DIpil Das
Each year, the IRS reports tax return filings and refunds on a weekly basis, starting at the end of January until the April 15 deadline. This year, in response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the US Department of the Treasury (of which the IRS is a division) announced that the deadline to file (and more importantly, to pay) has been extended to July 15.
In this report, we look at what happened in the 24th week of the 2020 tax filing season.
As of July 10, 2020:
- The IRS had received 147.1 million tax returns and processed 134.6 million. The number of returns received was up 1.0%, while those processed slid by 7.0%. The year-over-year growth in tax filings turned positive, with less than one week remaining until the deadline.
- Of the returns filed already, 90.5% were filed electronically. Of those, 51.8% were prepared by tax professionals, and the remaining 49.2% were self-prepared.
- The IRS temporarily closed all Taxpayer Assistance Centers and suspended in-person customer services nationwide—although some centers are now offering service by appointment. A high number of taxpayers have therefore used the IRS website for information. The site logged almost 1.35 billion visits, up 162.2% year over year.
- A total of 96.8 million refunds had been issued as of July 10, totaling $267.3 billion and averaging $2,762 each. The number of refunds issued was down 8.4%, and the total amount refunded was down 7.6%, year over year. However, the average refund grew 0.8% year over year.
- Of those refunds issued, 83.1% were paid using direct deposit. The average direct deposit refund was $2,899, up 0.5% year over year.
*Includes returns filed to obtain Economic Impact Payments by those who would not usually file income tax returns Source: IRS [/caption] The graph below shows total refunds increasing at a 1.2% CAGR during 2015–2019. [caption id="attachment_113214" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Source: IRS [/caption]