gap: The FY2025 IRS Data Book does not break out a standalone Form 4868 count in Table 1-2; Form 4868 is bundled inside the “supplemental documents” line, which totaled 40,253,171 forms in FY 2025 alongside amended returns and other extension forms (IRS FY2025 Data Book, Table 1-2, footnote 8). A precise standalone extensions count for 2026 could not be verified from a primary Tier-1 source as of 2026-06-29 and is therefore flagged rather than stated.
Section 6: Processing and refund timing, and service quality
The National Taxpayer Advocate characterized the 2026 filing season as largely successful for the majority of taxpayers, with most receiving refunds without significant delay, while service was weaker for taxpayers who encountered problems (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report to Congress; The Tax Adviser, June 2026).
About 65% of 2026 returns resulted in a refund (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report). More than one million taxpayers did not receive refunds within the IRS’s normal processing window and waited an average of about 5.5 weeks (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report). More than 14 million returns were suspended during processing in 2026 (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report).
Phone service declined year over year. In the 2026 season the IRS received 48.1 million calls and assistors answered 9.9 million (21%), with an average hold time of 14 minutes (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report). In the 2025 season the IRS received 50.2 million calls and assistors answered 12.4 million (25%), with an average hold of 8 minutes (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report). The IRS reported an Accounts Management Level of Service of 73% for the 2026 season after lowering targets to shift resources toward paper processing (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report).
IRS.gov web traffic surged. Visits reached 571,527,000 through May 8, 2026, up 62.6% from 351,580,000 a year earlier (IRS, May 8, 2026).
Multi-year trend tables
Table A: Final-season individual filing statistics, 2022 to 2026
Final end-of-season figures (late-December cumulative release) for 2022 to 2025. The 2026 row is cumulative through May 8, 2026 (latest complete release; final 2026 figures publish in December 2026) and is not strictly comparable to the prior full-season rows.
| Filing season | Returns received | Returns processed | E-filed returns | Refunds issued | Total refund $ | Average refund | Source release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 165,774,000 | 168,855,000 | 152,089,000 | 110,567,000 | $359.523B | $3,252 | Wk ending Dec. 30, 2022 |
| 2023 | 162,037,000 | 162,952,000 | 150,141,000 | 105,734,000 | $334.861B | $3,167 | Wk ending Dec. 29, 2023 |
| 2024 | 163,473,000 | 163,515,000 | 151,781,000 | 104,866,000 | $329.073B | $3,138 | Wk ending Dec. 27, 2024 |
| 2025 | 165,824,000 | 165,469,000 | 154,911,000 | 103,846,000 | $328.878B | $3,167 | Wk ending Dec. 26, 2025 |
| 2026 (thru May 8) | 144,992,000 | 143,925,000 | 141,046,000 | 99,138,000 | $324.757B | $3,276 | Wk ending May 8, 2026 |
Source: IRS Filing Season Statistics weekly releases (end-of-season for 2022 to 2025; through May 8 for 2026).
Table B: 2026 versus 2025, cumulative through May 8
| Metric | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total returns received | 145,855,000 | 144,992,000 | -0.6% |
| Total returns processed | 143,556,000 | 143,925,000 | +0.3% |
| E-filed returns | 139,496,000 | 141,046,000 | +1.1% |
| E-filed by tax professionals | 74,896,000 | 75,316,000 | +0.6% |
| E-filed self-prepared | 64,601,000 | 65,730,000 | +1.7% |
| Total refunds issued | 93,569,000 | 99,138,000 | +6.0% |
| Total refund amount | $274.979B | $324.757B | +18.1% |
| Average refund | $2,939 | $3,276 | +11.5% |
| Direct deposit refunds | 86,937,000 | 99,225,000 | +14.1% |
| Direct deposit amount | $263.726B | $324.744B | +23.1% |
| Average direct deposit refund | $3,034 | $3,273 | +7.9% |
Source: IRS Filing Season Statistics, week ending May 8, 2026 (cumulative comparison May 9, 2025 to May 8, 2026).
Table C: Direct deposit, count and dollars, final season 2022 to 2026
| Filing season | Direct deposit refunds | Direct deposit $ | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 100,758,000 | $331.837B | Wk ending Dec. 30, 2022 |
| 2023 | 96,592,000 | $303.759B | Wk ending Dec. 29, 2023 |
| 2024 | 95,001,000 | $301.195B | Wk ending Dec. 27, 2024 |
| 2025 | 94,335,000 | $304.691B | Wk ending Dec. 26, 2025 |
| 2026 (thru May 8) | 99,225,000 | $324.744B | Wk ending May 8, 2026 |
Source: IRS Filing Season Statistics weekly releases.
Original synthesis: three derived insights
Insight 1: The inflation-adjusted refund has fallen even as the nominal refund rose
Logic: Deflate each season’s nominal average refund to March 2026 dollars using the BLS CPI-U (all items, US city average, not seasonally adjusted) for March of the same year. March is chosen because it falls in the heart of each filing season. Formula: real refund = nominal refund x (CPI March 2026 / CPI March of filing year). For 2022 to 2025, the nominal average is the final-season figure; for 2026 it is the through-May-8 figure.
Inputs: IRS final-season average refunds (Table A); BLS CPI-U March values: 2022 = 287.504, 2023 = 301.836, 2024 = 312.332, 2025 = 319.799, 2026 = 330.213.
| Filing season | Nominal average refund | Real average refund (March 2026 $) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $3,252 | $3,735 |
| 2023 | $3,167 | $3,465 |
| 2024 | $3,138 | $3,318 |
| 2025 | $3,167 | $3,270 |
| 2026 (thru May 8) | $3,276 | $3,276 |
Finding: In constant March-2026 dollars, the average refund fell about 12% from the 2022 season ($3,735) to the 2026 season ($3,276), even though the nominal average rose. The nominal 2026 rebound to $3,276 is the first real-terms uptick in the series after three straight real declines.
Limitations: The 2026 value is a partial-season average through May 8, not a final-season figure, and tends to run higher than the eventual full-year average because late filers skew toward balance-due returns. CPI March values are point-in-time, not season averages. Averages can move with the mix of filers, not only with policy.
Insight 2: The e-file adoption curve is flattening near saturation
Logic: Track the individual e-file rate over time using the most comparable available series. The cleanest like-for-like series is the IRS Data Book full-year individual e-file rate. The within-season ratio (e-filed / received) is shown separately and is higher because it excludes the paper-heavy late tail.
Inputs: IRS final-season e-filed / received ratios (Table A) and the FY2025 Data Book individual e-file rate (93.7%).
| Season | Within-season e-file share (e-filed / received) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 91.7% |
| 2023 | 92.7% |
| 2024 | 92.8% |
| 2025 | 93.4% |
| 2026 (thru May 8) | 97.3% |
Finding: The full-year individual e-file rate reached 93.7% in FY 2025 (IRS FY2025 Data Book). Within-season adoption is now above 97% during the core spring window. Year-over-year gains in the within-season series have compressed to roughly one percentage point per year through 2025, the signature of a curve approaching saturation. The apparent jump to 97.3% in 2026 is partly a denominator effect: the May 8 cutoff captures fewer late paper filers than a December cutoff, so the 2026 within-season figure overstates the true full-season rate.
Limitations: Within-season and full-year denominators differ, so the two columns are not directly comparable to each other. The 2026 within-season figure is inflated by the early cutoff. Use the Data Book full-year individual rate (93.7% in FY 2025) for rigorous year-to-year comparison.
Insight 3: A refund-up, service-down divergence in 2026
Logic: Compare the direction of the taxpayer financial outcome (refund dollars) against the direction of live service quality (phone answer rate and hold time) for the 2026 season versus 2025, using IRS refund data and NTA service data.
Inputs: IRS refund dollars (Table B); NTA phone metrics (Section 6).
| Dimension | 2025 | 2026 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total refund dollars (thru early May) | $274.979B | $324.757B | Up 18.1% |
| Average refund | $2,939 | $3,276 | Up 11.5% |
| Calls answered by assistors | 12.4M (25%) | 9.9M (21%) | Down |
| Average phone hold time | 8 min | 14 min | Up (worse) |
Finding: The 2026 season delivered more refund money faster to most filers while live phone service deteriorated. Refund dollars rose 18.1% and the average refund rose 11.5%, yet the assistor answer rate fell from 25% to 21% and average hold time nearly doubled from 8 to 14 minutes. The experience bifurcated: strong for straightforward online filers, weaker for anyone who needed to reach a person.
Limitations: Refund figures are cumulative-period IRS data; phone figures are NTA season-to-date data, so the windows are not identical. The NTA also noted the IRS deliberately lowered phone Level-of-Service targets to redirect staff to paper processing, so the phone decline reflects a resource-allocation choice, not only capacity loss.
Charts to create
- Inflation-adjusted versus nominal average refund, 2022 to 2026. Data: nominal and real (March-2026 dollar) average refund from Insight 1. Source: IRS final-season releases; BLS CPI-U. Insight: the nominal line rises while the real line falls then stabilizes. Citation-worthy because it reframes the headline “bigger refunds” story.
- E-file adoption curve, individual returns. Data: Data Book full-year individual e-file rate plus within-season share, 2022 to 2026. Source: IRS Data Book and weekly releases. Insight: saturation near the mid-90s. Citation-worthy as the canonical adoption chart.
- Refund dollars up, phone answer rate down, 2025 versus 2026. Data: refund dollars and assistor answer rate. Source: IRS and NTA. Insight: service-versus-outcome divergence. Citation-worthy for the taxpayer-experience narrative.
- Direct deposit share of refund dollars over time. Data: direct deposit dollars versus total refund dollars, 2022 to 2026. Source: IRS weekly releases. Insight: near-universal electronic delivery.
- Returns received versus processed, 2026 weekly cumulative. Data: weekly received and processed counts. Source: IRS weekly releases. Insight: processing backlog and suspension dynamics.
Methodology
Source-selection criteria. Tier-1 primary sources only for headline figures: IRS Filing Season Statistics weekly releases, the IRS FY2025 Data Book (Publication 55B), IRS news releases, the National Taxpayer Advocate reports to Congress, and BLS CPI-U. Secondary sources (Forbes, The Tax Adviser) are cited only where they restate or interpret the same primary IRS or NTA data.
Reference season. The 2026 filing season (Tax Year 2025 returns). The headline 2026 dataset is the cumulative IRS release through May 8, 2026, the most recent complete weekly release as of 2026-06-29.
Inclusion and exclusion rules. Every statistic carries a number, a date or period, and a geography (United States). Figures that could not be verified against a primary source were excluded, including a standalone Form 4868 count (flagged in Section 5).
Handling conflicting numbers. Where within-season and full-year denominators differ (e-file rate, average refund), both are presented with the denominator stated. The Data Book full-year series is identified as the comparison standard. The known IRS methodology distinction between total refunds (current-year only) and direct deposit refunds (current and prior year) is disclosed in Section 4.
Derived figures. Real refunds use CPI-U (NSA) March values and the formula in Insight 1. E-file within-season share is e-filed returns divided by returns received from the same release. All derived figures are labeled as Ledgerism calculations.
Limitations. The 2026 figures are partial-season and will be revised upward as late and extension filers report; they are not comparable to full-year Data Book totals. FY2025 Data Book totals are fiscal-year based.
Date of last update. 2026-06-29.
Source quality ranking
Tier 1 (primary government and official bodies):
– IRS Filing Season Statistics, weekly releases for 2022 to 2026 (returns, e-file, refunds, direct deposit, web traffic).
– IRS Filing Season Statistics by Year (index to end-of-season releases).
– IRS FY2025 Data Book, Publication 55B (returns filed, e-file rate, refunds issued, returns-and-forms detail).
– IRS news release IR-2025-104, October 2025 (extension filers expected by October 15).
– National Taxpayer Advocate 2026 Mid-Year Report to Congress (refund timing, suspended returns, phone service).
– U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), used for inflation adjustment.
Tier 2 (credible analysis citing primary data):
– Tax Foundation blog on 2026 IRS data points (interpretation of IRS releases).
Tier 3 (reputable journalism restating primary data):
– Forbes, “Fewer Returns, Bigger Refunds,” April 2026 (restates IRS filing-season figures).
– The Tax Adviser (AICPA), June 2026 (restates NTA report findings).
Excluded: Commercial tax-prep marketing pages (H&R Block, TurboTax, TaxZerone, and similar) citing a generic “more than 19 million” extensions figure without a dated primary IRS source; the round-number CPI values returned by some search snippets where exact NSA monthly values could be verified from a BLS-sourced table instead; any standalone Form 4868 count that could not be traced to Tier-1 primary data.
Citation format (clean lines for major statistics)
- Returns received 2026:
Source: Internal Revenue Service, Filing Season Statistics for Week Ending May 8, 2026. - E-file rate FY2025:
Source: Internal Revenue Service, Fiscal Year 2025 Data Book (Publication 55B), Table 1-4. - Refunds issued FY2025:
Source: Internal Revenue Service, Fiscal Year 2025 Data Book (Publication 55B), Tables 1-7 and 1-8. - Refund timing and phone service 2026:
Source: National Taxpayer Advocate, 2026 Mid-Year Report to Congress. - Extension filers 2025:
Source: Internal Revenue Service, News Release IR-2025-104, October 2025. - Inflation adjustment:
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), not seasonally adjusted, March values.
Journalist-friendly additions
Most quotable statistics
- The IRS issued $324.757 billion in refunds through May 8, 2026, up 18.1% year over year (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- The average refund hit $3,276 through May 8, 2026, up 11.5% in nominal terms (IRS, May 8, 2026).
- Adjusted for inflation, the average refund has fallen about 12% since the 2022 season (Ledgerism calculation; IRS; BLS CPI-U).
- 93.7% of individual returns were e-filed in FY 2025 (IRS FY2025 Data Book).
- IRS phone assistors answered just 21% of calls in the 2026 season, down from 25% in 2025 (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report).
- About 98% of 2026 refunds went out by direct deposit (NTA 2026 Mid-Year Report).
Data limitations
- 2026 figures are cumulative through May 8, 2026, not final; they will rise as extension filers report by October 15, 2026.
- The within-season e-file share (97.3%) is higher than the full-year individual rate (93.7%) because of denominator differences; use the Data Book rate for year-to-year comparison.
- A standalone Form 4868 count is not broken out in the Data Book and is flagged as a gap.
- Direct deposit refund counts include prior-year returns; total refund counts are current-year only.
Downloadable dataset, recommended fields
filing_season_year, period_type (final_season|cumulative_through_date), period_end_date, returns_received, returns_processed, efiled_returns, efiled_tax_professional, efiled_self_prepared, refunds_count, refund_dollars_billions, average_refund_nominal, average_refund_real_mar2026, direct_deposit_count, direct_deposit_dollars_billions, average_direct_deposit_refund, cpi_u_march_nsa, source_release, source_url
Press summary (about 150 words)
Americans filed slightly fewer individual tax returns in the 2026 season but collected substantially larger refunds, according to IRS data through May 8, 2026. The IRS received 144,992,000 returns, down 0.6% from a year earlier, and issued 99,138,000 refunds worth $324.757 billion, up 18.1% in dollars. The average refund rose 11.5% to $3,276. Yet adjusted for inflation to March-2026 dollars, the average refund has fallen roughly 12% since the 2022 season, a Ledgerism Brief analysis of IRS and Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. Electronic filing is near saturation: 93.7% of individual returns were e-filed in fiscal 2025, and about 98% of 2026 refunds went out by direct deposit. Service split in two directions. Most filers got refunds quickly, but IRS phone assistors answered only 21% of calls, down from 25% in 2025, and average hold time nearly doubled to 14 minutes.
Five suggested headlines
- Bigger Refunds, Smaller in Real Terms: The 2026 Tax Season by the Numbers
- The IRS Sent Out $324.8 Billion in Refunds. Inflation Took a Cut.
- E-Filing Hits 94%: How Americans File Their Taxes in 2026
- Refunds Up 18%, Phone Service Down: A Tale of Two Tax Seasons
- 99 Million Refunds and a 14-Minute Hold: Inside the 2026 Filing Season
Ten FAQs
- How many individual tax returns did the IRS receive in 2026? 144,992,000 through May 8, 2026, down 0.6% year over year (IRS).
- What share of returns were e-filed? 93.7% of individual returns in FY 2025; about 97% within the core 2026 season (IRS Data Book; IRS weekly).
- How many refunds were issued and how much? 99,138,000 refunds worth $324.757 billion through May 8, 2026 (IRS).
- What was the average refund in 2026? $3,276, up 11.5% nominally from $2,939 (IRS).
- Is the bigger refund a real gain? Not entirely. In March-2026 dollars the average refund has fallen about 12% since 2022 (Ledgerism; IRS; BLS).
- What share of refunds use direct deposit? About 98% in 2026 (NTA).
- How many people get an extension? More than 20 million were expected to file by the October 15, 2025 extended deadline (IRS IR-2025-104).
- How fast are refunds? Most arrive within normal processing time, but over one million filers waited an average 5.5 extra weeks in 2026 (NTA).
- How is IRS phone service? Assistors answered 21% of calls in 2026, down from 25% in 2025; average hold rose to 14 minutes (NTA).
- How many total returns does the IRS handle? 271,442,355 returns and forms in FY 2025, including 162,754,810 individual returns (IRS Data Book).
Sources
- Internal Revenue Service, Filing Season Statistics for Week Ending May 8, 2026. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending-may-8-2026
- Internal Revenue Service, Filing Season Statistics for Week Ending April 17, 2026. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending-april-17-2026
- Internal Revenue Service, Filing Season Statistics by Year. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-by-year
- Internal Revenue Service, Filing Season Statistics for Week Ending Dec. 26, 2025. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending-dec-26-2025
- Internal Revenue Service, Filing Season Statistics for Week Ending Dec. 27, 2024. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending-dec-27-2024
- Internal Revenue Service, Filing Season Statistics for Week Ending Dec. 29, 2023. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending-dec-29-2023
- Internal Revenue Service, Filing Season Statistics for Week Ending December 30, 2022. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending-december-30-2022
- Internal Revenue Service, Fiscal Year 2025 Data Book (Publication 55B). https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p55b.pdf
- Internal Revenue Service, Returns Filed, Taxes Collected and Refunds Issued. https://www.irs.gov/statistics/returns-filed-taxes-collected-and-refunds-issued
- Internal Revenue Service, IRS Reminds Taxpayers Who Filed for Extensions of the Oct. 15 Deadline (IR-2025-104). https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-reminds-taxpayers-who-filed-for-extensions-of-the-oct-15-deadline
- Internal Revenue Service, About Form 4868. https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-4868
- National Taxpayer Advocate, National Taxpayer Advocate Issues 2026 Mid-Year Report to Congress. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/national-taxpayer-advocate-issues-2026-mid-year-report-to-congress
- Taxpayer Advocate Service, Annual Report to Congress coverage (2025 service strong, 2026 challenges). https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/news/tax-news/national-taxpayer-advocate-delivers-annual-report-to-congress-finds-taxpayer-service-was-strong-in-2025-but-foresees-challenges-for-taxpayers-who-encounter-problems-in-2026/2026/06/
- The Tax Adviser (AICPA), Advocate: IRS had strong filing season for online taxpayers, weaker one for others, June 2026. https://www.thetaxadviser.com/news/2026/jun/advocate-irs-had-strong-filing-season-for-online-taxpayers-weaker-one-for-others/
- Forbes, Fewer Returns, Bigger Refunds: What IRS Data Says About The 2026 Tax Season, April 2026. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2026/04/17/fewer-returns-bigger-refunds-what-irs-data-says-about-the-2026-tax-season/
- Tax Foundation, Tracking Three IRS Datapoints to Watch During the 2026 Tax Filing Season. https://taxfoundation.org/blog/2026-irs-data-tax-filing-season/
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). https://www.bls.gov/cpi/
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index News Release, 2026 M03 Results. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/cpi_04102026.htm
Related research
More original, sourced datasets from The Ledgerism Brief:
- America’s Tax Gap Report — $696B gross / $606B net gap for tax year 2022.
- IRS Audit Report + Risk Index — Audit rates by income, entity type, and year.
- The State of the American Taxpayer — 162.8M returns, AGI, refunds, and effective rates.
- Tax Code Complexity Index — Federal tax complexity up 542% since 1955.
- Federal Tax Credits Database — Major credits by cost, eligibility, and sunset.
- The Evolution of Form 1040 — 1913 to 2026: a visual history of the 1040.