Study Finds Most Americans Dread Doing Their Taxes, but 4 in 10 Are Relying on Refunds

Staff Report

Thursday, February 27th, 2020

LendingTree, the nation's leading online loan marketplace, released its study capturing how Americans feel towards tax season. The survey found that though more than half of respondents (54 percent) are dreading filing their taxes, 4 in 10 are relying on getting a tax refund this year.

Key findings

4 in 10 respondents are relying on getting a tax refund this year.

Of those surveyed, men (46 percent) rely on returns more than women (33 percent), while Gen Xers (53 percent) rely on them more than millennials (45 percent) and baby boomers (26 percent).

Families with children under 18 are more likely to rely on their tax refund.

Respondents largely plan to save their tax refunds (40 percent) or use them to repay debt (37 percent). Of those who will put their refund toward debt, 65 percent plan to pay down credit cards.

More than half of respondents (54 percent) are dreading filing their taxes. One in four simply dread paying for tax services, and 22 percent don't want to spend the time filing.

Most respondents (58 percent) expect a tax refund this year, and 18 percent are expecting a $2,000-plus check from the IRS.

13 percent have no idea what to expect, making it difficult to plan ahead.

39 percent of respondents will use an online tax filing service to help them prepare their taxes, and 36 percent will employ a paid accountant or advisor.

One in 10 respondents said they do their taxes without any outside help.

14 percent of respondents (18 percent of millennials) didn't have health insurance for all of 2019, which means they might owe the IRS money.

1 in 5 respondents don't know the deadline to file a federal tax return, April 15. Most reported they will file in February (48 percent) or March (21 percent).

To view the full report, visit https://www.lendingtree.com/personal/tax-refund-survey/