For most Americans, tax season means a nice refund. In 2019, 72% of Americans received a federal tax refund, and the average amount was $2,869, according to the IRS.
You’ll typically receive a refund if your employer withheld too much from your paychecks or you didn’t claim deductions, credits or exemptions you were eligible for. While receiving a chunk of change in the mail is a nice surprise, it typically means your paychecks were lower than they should have been. (You can learn more about how tax refunds work here.)
The average tax refund amount varies geographically. We took a look at the average federal refund by state, based on 2018 data from the IRS.
Want to boost your tax refund? Here are some tips.
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Alabama
Average refund: $2,823
Number of refunds: 1,641,355
Total amount refunded: $4.6 billion
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Alaska
Average refund: $2,852
Number of refunds: 272,281
Total amount refunded: $776 million
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Arizona
Average refund: $2,702
Number of refunds: 2,273,320
Total amount refunded: $6.1 billion
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Arkansas
Average refund: $2,755
Number of refunds: 989,207
Total amount refunded: $2.7 billion
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
California
Average refund: $2,946
Number of refunds: 13,695,642
Total amount refunded: $40.3 billion
Here are the common types of taxes.
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Colorado
Average refund: $2,638
Number of refunds: 2,038,705
Total amount refunded: $5.4 billion
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Connecticut
Average refund: $3,091
Number of refunds: 1,391,609
Total amount refunded: $4.3 billion
Learn if you can pay your taxes with a credit card.
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Delaware
Average refund: $2,672
Number of refunds: 365,650
Total amount refunded: $977 million
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District of Columbia
Average refund: $2,933
Number of refunds: 276,107
Total amount refunded: $810 million
What happens if I don’t file my taxes? Find out here.
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Florida
Average refund: $2,989
Number of refunds: 7,970,808
Total amount refunded: $23.8 billion
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Georgia
Average refund: $2,872
Number of refunds: 3,634,835
Total amount refunded: $10.4 billion
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Hawaii
Average refund: $2,576
**Number of refunds:**538,247
Total amount refunded: $1.4 billion
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Idaho
Average refund: $2,465
Number of refunds: 570,460
Total amount refunded: $1.4 billion
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Illinois
Average refund: $2,916
Number of refunds: 4,961,020
Total amount refunded: $14.5 billion
Find out if you will get a tax refund here.
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Indiana
Average refund: $2,619
Number of refunds: 2,585,870
Total amount refunded: $6.8 billion
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Iowa
Average refund: $2,650
Number of refunds: 1,139,845
Total amount refunded: $3 billion
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Kansas
Average refund: $2,677
Number of refunds: 1,039,631
Total amount refunded: $2.8 billion
Image Credit: Deposit Photos.
Kentucky
Average refund: $2,658
Number of refunds: 1,586,406
Total amount refunded: $4.2 billion
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Louisiana
Average refund: $3,060
Number of refunds: 1,596,890
Total amount refunded: $4.9 billion
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Maine
Average refund: $2,362
Number of refunds: 512,765
Total amount refunded: $1.2 billion
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Maryland
Average refund: $2,860
Number of refunds: 2,317,650
Total amount refunded: $6.6 billion
Learn who you can claim as a dependent on your taxes.
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Massachusetts
Average refund: $2,877
Number of refunds: 2,708,975
Total amount refunded: $7.8 billion
Check out this breakdown of the 2020 tax brackets.
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Michigan
Average refund: $2,591
Number of refunds: 3,771,890
Total amount refunded: $9.8 billion
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Minnesota
Average refund: $2,530
Number of refunds: 2,113,803
Total amount refunded: $5.3 billion
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Mississippi
Average refund: $2,943
Number of refunds: 1,011,987
Total amount refunded: $3 billion
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Missouri
Average refund: $2,613
Number of refunds: 2,220,030
Total amount refunded: $5.8 billion
Image Credit: Getty.
Montana
Average refund: $2,394
Number of refunds: 373,163
Total amount refunded: $893 million
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Nebraska
Average refund: $2,626
Number of refunds: 712,383
Total amount refunded: $1.9 billion
Image Credit: Getty.
Nevada
Average refund: $2,807
Number of refunds: 1,130,870
Total amount refunded: $3.2 billion
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New Hampshire
Average refund: $2,618
Number of refunds: 559,241
Total amount refunded: $1.5 billion
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New Jersey
Average refund: $3,052
Number of refunds: 3,485,255
Total amount refunded: $10.6 billion
Learn how divorce can affect your taxes.
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New Mexico
Average refund: $2,647
Number of refunds: 722,010
Total amount refunded: $1.9 billion
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New York
Average refund: $3,099
Number of refunds: 7,704,101
Total amount refunded: $23.9 billion
Learn how to file your taxes here.
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North Carolina
Average refund: $2,638
Number of refunds: 3,589,979
Total amount refunded: $9.5 billion
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North Dakota
Average refund: $2,831
Number of refunds: 276,932
Total amount refunded: $784 million
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Ohio
Average refund: $2,540
Number of refunds: 4,563,132
Total amount refunded: $11.6 billion
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Oklahoma
Average refund: $2,964
Number of refunds: 1,291,633
Total amount refunded: $3.8 billion
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Oregon
Average refund: $2,426
Number of refunds: 1,455,609
Total amount refunded: $3.5 billion
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Pennsylvania
Average refund: $2,655
Number of refunds: 5,042,739
Total amount refunded: $13.4 billion
Can you get a loan against your tax refund? Find out here.
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Rhode Island
Average refund: $2,636
Number of refunds: 436,927
Total amount refunded: $1.2 billion
Image Credit: iStock.
South Carolina
Average refund: $2,578
Number of refunds: 1,722,707
Total amount refunded: $4.4 billion
Here’s how to file an extension on your taxes.
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South Dakota
Average refund: $2,620
Number of refunds: 321,822
Total amount refunded: $843 million
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Tennessee
Average refund: $2,749
Number of refunds: 2,465,503
Total amount refunded: $6.8 billion
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Texas
Average refund: $3,203
Number of refunds: 10,200,819
Total amount refunded: $32.7 billion
Learn when most taxes are due here.
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Utah
Average refund: $2,685
Number of refunds: 1,055,315
Total amount refunded: $2.8 billion
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Vermont
Average refund: $2,417
Number of refunds: 253,641
Total amount refunded: $613 million
Image Credit: iStock.
Virginia
Average refund: $2,789
Number of refunds: 3,116,831
Total amount refunded: $8.7 billion
Image Credit: DenisTangneyJr.
Washington
Average refund: $2,718
Number of refunds: 2,774,701
Total amount refunded: $7.5 billion
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West Virginia
Average refund: $2,650
Number of refunds: 640,359
Total amount refunded: $1.7 billion
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Wisconsin
Average refund: $2,438
Number of refunds: 2,234,713
Total amount refunded: $5.4 billion
Image Credit: FierceAbin.
Wyoming
Average refund: $2,997
Number of refunds: 212,837
Total amount refunded: $638 million
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Did you miss a tax refund?
Tax refunds are a common type of unclaimed property, or money that’s gone dormant. Think you have unclaimed money waiting for you? Check out our state-by-state guide on how to file a claim.
This article originally appeared in Policygenius and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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