refunds are up; everything else is down.
by beth bellor
the first week of tax season is over! cue the applause!
some of you seem less than excited. we know it’s early. all too early.
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still, it’s time to begin our weekly tally of how things are going, starting with 13.2 million individual income tax returns received as of jan. 31, down 14 percent from the same period in 2024. the total returns processed was 11.7 million, down 15.8 percent.
the internal revenue service notes that large percentage changes in filing season numbers usually are seen at the beginning of tax season, then even out as more returns come in. and, of course, many taxpayers are still waiting for important tax documents.
e-filings
electronic filings totaled 12.8 million, down 13.9 percent. of those, 4.3 million were submitted by tax professionals, down 11.5 percent, and 8.5 million by self-preparers, down 15.1 percent. to date, the pros have handled 33.6 percent of e-filings.
website visits
visits to irs.gov at 68.3 million are down 34.8 percent.
refunds
there have been 3.2 million total refunds issued, up 23.5 percent, in the average amount of $1,928, up 38.2 percent. direct deposit refunds numbered 3.3 million, up 24.2 percent, in the average amount of $2,069, up 34.1 percent.
how is this possible? because “total” isn’t total in irs speak. total only refers to the current year, while direct deposit includes current and prior year returns processed in 2025. like most of these figures, the discrepancy will flatten as the weeks flow on.