More than 80% of Americans received their federal tax refunds in less than 21 days, according to new data from the IRS. Gone are the days when taxpayers had to obsessively check their bank balances looking for their refunds — an average of $3,571 — to hit.
Tax preparation software makes this more efficient timeline possible. This year, more than 98% Americans filed their returns electronically, many using software that makes filing seamless for taxpayers and the IRS.
Watchdog reviews of the 2025 filing season found that the IRS processed the vast majority of returns on time and handled well over 140 million filings at scale. That kind of throughput only works because returns now arrive cleaner and more standardized. Software catches errors before submission, applies rules consistently, and keeps most taxpayers in the “straight-through” path the system handles best.
The software has changed the baseline experience. Fast refunds that were once an advantage are now simply the expectation. And that shift didn’t come from a single reform. It came from innovation and adoption. E-file, direct deposit, and tax software have effectively optimized the system from the outside in. The result is a system that works remarkably well for most people, even if that efficiency is easy to overlook.
We’ll be looking closely at the assessment of the 2026 filing season. And our industry will continue to invest and innovate in its products to improve the filing experience, but we won’t be surprised to see this trend continue — and for most taxpayers that’s a positive.
