Tax refunds are flowing, but IRS is seeing fewer early returns filed so far this season

 Tax season continued its sluggish start into early February, but tax refunds continued to steadily roll out the door.

Every tax season has its own quirks and nuances. Oddly enough, though, the Internal Revenue Service has received 7.7% fewer returns so far this year. The agency also has processed 7.6% fewer returns through Feb. 7, according to the latest data published Friday.

Why the delays?

A variety of factors could be coming into play and keeping many people from filing their returns early in the game, including misleading online tax advice via social media, a flood of 1099-K forms, political rancor, some delayed deadlines in states hit by federal disasters, and the calendar itself.The average federal income tax refund was $2,065 during this first two weeks of this year's tax season through Feb. 7, according to the IRS. That's up 18.6% from last year's tax season through Feb. 9, 2024.

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Many times, those filing tax returns in late January and early February want to receive their refund cash as early as possible.

Some taxpayers, the IRS said, may receive their income tax refunds a few days earlier. The IRS "Where's My Refund?" tool is expected to show an updated status by Feb. 22 for most early filers who claimed the earned income tax credit or the additional child tax credit.

More:Michigan 2025 tax season: Where's my refund? How to track your return online

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Shady tax scams circulating on social media could bring big penalties, delayed refunds

The IRS expects filing season numbers to even out as more tax returns come in during the weeks ahead and as the April 15 filing deadline for most taxpayers approaches.

How change in Washington has some re-thinking their taxes

It's hard to judge why people could be putting off filing their taxes. But one reason could be that the new Trump administration isn't like the first Trump administration. We're seeing a lot of swift moves and, in some cases, outright chaos as Trump attempts to cut spending, offers buyouts and takes other dramatic steps to downsize the federal government.

After taking office Jan. 20, Trump issued a slew of executive orders. And some people wrongly might have thought that key tax breaks could hit their 2024 returns simply by executive order. It's not true.