The average refund for 2017 to date was $3,137, compared to $3,128 for last year's comparable period. The changes suggest this year's lagging figure stem from Congress ordering the Internal Revenue Service to hold refunds for returns claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit until February 15.

There were 49,020,000 refunds received by the IRS through February 19, down 13.3 percent from 42,502,000 a year earlier. That was an improvement from a decline of 17.2 percent through February 10 and a 24.3-percent decline through February 3.

The 18,941,000 returns efiled by tax professionals trailed the 2016 period's 22,588,000 by 16.1 percent. As has been the case in each of four reports for the current season, self-prepared filing was stronger. There were 21,506,000 self-prepared returns efiled through February 19, down 11 percent from 24,170,000 in last year's corresponding period.

Bob Scott

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Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards.  Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He  has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that.  A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind