Average Tax Refund in RI is 3.8% Higher This Year

Average Tax Refund in RI is 3.8% Higher This Year

The RI Division of Taxation is reporting that the average personal income tax refund amount is up 3.8% to $541 this filing season, compared with $521 a year ago.

In addition, total number of refunds so far is down 11% compared with the corresponding period a year ago. That’s because of the last-minute changes to tax law made by President Barack H. Obama and Congress, which required computer systems to be reprogrammed and tested.

“The number of refunds issued, and the aggregate amount of refunds issued, are down so far because of the delay to the start of the filing season,” Sullivan said. “The delay was a consequence of the lengthy ‘fiscal cliff’ debate and the compromise federal tax law that was enacted in January, which also impacted Rhode Island.” The last-minute changes to the law required extensive computer reprogramming. The start of the full federal filing season was therefore delayed, which caused temporary hold-ups for many states. “Nobody is surprised by the delay, which was well-publicized. But now that all systems are go, we fully expect to see our number of refunds – and our aggregate dollar amount of refunds issued – to increase smartly in the weeks ahead,” Sullivan said.  

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