Authored by Rob Sabo via The Epoch Times,

The Internal Revenue Service is taking longer to process tax refunds than it did a year ago, but the average size of refund checks that have already been issued to taxpayers is up by nearly 11 percent from those received through the same period in 2025.

Early individual taxpayer refunds are moving sluggishly because of the PATH Act, which required the IRS to hold tax returns from filers who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) until Feb. 15, the federal tax agency said in a statement on Feb. 13.

Through Feb. 7, the IRS had received 22,351,000 tax returns, a 5.2 percent decline from 2025, when it had received 23,589,000. However, the IRS noted, that number does not include refunds that it has already received but were held back due to the PATH Act provisions.

“It’s important to note this week’s refund numbers do not include millions of EITC and ACTC refunds to these taxpayers,” the IRS stated.

Millions of taxpayers are expected to see an increase in their refunds in the 2026 tax season due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which brought widespread changes in the tax code. Chief among the major provisions expected to benefit taxpayers is an increase to the standard deduction to $16,100 for individual filers and $32,200 for married couples who file a joint return.

In addition, a new exemption of up to $12,500 ($25,000 if married and filing jointly) for qualified overtime pay, along with a deduction of up to $25,000 for income derived from tips, and a new $6,000 deduction for seniors ages 65 and older, could lead to significantly higher tax returns.

Andrew Lautz, director of tax policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center, said in late January that the new provisions could complicate individual returns because companies may not have updated their reporting systems to help employees clearly understand and claim the new deductions.

“In contrast, many changes in [the One Big Beautiful Bill] are relatively straightforward: The larger standard deduction is simple, and will be claimed by tens of millions of taxpayers,” Lautz said.

“The larger [Child Tax Credit] will also benefit tens of millions of families, although new restrictions on some families may complicate tax filing and credit claiming. The new deduction for seniors will cut taxes for millions and is easily verified by the taxpayer’s age.”

The IRS said it has already issued more than 7.4 million refund payments, with the average refund payment totaling $2,990—a $925 increase from the average refund payment for the same time frame a year earlier.

Electronic filings by certified tax professionals of 7.86 million are down by 9.6 percent from 2025. The IRS said it has seen a 35.2 percent spike in visits to its website, with nearly 127 million visits versus nearly 94 million visits in the same period last year.

However, the agency said numbers tend to come in line with previous years as the tax season progresses.

“Large percentage changes in filing season numbers are usually seen at the beginning of each tax season. Historically, these numbers even out in future weeks as more tax returns come in,” the IRS stated.

The IRS will publish updated tax refund statistics on Feb. 27 for returns processed through Feb. 20 that will include returns from taxpayers who claimed the EITC and ACTC.