WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥�
It’s Tax Day on Wednesday, the deadline for most Americans to file taxes, and the Trump administration says millions of people have already such as no tax on tips and overtime, exemptions for interest on certain car loans, deductions for some seniors, and for children鈥檚 savings.
More than 53 million filers claimed a deduction under one of those provisions from Republicans’ massive tax and spending law, a Treasury official told reporters Tuesday ahead of the deadline, with 6 million people claiming no tax on tips, 21 million claiming the overtime deduction and 30 million older Americans claiming the enhanced deduction.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the numbers, said the 2026 filing season was a success from the administration’s perspective.
Still, the latest data comes as , according to recent polling, despite the passage of the Republican tax law which promised big savings for taxpayers.
As the tax season kicked off in January, the that average returns were projected to rise by at least $1,000. But currently, the average refund amount is $3,462, according to the latest IRS data, which is up 11% or about $350 from last tax year鈥檚 $3,116 average refund payment.
Treasury has shifted its messaging to tout that compared with the four-year average of refunds before President Donald Trump took office.
The White House has been as a way to get voters more enthusiastic about the way he’s handling the economy ahead of November’s midterm elections, but the message has been overshadowed for weeks by higher gas prices caused by the .
The 2026 season comes as the IRS has gone through a leadership turnover and over the past year through cuts brought on by the Department of Government Efficiency.
IRS CEO is set to testify in front of the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.
In his public testimony to lawmakers, Bisignano planned to tout the IRS’ implementation of the Republican tax law.
However, Democratic lawmakers zeroed in on to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of an agreement between ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to share information for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S.
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