- Tax Day 2019, the last day to file your 2018 tax return, is Monday, April 15.
- Yourtax refund will typically be available within 21 days if you file electronically.
- The average federal tax refund for the 2017 tax year was $2,727, but the figure varies by state.
- In some states, including New York, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, the average tax refund tops $3,000.
You can now submit your tax return and wait for your refund.
The IRS sent $324 billion back to taxpayers in 2018; the average tax refund was $2,727. According to early IRS data, tax refunds are down this year, drawing the ire of many Americans. Despite widespread belief that lower refunds are due to President Donald Trump's new tax law raising taxes for the middle class, the truth is that most middle-income Americans received a tax cut this year, and experts say the size of a person's refund is not indicative of their tax bill.
Business Insider analyzed data from the IRS to find the average federal tax refund in each state and Washington, DC. To do so, we looked at the total income tax refund for each state for fiscal year 2017 (or tax year 2016) and divided it by the number of refunds there.
Maine had the lowest average tax refund, with $2,336, while Texas had the highest, with an average of $3,206. Northern states were more likely to receive smaller tax refunds — seven of the 10 states with the lowest average refunds share a border with Canada.
California, the most populous state in America, led the way with the most refunds and largest total amount in refunds but missed the top 10 in average refunds, coming in at No. 11. Wyoming, the least populous, had the fewest refunds, but residents had the 7th-highest average tax refund.
This tax season is the first under President Trump's new tax law. Some Americans may see a refund either bigger or smaller than they're used to if they didn't adjust their withholdings after the tax law took effect.
Getting a smaller tax refund may be a smart move, says Business Insider's Lauren Lyons Cole, a certified financial planner. She says that overpaying your tax bill by withholding too much from your paycheck is basically an interest-free loan to the government.
Scroll through to see how much the average person gets back in every state, ordered from the biggest federal tax refund to the smallest. We also included the total amount in tax refunds in each state and the number of federal tax refunds received.
Matthew Michaels contributed to an earlier version of this post.
SEE ALSO: How to use H&R Block to file your taxes for free in 2018
DON'T MISS: Many Americans are freaking out about getting a smaller tax refund this year — here's why it's happening
Texas
Average refund: $3,206
Number of refunds: 10,087,693
Total income tax refunded: $32.3 billion
Louisiana
Average refund: $3,115
Number of refunds: 1,611,412
Total income tax refunded: $5 billion
Connecticut
Average refund: $3,099
Number of refunds: 1,396,609
Total income tax refunded: $4.3 billion
See the rest of the story at Business Insider