Key Takeaways
- The average 2026 federal tax refund is $3,676 as of early March -- up 10.6% from $3,324 at the same point in 2025.
- OBBBA deductions for tips (up to $25,000), overtime (up to $12,500), auto loan interest on American-made vehicles, and a new senior deduction are the primary reason refunds are larger.
- About 70% of returns filed in 2026 received a refund -- up from roughly 63% in prior years.
- Florida ($3,852), Texas ($3,774), and Wyoming ($3,720) have the highest average federal refunds by state; Maine ($2,656), Wisconsin ($2,737), and Oregon ($2,772) have the lowest.
- Most e-filed state returns process in 2-6 weeks; paper returns take 6-12 weeks in most states. Georgia (up to 90 days e-file) and California (up to 3 months paper) are outliers.
The average federal tax refund as of March 6, 2026 was $3,676 — up 10.6% from $3,324 at the same point in 2025. By early April the average settled to $3,462, still up 11.1% year-over-year. The IRS has paid out $241.7 billion in refunds through early April, compared to $211.1 billion in 2025 — a $30.7 billion jump.
The driver is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). New deductions for tips, overtime, and auto loan interest applied to 2025 income, but IRS withholding tables weren’t updated in time, leaving millions of workers over-withheld all year. The refund is the correction.
Why 2026 Refunds Are Running Higher
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), passed in 2025, introduced several deductions that took effect for the 2025 tax year — the income year covered by returns filed in 2026.
No tax on tips (up to $25,000): Workers who received tips can deduct up to $25,000, with a phase-out above $150,000 (single) / $300,000 (joint). This is a major change for servers, bartenders, hotel workers, and anyone else in tip-heavy jobs.
No tax on overtime (up to $12,500): Overtime pay is deductible up to $12,500 per person, same income thresholds. Factory workers, nurses, first responders, and anyone who worked significant overtime in 2025 sees this directly.
Auto loan interest on American-made vehicles: Interest on car loans for U.S.-manufactured vehicles is now deductible — the first time car loan interest has been deductible for most taxpayers since the 1980s.
Senior citizen deduction: A new additional deduction for taxpayers 65 and older provides meaningful relief for retirees who don’t otherwise itemize.
The over-withholding effect: the IRS didn’t update employer withholding tables before the 2025 tax year started. So employers withheld taxes all year as if those deductions didn’t exist. The refund corrects the overpayment.
Example — Sarah, restaurant server: Sarah earned $52,000 in 2025, including $18,000 in tips. Her employer withheld taxes on the full $52,000. She can now deduct the $18,000 in tips, reducing her taxable income to $34,000. At a 22% rate, that’s roughly $3,960 she overpaid — showing up as a larger refund.
Example — Mark, manufacturing worker: Mark earned $65,000, with $9,000 from overtime, and paid $2,400 in interest on a loan for his American-made truck. He can deduct both — $11,400 total — reducing taxable income at a 22% rate by about $2,500.
Will 2027 refunds be this large? Probably not. The IRS updated withholding tables for 2026 income to reflect the OBBBA rules, so workers will be withheld more accurately going forward. Smaller refunds next year means more take-home pay throughout 2026 — the money arrives in paychecks instead.
Average IRS Federal Tax Refund by Year
| Filing Season | Tax Year | Average Refund (Mid-Season) | Approx. Year-End Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2025 | $3,676 (Mar 6) / $3,462 (Apr 3) | Est. ~$3,100-$3,200 | +10-11% |
| 2025 | 2024 | $3,324 (Mar 7) | ~$2,939 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 2023 | ~$3,011 | ~$2,869 | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 2022 | ~$2,933 | ~$2,753 | -9.4% |
| 2022 | 2021 | ~$3,263 | ~$3,039 | +10.7% |
| 2021 | 2020 | ~$2,880 | ~$2,775 | +14.5% |
Sources: IRS Weekly Filing Season Statistics; IRS Statistics of Income. Mid-season figures are snapshots from early March each year. Year-end figures reflect final IRS SOI data. 2026 year-end is a projection based on mid-season pace.
Subscribe here to get notified when the 2026 year-end figure is published.
Average Federal Tax Refund by State (50 States)
The table below uses the most recent available IRS Statistics of Income data, from the 2025 filing season (tax year 2024). The IRS does not release state-level SOI data until well after year-end, so 2026 state figures are not yet available. Given the national 10-11% increase, actual state averages this year are likely running proportionally higher across the board.
Florida, Texas, Nevada, Wyoming, South Dakota, Washington, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Alaska have no state income tax. Their federal refund averages still apply — residents file federal returns — but there is no state income tax refund in these states.
| Rank | State | Avg Federal Refund (2025 filing season) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | $3,852 |
| 2 | Texas | $3,774 |
| 3 | Wyoming | $3,720 |
| 4 | Nevada | $3,643 |
| 5 | Louisiana | $3,577 |
| 6 | Georgia | $3,574 |
| 7 | Mississippi | $3,491 |
| 8 | Illinois | $3,394 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $3,362 |
| 10 | Alabama | $3,357 |
| 11 | California | $3,344 |
| 12 | New York | $3,339 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $3,327 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $3,317 |
| 15 | Washington | $3,310 |
| 16 | Maryland | $3,242 |
| 17 | Arkansas | $3,224 |
| 18 | Virginia | $3,217 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | $3,213 |
| 20 | Utah | $3,210 |
| 21 | Alaska | $3,206 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $3,192 |
| 23 | Arizona | $3,179 |
| 24 | Colorado | $3,142 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $3,091 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $3,077 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $3,063 |
| 28 | Delaware | $3,048 |
| 29 | Michigan | $3,047 |
| 30 | Idaho | $3,040 |
| 31 | Indiana | $3,028 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $3,020 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $3,011 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $3,011 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $3,004 |
| 36 | Kansas | $3,000 |
| 37 | Missouri | $2,991 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $2,935 |
| 39 | Iowa | $2,924 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $2,922 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $2,912 |
| 42 | Ohio | $2,874 |
| 43 | Rhode Island | $2,871 |
| 44 | Montana | $2,870 |
| 45 | Minnesota | $2,838 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $2,834 |
| 47 | Vermont | $2,816 |
| 48 | Oregon | $2,772 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $2,737 |
| 50 | Maine | $2,656 |
Source: IRS Statistics of Income, 2025 filing season (tax year 2024). 2026 state-level data will be updated when the IRS releases its annual SOI report.
Why Do States Vary So Much?
The main driver is whether the state has an income tax. Florida, Texas, Nevada, and Wyoming rank in the top 5 — and all have no state income tax. Without state withholding reducing paychecks, workers often don’t adjust their federal W-4 allowances, leading to systematic federal over-withholding and higher average federal refunds.
The lowest-refund states — Maine, Wisconsin, Oregon — tend to have higher state taxes and more integrated withholding, so federal withholding ends up more accurate and refunds are smaller. A small refund isn’t a bad outcome; it means your money was in your pocket during the year.
The EITC and Child Tax Credit also play a role. States with more lower-income households have higher EITC usage, which significantly inflates the average refund. Mississippi ranks 7th nationally in part because over 22% of filers there claim the EITC.
State Tax Refund Processing Times (2026)
Your state income tax refund is separate from your federal refund. The IRS and state departments of revenue process returns independently — a fast federal refund tells you nothing about how long your state will take.
| State | E-File Processing | Paper Return | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2-6 weeks | 8-12 weeks | |
| Alaska | No state income tax | N/A | |
| Arizona | 2-6 weeks | 8-12 weeks | |
| Arkansas | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| California | 2-3 weeks | Up to 3 months | High volume; paper returns notoriously slow |
| Colorado | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Connecticut | 2-3 weeks | 6-10 weeks | |
| Delaware | 10-12 weeks | 12-16 weeks | Longer than average for e-file |
| Florida | No state income tax | N/A | |
| Georgia | Up to 90 days | Up to 6 months | Longest standard e-file window of any major state |
| Hawaii | 7-8 weeks | 9-10 weeks | |
| Idaho | 7-8 weeks | 10-11 weeks | Fraud review on every return |
| Illinois | 2-3 weeks | 6-8 weeks | |
| Indiana | 2-3 weeks | 6-10 weeks | |
| Iowa | ~30 days | ~30 days | Most issued before end of May |
| Kansas | 10-14 business days | 16-20 weeks | Very fast e-file; very slow paper |
| Kentucky | 4-6 weeks | 10-14 weeks | |
| Louisiana | 4+ weeks | 8-16 weeks | Up to 16 weeks if selected for review |
| Maine | ~8 weeks | 8-12 weeks | 60-day statutory window before interest owed |
| Maryland | 2-3 weeks | 6-10 weeks | |
| Massachusetts | 4-6 weeks | 8-12 weeks | |
| Michigan | ~2 weeks | Up to 6 weeks | One of the faster states |
| Minnesota | No fixed window | No fixed window | Tracker updates nightly Mon-Fri |
| Mississippi | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Missouri | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Montana | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Nebraska | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Nevada | No state income tax | N/A | |
| New Hampshire | No general income tax | N/A | |
| New Jersey | ~4 weeks | Up to 12 weeks | |
| New Mexico | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| New York | Up to 3 weeks | Up to 6 weeks | High volume; ID verification common |
| North Carolina | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| North Dakota | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Ohio | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Oklahoma | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Oregon | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Pennsylvania | 4-6 weeks | 8-10 weeks | |
| Rhode Island | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| South Carolina | Up to 8 weeks | Up to 12 weeks | 2026: SC does not yet conform to OBBBA; delays reported |
| South Dakota | No state income tax | N/A | |
| Tennessee | No general income tax | N/A | |
| Texas | No state income tax | N/A | |
| Utah | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Vermont | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Virginia | 3-4 weeks | 4-6 weeks | |
| Washington | No state income tax | N/A | |
| West Virginia | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Wisconsin | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks | |
| Wyoming | No state income tax | N/A | |
| Washington D.C. | 2-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks |
Sources: State department of revenue websites; updated for 2026. Times reflect standard processing; actual windows may be longer during peak filing season (Feb-April).
For more on federal refund timing, see our 2026 IRS Tax Refund Schedule. If your refund has been offset for a past debt, see our guide on tax refund offsets.
No one has received their state taxes in Mississippi either. Something seems very fishy about this. It’s almost time to file taxes again!
Utah is now 120 days.
Doesn’t even matter if you filed electronically either, it’s extremely slow turn around in Utah. What a joke.
Maryland is slow as well. Filed and accepted February 10,2022 n still waiting on state. Got fed two weeks ago
Yeap, same with Minnesota. I filed electronically and both State and Federal accepted February 12th. Got my feds about two weeks ago but upon checking the status of my MN tax returns, it still shows as in the “review” stage.
Ms. Too. Smh ♂️
This is sad, I wanna know wuts going on??? I can’t wait until it’s time to vote again. Because this is a load of crapp. Omg
Filed Illinois and Federal taxes Feb. 23rd, 2020. Both returns accepted within hours. Received federal refund within two weeks. It’s April 24th, 61 days since IL return was accepted and it’s still “processing”. No information provided. No contact info listed. IL advises tax payers to just wait. We are instructed NOT to call as we will be told nothing because the reps know nothing and cannot provide any info. Why are we paying for them to show up and know nothing? What ARE they doing on our dime? Seems the blue-er the state the longer the wait.
I filed my taxes in February. Got my fed return fairly quickly. It is now June 18th and i have still not received my state tax refund. I’m in NY. This is absolutely ridiculous. This has never happened before. I sent my w2’s AGAIN through my tax preparer and still nothing!
I filed my taxes Jan 19. Feb 12th I got a letter stating I had to verify my identity . I verified that day. They told me if I haven’t received my money within 9 weeks to call them back. of course I didn’t get my money so I called, the lady I spoke to made me re-verify because the first time I verified the girl never took the hold off my return. I re-verified on April 12th and they said it could be another 9 weeks. I keep checking everyday and the status never changes. still being processed. its now 4/25/19
i filed my taxes end of jan, me and my wife and claimed a dependent. i live in fl and i recieved the email stating they accepted it but it still shows your refund is being processed and its march 16. what’s the hold up?
Did you mean it’s Feb 16th. I have 2 dependents and usually get mine the first week of March every year and I file mine by the end of January every year.
I filed my federal and NY taxes on Feb 4th and still haven’t heard or seen any kind of update on them. I got my federal refund two weeks ago, NY is sitting on refunds for some reason.
i filed my taxes jan 20, 2020
i got my federal…. 10 weeks now and state is still processing !
Whats up with New York ?
i called and got nowhere !
the lady at the other end said …You’ll have to wait !
For those of you who are not receiving your refund within the allotted time you can search the internal revenue code to find additional interest that is owed to you by regulations found within.
I filed I filed my income tax the end of January beginning of February I got my federal back but I’m still waiting on my state tax I’ve been trying to get information on what the holdup is of my state income tax I received the letter that they needed more information I sent the information and still today as of July 6 I still have not received my state income trying to figure out how do I go about trying to find out what the holdup is about my state income tax could you please help me and direct me in the right way in order to find out what the status is cuz I sent them all the information they needed and still today I have not heard anything thank you Donald Brown
I filed april 14th ,recieved my federal and wisconsin refunds with in 14 days it’s now june 21st still waiting for my minnesota return
Ti filed electronically in the beginning of February and it still says they received my returned and being processed no date of when it will b deposited
I live in Austin Texas I filed taxes through TurboTax on February 3rd it’s already going to be May and I still have not received my refund.
I live in AR. Both my Fed and AR returns were accepted 3/14. I received my Fed refund 3/21 by direct deposit. Today is 4/6 and I still do not have my AR refund. I have called two days ago to make sure it was approved and there were no issues, since I did have problems submitting it through Turbo Tax this year. They said everything looked fine and was verified, so I guess I’m just waiting till they decide to send me my money.
I have no idea.
Anyone know the refund cycle for Arkansas direct deposit?
Damn Shirley I hope my state taxes come today. I’m n Maryland & it been a week my federal says its still processing, my refund amount is there but the status bar not. Its says its processing but a refund date will b provided when available like wat dat means???
I mean it been a week n my state taxes is still processing
If the irs say that they deposited my state refund on the 5th why have it i got it yet
Originally I filed both Fed & State returns through Turbo Tax at the earliest possible time for WI 2016 (Mid January). I was then informed that my return was rejected because one of my kids had been claimed by both parents. Following further review, this was not the case. His SS# was in fact on both returns, however, he was only claimed by me for Child Tax Credit purposes, as both of us alternate years that we claim our dependents. This required an amended return be submitted which I completed sometime in February. Following amending the return, and 24 weeks of waiting, (along with numerous phone calls to the IRS that are absolutely a waste of time because you never actually get an answer…or a person for that matter) I went directly to the IRS building. I was then informed that the reason there was no record of my amended return was that I had never submitted an original return, therefore my amended return was just thrown away basically. I would now have to mail in my original return that I had tried e-filing back in February. Please keep in mind that this back and forth has been going on since February. It is now October 27th, 2017 and although the “Where’s My Refund” tool, which I check daily, finally says that my refund has been received, that is where it has stayed for the past 3 weeks. What is the deal?! I am 2 months from filing for 2017 now and I still don’t have my refund for 2016? I am a single father of 3 kids as well as a hard working, tax paying U.S. Citizen. This refund that I have been waiting on is my hard earned money. When I owned my business and was late on my sales tax payment by 3 months, it turned into nearly triple the original bill due to penalties and interest. If I owed taxes and didn’t pay by April 18th, I would be penalized greatly. Why is the IRS not forced to pay me penalties and interest on the money that they owe me? I would like some answers, but I would really like my refund. How much longer is it going to take being that it is now 9 months after I originally sent the same information that I have now re-sent? It is not a busy tax time as far as I am aware. Please provide me with some answers. Thank you.
They are look it up
I mailed by State tax to Hawaii on Feb 16 and it is now August 5 and still no return. When I called they said maybe it got lost so sent another on registered mail and still not response. Where is the accountability as this is just not fair.
It is ridiculous how these states are holding refunds. I filed for the first time with the state of Illinois back in March and the status has been stating received and being processed for the last five weeks. WTF if I owed them they would be writing me.
I filed my Minnesota state taxes April 11th and I still have not received the refund it it has been over a hundred days what is with Minnesota they got their heads up their butts I call and they know it’s still processing it’s been processing for over 3 months this is ridiculous somebody needs to step in and do something you call but they don’t have any answers because they’re not the ones who work on the taxes perhaps we should actually talk to people who do the work or part of me don’t do the work
Got the federal fast, still waiting on Georgia state and was accepted 1/28/2017 and web site and phone call and still nothing more than “being processed”.
Never had this much trouble before, clearly the Georgia DOR needs to be cleaned up, MAJOR fail this year.
Filed NC April 1, it was accepted. It’s been stuck in stage 1 now for almost 2 months. Does anybody know what’s going on with NC tax refunds? This is utterly ridiculous!
I filed end of January, received my federal return mid-February and my NC state refund has been processing in stage 1 since mid-March. Others I know that filed at the same time have received theirs, impossible to get anyone on the phone…and forget the compensation for it taking more than 45 days past your file date, nobody I know has seen any extra $$$. Beyond irritating….
Um I live in mass and filed my state taxes by mail maybe ten days too late from the due date in april. It is June 5th now and it still says th ey haven’t received me state. What do I do who do i call?
I filed both April 9 from Minnesota. My state is still checking for accuracy. Getting kind of irritated because since I filed late I would have expected it back with no delays. Wtf and every time I call just says I don’t know
Why are some state taking a long time to complete state refund? and it take them less then one week to accept refund? Aren’t they doing the same thing just reviewing it again? I don’t understand what else are they doing? And it shouldn’t take more then 8 weeks just to review and account after id verification, if it took them 1-5 days to accept all refund that mean they should accept within another week with a complete refund. My refund status been sitting for 2 weeks after id verification I’m not filing federal tax I’m filing homestead Credit witch means federal don’t care spoke to them they said they have nothing to do with state so again why is my homestead taking for ever it’s not like I’m waiting for the whole USA it’s just a state homestead credit tax it’s should have been here Monday but called my state Monday and she said wait 12 weeks how when I e-filed and direct deposit with American Express the fastest way to get direct deposit I really was supposed to get on Friday but no Date or no letter in the mail and status still some can someone give me advice or something I wish I was rich so I won’t have to worry about it and just e-file without having to worry because I have money. When I get that refund it’s going into investment because this is a whole bunch of nonsense
I filed around Jan 18 and still no refund. Close to 4 months now.
Got my state refund within 2-3 weeks but the big one is still pending. It sucks.. Maybe I should pay taxes at the end instead of waiting for a return.
What time do u know that ur state refund hit ur account. My state refund status says 5/25 I was just curious as of timing
My husband and I filed our taxes back in January of this year we did e-file. We recieved our fed refund but haven’t received our state(Utah) refund. It says it has been recieved and is processing. I have called but they were very rude & said you have to wait. What is going on??? We need our money !!!!
I filed feb8th and got federal back within the time frame, march 1st i got a letter saying i needed to send the state(NY) a copy of w2 and so i did and 2 months now i still havent recieved anything! Ridiculous. And it was e-filed
I think the money is being used to build the wall or start the new Trump Care. LOL I don’t know anyone who has received their refund.
Wrong, this tax delay started in 2009 1 year after Obama came in office and is just finally getting corrected by trump. 40 percent of people’s were delayed every year for 7 years and it dropped to only 10 percent 1 year after trump came in and is suppose to be down to 5 percent this year in 2019..
I filed my taxes ( both federal and state) via turbo tax on 4/7 I got my federal 4/19 and as of today 5/2 my State refund went from “checking for accuracy” to ” being processed”. I’m in Minnesota.
I e-filed my taxes on Feb 4 with state of a Mass, says they are accepted and being processed..it is now April 11th and still have not received my state return, has this happened to anyone else in Massachusetts?
yea feb 3 I filed and its the 19th called 2 weeks it was still being reviewed. that’s all they said no letter or notice , I have debt to pay and bills would be nice to get a courtesy notice at least
I got my federal on the 3rd of this month but I’m still waiting for my state refund. When I check it says “it’s being processed” I was giving them until the end of this week I’ll be calling Monday to see what excuse they give me.
My husband filed his taxes in early February he got his fed back but not his state yet they said it should’ve been sent out Feb 14 but here it’s April 13and still no check here in Mississippi any comments on when he’ll get his money
My states (Colorado) website told me my state tax return was mailed out on March 7th to The address I gave them. I e-filed on turbo tax. It’s now April 11th and I still havent gotten my return. Does anyone know if this is normal to wait this long or if I should have another one issued???
Has anyone in NC received state refund yet? Filed 2/20 and nothing
I filed 2/8 and am still waiting. According to their site, its processing in stage one and should take up to 15 days but it’s been in stage one for 3 weeks now. My friend filed his 2/4 and got his refund 2 weeks ago. So I don’t know what NC is doing. Probably ran out of money.
I filed my taxes last week of January 2017 and still haven’t received my state taxes for Minnesota. When I check on them it says, checking for accuracy. It’s been 11 weeks and I e-filed. what is going on???
Same with me, Tiffany… and I also live in MN.
Same as me I filed on Feb 10th and still checking for accuracy I don’t get it I’ve called numerous times to be told it’s just taking longer this year
Same here. I filed on February 13th and got my federal back but not my state. Isn’t there a certain amount of weeks that they have to give it back?
I’m in the same boat. Sounds like they are doing additional security checks.
My MN just moved off of checking for accuracy to processing refund does anyone know how long it takes for them to send the refund actually???
Janay….could I ask when you filed yours? Curious as I filed mine beginning of February and it is still in the review phase. It is so unfair of the state to do this to tax payers…if we were owing money, they would have wanted it yesterday or else…ya know? ugh…just frustrating….hope yours works out okay for you! :)
I’m never going to see my money. Biskits
I file my tax in February 8. I haven’t received mine either in CA. I been 2 month now of today I still waiting….
I filed on 2/10 and I still haven’t received any of my state taxes, and it will be 60 days on Monday ugh and I never have had to wait this long for my state
We filed ours 1/24 in MN and still haven’t received it… anybody know what’s going on
Same here.. Also MN… Looks like its taking much longer for them to process state refunds this year..
I also filed in MN on March 23 and two months later, still waiting. . . . . . Unable to talk to a real person, when I try to call.
I e-filed at the end of March and still haven’t received anything from Mn state taxes! So frustrating!!