Average tax refund checks are up.
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IRS data from the first week of the tax filing season—the week ending February 6, 2026—suggests that, despite the promise of higher refunds, taxpayers aren’t rushing out to file. However, as expected, tax refunds are a little larger than last year.
The IRS received 22,351,000 individual income tax returns as of February 6, 2026, compared to 23,589,000 as of February 7, 2025. That’s a dip of 5.2 % returns received.
IRS tax filing season statistics for the first week of the 2026 tax filing season.
Kelly Phillips Erb
Processing numbers show an even steeper drop. The IRS processed 20,623,000 individual income tax returns as of February 6, 2026, compared to 23,515,000 as of February 7, 2025. That’s a drop of 12.3%.
That drop is concerning if you consider the kinds of tax returns that the IRS typically processes early on in the season. Early filers tend to have simple returns—typically those claiming the standard deduction and relying on Forms W-2. They are less likely to include detailed itemized deductions, or schedules reporting business or rental income. A struggle to process simple returns early in the tax filing season could be indicative of more problems to come.
Another potential reason for the slow start? The IRS hasn’t even made available all forms that are needed for the current filing season. Taxpayers and tax professionals alike have been complaining about missing forms or those still listed on the IRS site as drafts, including those needed to report depreciation and the most recent estimated tax payment forms.
How To File
The IRS has been encouraging taxpayers to e-file tax returns, as it’s typically faster, more secure and more likely to be accurate. Those findings have been echoed by the National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins, who refers to paper as the “IRS’ kryptonite.”
E-filing is also more efficient and cheaper for the IRS to process. According to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), paper returns account for only about 6% of all filings but make up a whopping 72% of processing costs. And, as of fiscal year 2024, the average cost of processing a paper Form 1040 was $10.14 per return. But e-filed individual federal income tax returns? Just 23 cents per return.
The campaign to encourage taxpayers to switch to e-filing appears to be working—about 99% of all tax returns received to date this tax filing season have been e-filed. Of those, just under two-thirds (64%) were self-prepared, compared to 36% of e-filed returns received from tax professionals. Those numbers are expected to even out as the tax season goes on (since again, more complicated returns are typically filed later in the season).
Tax filing season statistics suggest that early on, taxpayers are opting for DIY.
Kelly Phillips Erb
DIY efforts often include tax software. If you don’t want to pay for software, consider the IRS Free File program. (You can see all the Free File options here.) Be sure to review the offers—some, but not all, partners offer free prep and filing for state returns, so check the fine print before you start your return. Any state preparation or non-qualifying fees are required to be disclosed on the company’s Free File landing page. Free File options, which are offered through private software companies, are more limited if your income is higher or your return more complicated.
This tax filing season, you won’t, however, find Direct File on the IRS website. The IRS shut down its direct free filing program in 2026. Republican lawmakers had argued the program was unnecessary and a misuse of taxpayer dollars, noting that free filing options already existed (though critics note those options can be hard to find and use). Commercial tax preparation companies also opposed the program.
IRS.Gov Web Visits
Web visits to IRS.gov are sharply up to date, rising a whopping 35.2% compared to 2025. There have been 126,789,000 visits to the website as of February 6, 2026, compared to 923,763,000 visits by February 7, 2025.
Visit to the IRS website are sharply up so far this tax filing season.
Kelly Phillips Erb
Taxpayers may have been looking for the status of their tax refunds. You can find it using the Where’s My Refund tool?. The IRS says that Where’s My Refund? remains the best way to check the status of a refund. It provides taxpayers with three key pieces of information: receipt of your federal tax return, approval of your tax refund, and issuing date of your approved tax refund.
Refund status information is typically available within 24 hours after the IRS receives your e-filed tax return for the current tax year, three to four days after receipt of your e-filed tax return or four weeks after mailing your paper return. The IRS only updates the tool once a day, usually overnight, so there’s no need to check multiple times per day.
Tax Refunds
One bright spot so far this tax season? Taxpayers are seeing upticks in their tax refund checks. The average tax refund was $2,290 per taxpayer as of February 6, 2026, compared to $2,065 as of February 7, 2025, a boost of 10.9%. The average refund issued by direct deposit increased to $2,388 in 2026 compared to $2,165 for the same time period last year.
The number of tax refunds issued so far is down, but the average tax refund check has increased.
Kelly Phillips Erb
The average number of refunds issued so far, however, is lower. The IRS has issued 7,403,000 tax refunds in 2026, compared to 8,054,000 for the same period last year. That tracks with complaints I’ve been seeing on social media, suggesting that refunds have been slow to arrive.
(And no, it’s not your imagination and it’s not my typo—the total number of refunds as reported by the IRS is lower than the total number of direct deposit refunds in 2026. I have asked the IRS to clarify. They directed me to a footnote that now reads, “Total refunds issued represents refunds for returns received and processed in 2026 – current year returns only. The number of direct deposit refunds represents refunds for current and prior year returns processed in 2026.”)
As is the case every year, the law requires the IRS to hold refunds tied to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the ACTC until mid-February. The rule applies to the entire refund, even the portion not associated with the EITC and ACTC. That means if you qualify for the refundable credit, you’ll have to wait until the IRS can release it. As a result, early EITC/ACTC filers should begin to see tax refunds around March 2, 2026.
The IRS noted on its website that “[a]verage refund amounts are strong,” and the agency “emphasizes it continues to see a strong filing season with refunds continuing to reach taxpayers as planned.”
2026 Tax Filing Season
The IRS opened the 2026 tax filing season and began accepting and processing federal individual income tax returns for tax year 2025 on January 26, 2026. The IRS expects about 164 million individual tax returns for tax year 2025 to be filed ahead of the Wednesday, April 15, federal deadline.
To get—and stay—informed as the season rolls on, check out our Forbes Tax Guide for The Filing Season. It’s a look at what you need to know, what’s changed (and what hasn’t), and what we’re still watching. From choosing your filing status to sorting out the new tips deduction, we’ve got you covered.
We’ll keep this guide updated as the season progresses. So check back. Or better yet, subscribe to our free tax newsletter—that way, the information you need will land in your email inbox each Saturday morning.
