Insight Report 3 minutes Premium2019 Tax Tracker #3: Tax Filings Continue to Narrow the Gap with Last Year Coresight Research February 26, 2019 Executive SummaryThe US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tracks tax return filings on a weekly basis. As of February 15, the IRS had received 39.7 million tax returns, down 4.8% year over year. A total of 23.5 million refunds had been issued as of that date (down 26.5% year over year), totaling $62.0 billion (down 38.8% year over year) and averaging $2,640 (down $529 or 16.7% year over year). The drop is in returns filed is likely due to confusion from tax law changes, combined with reduced availability of IRS agents due to the government shutdown. Given a solid US economy, higher wages and employment rates, total refunds are likely to be higher in 2019, now that the disruption from the government shutdown has been resolved. Already a subscriber? Log in You are currently viewing a preview of this report. Please select an access option to view the full report. Hide Options - Show Options + Get unlimited access to all our research with one of our subscription plans. View Subscription Plans or Contact us to purchase this report. Contact us ✕ This document was generated for Other research you may be interested in: High-Income Consumers Turn Optimistic About Economy: Weekly US Consumer Sentiment, Week 18, 2025—InfographicDeeper on DeepSeek and Its Potential to Radically Level the AI Playing FieldAnalyst Corner: Holiday Spirit, Bigger Budgets: US Consumers’ Plans for the Fourth of July, Labor Day and the Holiday Season, with Aditya KaushikMarch 2025 US Retail Sales Outlook: Lowering Our Retail Growth Projections in an Uncertain Context