WASHINGTON — More than 53 million Americans filed returns claiming at least one new provision from Republicans’ tax and spending law by Wednesday’s Tax Day deadline, according to a Treasury Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the figures, as IRS data showed the average refund reached $3,462 — up 11%, or about $346, from the prior year’s $3,116 average but below the $1,000 increase the White House projected at the start of the filing season.
The 2026 season was the first in which filers could claim several new deductions enacted by Republicans, including exemptions for tips and overtime pay and an enhanced deduction for older Americans, even as polling found 7 in 10 Americans still believe their taxes are too high.
New provisions drew tens of millions of claimants
The anonymous Treasury official said 6 million people claimed the no-tax-on-tips provision, 21 million claimed the overtime deduction, and 30 million older Americans claimed the enhanced senior deduction. Republicans’ law also created Trump Accounts, a savings vehicle for children, among other provisions.
Treasury said refunds this season were up 24% compared with the four-year average before President Trump took office.
In an interview that aired Wednesday on Fox Business News, Trump described the results as exceeding his expectations. “People are getting refunds of $5,000, $8,000, $11,000 that they had no idea they were getting,” Trump said. “It’s turned out to be better — as good or better than I said it would be.”
Republicans tout the law; Democrats cite the Iran war
House Speaker Mike Johnson held an event on the Capitol steps Wednesday to mark Tax Day, flanked by Republican lawmakers and constituents he said had benefited from the law, including a restaurant server, a farmer, and small business owners.
“Lower taxes, bigger refunds and more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans,” Johnson said. “We don’t believe you should send it all here to Uncle Sam. We want you to keep it.”
Democrats argued the tax message had been overshadowed by the ongoing Iran conflict and its economic effects. “Hardworking families are watching as the Trump administration spends billions to bomb Iran, yet they can’t seem to find any funding for health care, housing or food for hungry children,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the Democratic caucus chairman.
IRS workforce cuts and data-sharing controversy
The 2026 filing season came as the IRS underwent leadership turnover and reduced its workforce by 27% over the past year through cuts brought on by the Department of Government Efficiency.
IRS CEO Frank Bisignano testified to the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, extolling the agency’s implementation of the Republican tax law.
Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about IRS disclosures of confidential taxpayer information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement under an agreement between ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to share information for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the United States.