--- title: Early Tax Refunds Are Bigger This Year. Here’s Why description: Tax refunds are a bit bigger this year than last for the average early tax filer, thanks in large part to the IRS's tax bracket adjustments. authors: - name: Brenden Rearick role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/brenden-rearick/ bio: Brenden Rearick is a former reporter at Money who specialized in covering breaking news and enterprise stories about credit cards, real estate, investing, and personal finance trends. education: University of Pittsburgh, BA at_money_since: 2023 articles: 133 covers: - Taxes - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Technology former_staff: true editors: - name: Brad Tuttle role: Senior Editor url: https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/ bio: Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals. education: Columbia University School of Journalism, MS at_money_since: 2014 articles: 366 covers: - Taxes - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Technology social: - https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle - https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225 former_staff: true published: '2024-03-05T18:10:22.000Z' modified: '2024-04-17T14:00:57.000Z' section: Taxes tags: - News - Taxes word_count: 556 canonical: https://money.com/early-tax-refund-average-amount/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Close up of a hand holding a United States Treasury Check.](https://img.money.com/2024/03/News-Average-Tax-Refund-2024.jpg) Tax season can be a confusing and overwhelming time, but it brings the hope that you'll get a sizable tax refund for your efforts. The good news is that so far, taxpayers who are filing early are getting bigger refunds, on average, compared to last year. New [IRS data](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending-feb-23-2024) shows that a few weeks into tax season, the average filer is receiving a tax refund amount of $3,213 — an increase of over $100 compared to this time last year. It appears as if the bigger refunds come as a result of tax bracket changes implemented after the 2023 filing season. ## Have you started filing your 2025 Taxes? ### Select your state to begin the process of filing your taxes with TurboTax. [File Your Taxes](https://money.com/pr/ubcf07ae1433?ap_referrer=%2Fearly-tax-refund-average-amount%2F) ## The average tax refund is bigger so far this year Per the IRS, almost 44.6 million taxpayers have submitted their tax returns so far in 2024. Of those, almost 29 million filers have received a refund. The IRS has refunded a total of about $93 billion already this tax season, and the average tax refund comes in at $3,213 — a $134 increase over 2023's average refund of $3,079 at this time last year. The reason for the increase this year has much to do with the IRS's annually-adjusted tax brackets and standard deduction. Because of the rampant inflation last year, the agency increased its standard deduction by over 7% to $13,850 for single-filers. This historically-high single-year increase allows filers to reduce their taxable income fairly significantly compared to last year. Moreover, those on the low end of their tax bracket last year may have dropped into a lower-paying bracket due to the standard deduction increase, especially if their change in income did not keep pace with inflation. There are other factors at play that could mean even more money in filers' refunds this year. One reason refunds in 2023 came in lower than years prior was due to the fact that many pandemic-era tax credits had worn off. However, some other credits and changes are taking place this year, like the new $7,500 [EV tax credit](https://money.com/what-is-ev-tax-credit/) for qualifying electric vehicle owners. Similarly, policymakers in the House of Representatives voted to re-expand the [Child Tax Credit](https://money.com/new-expanded-child-tax-credit-proposal/) once again. If it passes through Congress completely, there is a possibility that families will be able to reap extra money back per child as soon as this tax season. Other small improvements to the filing process by the IRS don't necessarily mean a higher refund, but they might help you save. The agency expanded eligibility for its [IRS Free File](https://money.com/irs-free-file-2024-eligibility/) program, allowing those who earn under $79,000 the opportunity to file their taxes free of charge. Those who live in one of 12 pilot states and make an income of less than $200,000 as a single-filer can use the [IRS's new Direct File tool](https://money.com/how-to-access-irs-direct-file/), too, as a free alternative to [tax prep software companies](https://money.com/best-tax-prep-software/). If you've already filed your taxes, and you're waiting to receive your refund, you can keep track of it with the IRS's improved [Where's My Refund? tool](https://money.com/wheres-my-refund/). The IRS has upgraded Where's My Refund? with more detailed status messages, allowing you to have a better idea of how long it will take for your refund to reach you. ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/22890/medium_6750407e-e1f3-4918-bc84-c8e0975be7a2.png) Let TurboTax handle your taxes this year [File Today](https://money.com/pr/j74aafbcc143?ap_referrer=%2Fearly-tax-refund-average-amount%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/early-tax-refund-average-amount/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Taxes", "item": "https://money.com/taxes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tax Refund", "item": "https://money.com/tax-refund/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Early Tax Refunds Are Bigger This Year. 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