Average refunds dropped to $2,640 from $3,169 for the compared periods. The total dollar amount refunded became more significant as volume was up significantly from the period ended February 8. 

The IRS said it paid out just under $62 billion in refunds for this year to date, down 38.3 percent from $101.2 billion a year earlier. There were 23,485,000 refunds made this year, decline of 26.5 percent from 31,937,000. The amount of refunds for the period were more than double the 11,381,000 that had been issued as of February 8.

Otherwise, statistics continued to improve over 2018. There were 39,747,000 returns received so far in 2018, a 4.8-percent decline from 41,738,000. That was an improvement from a 6.9-percent drop as of the prior period.

The number of efiles received fell to 38,357,000 for the period ending February 15, a drop of 3.8 percent from 39,882,000 a year ago.

However, one statistic turned up. Self-prepared efiles received rose .1 percent to 21,774,000 from 21,756,000 in the corresponding period in 2018. Efiles processed by paid preparers were off 8.5 percent to 16,583,000 to 18,126,000. But that too was an improvement as the February 8 report showed the category down by 12.5 percent.

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