New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- The average tax refund has risen by 22% so far this season, Treasury Secretary and acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent told CNBC on Friday.

The tax season for 2026 began on 26 January, and the IRS has not yet released official filing data. It remains unclear how many days of returns Bessent's figure reflects or what comparison period he used.

Filers usually get a refund if they overpay taxes through paycheck withholdings or estimated payments during the year, while they owe a balance if their payments are insufficient.

Early data can be deceiving, wrote Andrew Lautz, director of tax policy for the Bipartisan Policy Centre, a nonprofit think tank, in a tax season guide on 22 January.

In recent years, IRS data sh...