Tax Refunds Surge, Digital Filing Tops

0:00The latest headlines, weather, and stories right here on Birmingham News today. Good news for taxpayers this season. The average tax refund has climbed to $3,676 as of March 6th, marking almost an 11% jump from. Last year's $3,324. Overall, the Internal Revenue Service has issued $160.8 billion in refund so far, topping last year's 100. 45 billion at this point. Tax season kicked off January 26, and filing numbers are holding steady. The IRS has taken in 60.7 million returns, a small dip from 60.4 million last year, and processed nearly all of them at. 59.9 million. Most folks are filing electronically, with 59.8 million e-returns so far. About half were done by taxpayers themselves at 31.4 million, while tax pros handle 28.4 million. Traffic to IRS.gov has surged two, hitting 321 million visits, a 53% increase.

1:05Direct deposits are the preferred method now, with the IRS sending out 44.2 million of them, up 4% from last year. That totals $162.3 billion, a 13% rise, and the average direct deposit sits at $3,068, versus $3,379 previously. As the season continues, these trends show more people getting money back faster and opting for digital options, which could mean even bigger numbers. Ahead, special thanks to our sponsor for supporting this episode. Some people meditate, I just lay down and press play, S-O-L-I, solidpillow.com.