By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Federal tax refunds are positioned for a sharp rise next year, with new projections showing that the average payment could increase by about $1,000 for millions of Americans.

Analysts expect the typical refund to reach roughly $4,151 for the 2026 filing season, a major jump from the $3,151 average refund taxpayers received during the 2025 season. CBS News reported that IRS filing data has revealed that the average direct deposit refund for 2025 stands at $3,151, up from $3,092 the prior year.

“When people go to file, they’ll be surprised by really, really large refunds,” Don Schneider, deputy head of U.S. policy at Piper Sandler and one of the report’s authors, said in a recent podcast about the analysis. “In a typical year

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