Tax Refunds Soar, IRS Sees Record Traffic

0:00It's March 30th. Welcome in. This is Birmingham News today, where local news meets AI. Average tax refunds are hitting higher notes this year, up almost 11% from last year. As of March 20th, the IRS reports the average check at $3,571, compared to $3,200, $21 before. Direct deposits average $3,561, and 8% jump from $3084. The agency has sent out $56.7 million refunds so far, more than the $55.7 million from last year, totaling $2.102.6 billion, versus $179.5 billion. That's real money flowing back to folks. The White House is hyping this as a win from their one big beautiful bill, pointing to breaks like no taxes on tips or overtime, no tax on social, security benefits, and deductions for interest on loans for American-made cars. These changes are boosting what people get back.

1:01Filing numbers show $78.9 million returns received, a slight dip from $79.6 million last year, with $77.8 million processed, eFiling hits $77.57 million, up a bit, and self-prep returns rose 2%. IRS.gov traffic exploded to $380 million visits, 56% more than last year's $244 million. More people checking their status online means smoother sailing through tax season.