The IRS started accepting 2024 tax returns on Jan. 27, and on Friday the agency posted the statistics so far from tax season 2025. This year's numbers show that the agency has already processed more than 23 million returns and issued more than 8 million tax refunds.

The IRS began processing tax returns on Jan. 27 and says the number of returns are down compared to this time last year, but average refund amounts are up.

A tax refund is a reimbursement to taxpayers who have overpaid their income taxes, and so the government sends the money back. If taxpayers receive a large refund, they may well b