* total refunds issued represent returns received and processed in 2024 – the current year only. the number of direct deposit refunds represents returns received in the current and prior year but processed in 2024.
also: the irs realizes a footnote is in order and we are shocked.
by beth bellor
average tax refunds are on the rise, so the weekly filing data has one uptick besides the amount of traffic to the irs website – an increase that perhaps isn’t a positive.
more: tax pros handle 37.7% of e-filings | tax pros file 33% of early returns
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the internal revenue service had received 34.7 million returns, down 5.7 percent from the same period one year ago, as of the week ending feb. 16, the latest data available. lower numbers are no surprise, of course, because there had been only 19 days in the 2024 filing season, which opened jan. 29, compared to the 26 days there had been in the 2023 season, which opened jan. 23.
the irs processed 34.6 million returns, down 6 percent.
e-filings
electronic filings totaled 34.1 million, down 5.6 percent.
tax professionals submitted 14.1 million returns electronically, down 8.1 percent. self-preparers turned in 19.9 million, down 3.7 percent.
the pros continue to gain market share, handling 41.5 percent of e-filings.
website visits
visits to irs.gov increased 8.7 percent to 231.4 million.
refunds
there were 20.9 million refunds issued, down 24.8 percent, in the total amount of $67 billion, down 23.2 percent. the average refund of $3,207 was up 2.1 percent.
there were 20.6 million direct deposit refunds issued, down 21.8 percent, in the total amount of $67.2 billion, down 21.2 percent. the average direct deposit refund of $3,265 was up 0.7 percent.
in prior weeks you might have looked at the data and wondered how it could be that the amount of money refunded via direct deposit was larger than the total amount issued for all refunds. if the total refunded was $66.98 billion, how could $67.18 billion go to direct deposit?
we posed this quite reasonable question to the irs, whose prompt reply was that the larger figure covered multiple years. hmm, the employee added, that probably should be a footnote.
now it is, as noted in the chart above. you’re welcome.