As the 2025 tax season draws to a close, many Americans are noticing a significant decrease in their tax refunds. With the IRS processing fewer returns and average refunds dropping by a third, taxpayers are left wondering about the impact of recent federal changes and administrative decisions.

The 2025 tax season is already underway, and as the days go by, many taxpayers are anxiously awaiting the date when they will be able to receive their refunds from the Internal Rev

While refunds are up, the number of people who’ve filed already is down compared to 2024. The IRS has received 42.7 million returns in 2025, down 4.2 percent compared to this time last year. Even with the number of returns not keeping pace with 2024, the total number of refunds issued so far (29.6 million) is up 2.3 percent.