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With the deadline for US income taxes just over two weeks away, millions of taxpayers have already submitted their tax returns and received their tax refunds. The IRS announced on Friday that it has processed more than 78 million tax returns and issued 55 million refunds.
As of the eighth week of the 2024 tax season, the average refund amount has increased by approximately 4.6% compared to the previous season in 2023. Continue reading for an analysis of the IRS’s performance this tax season, with Tax Day approaching in just about two weeks.
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IRS Processing of 2025 Tax Returns: Key Statistics
The IRS recently released data comparing its progress through the eighth week of the 2024 tax season (ending March 22, 2024) to the corresponding period in 2025 (ending March 21, 2025). To date, the agency has processed 78.6 million federal income tax returns. This represents a slight decrease of 0.7% from the 79.2 million returns processed by the same point last year.
The IRS has received over 79.6 million tax returns in total thus far, compared to 80.4 million at the same time last year, indicating a 1.1% reduction.
The agency data also categorizes filing methods, revealing that 77.2 million returns were submitted electronically. Of these, 40 million were filed by tax professionals, and 37 million were self-prepared.
2025 Tax Refunds Issued by the IRS: An Overview
As of the latest data, the IRS has disbursed 55.7 million tax refunds, showing a 1.3% increase from the approximately 54.9 million issued by this time in March 2024.
The average tax refund amount for this season is $3,221, which is a notable 4.6% increase from last year’s average of $3,081 at the same point in the previous year.
Comparison of 2025 vs. 2024 Tax Refund Amounts
To date, the IRS has paid out $179.4 billion in tax refunds. This sum reflects a substantial 5.9% rise from the $169.4 billion in refunds issued by the agency during the equivalent period in March 2024.
The IRS has indicated that significant percentage variations in filing statistics are typical at the outset of each tax season. The agency anticipates that these figures will stabilize as more individuals compile necessary tax documents and file their returns closer to the April 15 deadline.