here’s what you’re looking for: beth bellor

charts & graphs

refunds up 5% as tax returns top 100 million

chart of irs tax filing data

tax professionals still edge out diyers.

by beth bellor

as the tax season slipped into april, the number of individual income tax returns filed topped 100 million.

more: tax pros rev up filing pace as diyers lag | tax returns nearly match 2024 rates | tax pros edge diyers in e-filings | tax refund totals up 7% | tax pros handle 46% of e-filings | tax refund totals up 10% | tax refunds plummet, but no worries | tax refunds up 18% early on | first tax filing reports are in
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the internal revenue service had received 101.4 million returns as of april 4, the latest data available, down 0.4 percent from the same period in 2024. it had processed 100.3 million returns, up 0.2 percent.
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charts & graphs

tax pros rev up filing pace as diyers lag

data chart

 

the irs changes how it tallies website traffic.

by beth bellor

tax professionals have held the e-filing edge over diyers this season, and now they’ve surpassed their own 2024 rate for the first time.

more: tax returns nearly match 2024 rates | tax pros edge diyers in e-filings | tax refund totals up 7% | tax pros handle 46% of e-filings | tax refund totals up 10% | tax refunds plummet, but no worries | tax refunds up 18% early on | first tax filing reports are in
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the irs received 89.6 million individual income tax returns, down 0.8 percent from the comparable period in 2024 ending march 28. it processed 88.5 million returns, down 0.3 percent. tax professionals are holding on to a half-point lead in market share over diyers, with about 51.3 percent of total returns filed so far this year against 51.8 percent a year ago. read more →

charts & graphs

tax returns nearly match 2024 rates

data table

refunds still are the only positives.

by beth bellor

tax season grinds on and the number of returns is about the same as last year, according to the internal revenue service.

more: tax pros edge diyers in e-filings | tax refund totals up 7% | tax pros handle 46% of e-filings | tax refund totals up 10% | tax refunds plummet, but no worries | tax refunds up 18% early on | first tax filing reports are in
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the agency had received 79.6 million individual income tax returns as of march 21 – the latest data available – down 1.1 percent from the same period in 2024. it had processed 78.7 million returns, down 0.7 percent.
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charts & graphs

tax pros edge diyers in e-filings

table of irs filing data

refunds average around 5 percent over last year.

by beth bellor

can you say paperless? only 2.7 percent of individual income tax returns come into the internal revenue service by paper anymore, and only 3 percent of refund recipients request paper checks.

more: tax refund totals up 7% | tax pros handle 46% of e-filings | tax refund totals up 10% | tax refunds plummet, but no worries | tax refunds up 18% early on | first tax filing reports are in
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the agency received 70.4 million individual income tax returns as of march 14 – the latest data available – down 1.7 percent from the same period in 2024. it processed 69.6 million returns, down 1.4 percent.
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charts & graphs

tax refund totals up 7%

data table

individual amounts are up 5 percent.

by beth bellor

winter is fading away but busy season remains with us.

more: tax pros handle 46% of e-filings | tax refund totals up 10% | tax refunds plummet, but no worries | tax refunds up 18% early on | first tax filing reports are in
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as of march 7, the latest data available, the internal revenue service had received 61.4 million individual income tax returns, down 2.1 percent from the same period one year ago. it had processed 60.8 million returns, down 1.8 percent.
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charts & graphs

tax pros handle 46% of e-filings

table of tax return data

individual refunds are up 6 percent.

by beth bellor

busy season is rolling along pretty much as usual.

more: tax refund totals up 10% | tax refunds plummet, but no worries | tax refunds up 18% early on | first tax filing reports are in
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as of feb. 28, the latest data available, the internal revenue service had received 52.4 million individual income tax returns, down 3 percent from the same period in 2024. it had processed 51.8 million returns, down 2.7 percent.
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charts & graphs

tax refund totals up 10%

tax pros hold 44 percent of the market, one-half percentage point less than a year ago.

by beth bellor

for the first time this busy season, the irs is reporting not just refund numbers and average amounts but also the total amounts refunded. it’s good news: up 10 percent for both total and direct deposit refunds.

more: tax refunds plummet, but no worries | tax refunds up 18% early on | first tax filing reports are in
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as of feb. 21, the most recent data available, the agency had received 42.7 million individual income tax returns, down 4.2 percent from the same period in 2024. it had processed 42.4 million returns, down 3.8 percent.
read more →

charts & graphs

tax refunds plummet, but no worries

data table
* total tax returns processed includes returns received in the prior or current year and processed in 2025. # total refunds issued represents refunds for returns received and processed in 2025, which reflects current year returns only. however, the number of direct deposit refunds represents refunds for both current and prior year returns processed in 2025, which makes this figure larger than the “total number of refunds” listed for the current year.

 

tax pros handling 41% of e-filings.

by beth bellor

refunds, the one bright spot of the 2025 tax season so far, have dropped, and not just a little – 31 percent and more.

more: tax refunds up 18% early on | first tax filing reports are in
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of course the irs has an explanation. it’s a plausible one and, as usual, tied to timing.

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charts & graphs

tax refunds up 18% early on

data chart

most other tallies are down by around 7 percent.

by beth bellor

once again, refunds are up and everything else is down in the world of individual income tax returns.

more: first tax filing reports are in
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at the close of the second week of tax season, the irs had received 23.6 million returns, down 7.7 percent from the same week in 2024. it had processed 23.5 million returns, down 7.6 percent, which includes returns received in 2024 or 2025 and processed this year.
read more →

charts & graphs

first tax filing reports are in

data table
* total tax returns processed includes returns received in the prior or current year and processed in 2025. # total refunds issued represents refunds for returns received and processed in 2025, which reflects current year returns only. however, the number of direct deposit refunds represents refunds for both current and prior year returns processed in 2025, which makes this figure larger than the “total number of refunds” listed for the current year.

 

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.

more: steve yoss: unlocking business insight with power bis | quick tax tip | more than 1 million erc claims still not processed | art werner: the godfather and tax issues | quick tax tip | advanced tax preparers need managing, too | the top ten problems the irs still needs to fix | tax pros gear up for a better busy season | irs processing up; payouts down | help tax clients help you | four challenges of managing new tax preparers
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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.
read more →

charts & graphs

irs processing up; payouts down

data table

figures for 2024 topped those of 2023 until it came to refunds.

by beth bellor

as the 2025 busy season kicks off and we wait for the first individual income tax return reports to trickle in, let’s take a peek at how the last drips of 2024 compared to the dregs of 2023.

more: tax pros are making changes for a better busy season | irs funding pays eye-popping 415x roi | tax season 2025 begins. ready or not. | every tax reviewer should be able to answer these ten questions | art werner: corporate transparency act and fincen reporting | taxpayer advocate sees big improvements at irs | ask tax clients the right questions | major changes to circular 230: implications for tax professionals | cornerstone report | art werner: due diligence and irs enforcement | make ‘done but’ tax returns a thing of the past | six methods for getting paid faster this tax season | use humor to get tax documents in early
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by the end of 2024, the internal revenue service had received 163.5 million returns, up 0.9 percent from the end of 2023. it had processed 163.5 million returns, up 0.3 percent, which included returns received in the prior or current year and processed in the calendar year.
read more →

charts & graphs

show us the money! accountants are making more

young woman holding giant dollar sign in modern office

want to retain employees? here’s one way.

by beth bellor

more money. that’s what the latest data show for the accounting profession.

the final jobs report of 2024 saw the accounting profession’s numbers slip a bit, but the bodies in those seats were pulling down record earnings. employees in the profession overall, at cpa firms and non-staff in payroll services saw their highest hourly wages ever.

more: survey says 57% of firms are raising prices next year | how accounting firms are handling the staff shortage | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads | seven enticements to keep talent on board | despite staffing crunch, firms freeze pay raises
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and about time! we heard the call for better compensation in the most recent rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics.
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outlook & analysis

tax and accounting jobs and salaries show strength

line chart
overall accounting profession employment hits a glitch.

hourly earnings fluctuate.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

despite a slowing increase in employment for the u.s. economy in general, the nation’s tax and accounting sector is improving on most fronts, marking more than four years of solid year-over-year gains.

more: new study: strong and steady growth for accountant jobs and salaries | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads | seven enticements to keep talent on board | payroll leads job gains in tax & accounting sector
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to be sure, tax and accounting employment nudged slightly down in july, according to the latest data available to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research. but it remains ahead of last year’s figures. and record highs are popping in key hiring segments, including staff, cpa firms and payroll services. is talk of staffing shortages overblown, or would growth be even stronger if more qualified candidates were available? read more →