A new report has found that a chunk of Americans are ready for tax season, as more than a third rely on their refund checks to make ends meet.
The survey about Americans struggling comes from Credit Karma, which found that 37% of taxpayers rely on their refunds to get by.
When breaking it down by generation, the survey found that millennials are relying on their tax refund checks the most, as 50% need the extra cash to make ends meet, and the majority place blame on the rising cost of living and necessities.
The 2025 tax filing season kicks off Monday, Jan. 27, and the federal deadline to get things filed is Tuesday, April 15.
According to data from the Internal Revenue Service, the average federal tax refund in 2024 was $3,138.
The survey found that a third of respondents would pay a fee or plan to pay a fee in order to get access to their tax refund earlier than it already comes. Another 47% said they plan to use their refund to pay down debt, which increases to 59% among millennials.
Last year, the government issued nearly 105 million refunds, totaling roughly $330 billion worth of taxes that were overpaid to the government and returned to taxpayers.
While some are ready to get their checks, others aren’t too happy about tax season returning once again.
According to the survey, almost a fifth of millennials would rather drive 20 hours straight than file, as a large chunk ofAmericans said they will go to extreme lengths to avoid filing their taxes.
Another 15% said they would rather take a vow of celibacy for one year to avoid filing their taxes.
“Whether you’re expecting a refund this year or you think you might owe money, my number one tip is to make a plan and leverage the plethora of online resources and tools that can help you do things like estimate how much you might owe or receive, as well as ways to access your refund early, at no cost,” Courtney Alev, consumer financial advocate at Credit Karma, said in a statement.
The survey from Credit Karma was conducted from Dec. 20, 2024, to Jan. 4, 2025. They included responses from 1,000 adults who plan to file their taxes this year.