From Politico:

If it seems like you’re not getting a tax refund like you used to, you’re not alone.

The share of taxpayers who get money back at tax time is slowly and, a little mysteriously, shrinking. At the same time, the number of people having to cut a check to the government has been rising.

The number of refunds so far this year is down by 3.3 percent, according to the latest IRS statistics that came out before Monday’s filing deadline. It was down last year too, and the year before that.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/15/tax-fewer-people-getting-refunds-00152248