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Annual Report Finds 29% of Americans Procrastinate Filing Their Taxes
As the 2026 tax filing season approaches, many Americans are once again putting off their returns. IPX1031’s 7th annual Tax Procrastinators report finds 29% of Americans will procrastinate filing their taxes this year, a slight improvement from 31% in 2025. New in 2026, 21% of Americans say they plan to use artificial intelligence to help file their taxes this year.
More than 1 in 5 Don’t Feel Prepared to File Taxes in 2026
While nearly 3 in 10 Americans will procrastinate filing their taxes, more than 1 in 5 (22%) say they don’t feel prepared to file in 2026. The top reasons for procrastinating include:
- The process feels too complicated or stressful
- Filing takes too much time
- Fear of owing money
Although Tax Day 2026 is April 15, nearly 1 in 5 Americans (19%) don’t know the filing deadline. As for when they plan to file, 15% will in January, 38% in February, 26% in March, and 18% in April. Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) even admit to procrastinating until Tax Day to file.
1 in 5 Americans Will Use AI to Help File Taxes
Nearly half (46%) of Americans trust AI to give accurate tax guidance or information and 21% say they will use AI to help file their taxes. The top ways people plan to use AI is to help answer filing questions, find deductions or credits, and review returns for mistakes.
Top Tax Procrastinators by State 2026
Using Google search data related to tax filing deadlines, we identified the states most likely to procrastinate filing taxes. For the 4th year in a row, Wyoming ranks #1. Alaska is 2nd, followed by Vermont, North Dakota, and Delaware. The top five is unchanged from the 2025 Tax Procrastination report. However, South Dakota moved up to 6th place, pushing Hawaii and Rhode Island further down the rankings.
In a change from 2025, New Jersey moved from the #41 spot to #50, becoming the state least likely to procrastinate filing their taxes. Wisconsin and Pennsylvania also rank among the states least likely to delay filing.
Tax Refund Statistics in 2026
When it comes to refunds, expectations are mixed. More than 2 in 5 (44%) Americans expect their refund to be about the same size as last year, while 32% anticipate a smaller refund and 23% expect a larger one. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the average tax refund in 2025 was $3,052.
As for how Americans will use their tax refund, 19% plan to save it, 18% will use it to pay off debt, and 9% plan to put it toward an emergency fund. More than a quarter (27%) don’t expect to get a refund at all.
Americans spend an average of $128 per year on tax preparation with the majority filing through an online service (69%), followed by filing through an accountant (27%), and 4% use other methods. More than 1 in 4 (27%) of business owners and investment property owners say they struggle with filing taxes for their business or property.
If you are interested in deferring your taxes on investment real estate, consider a 1031 Tax Deferred Exchange. You can use our Capital Gain Estimator or learn more about how a 1031 Exchange can help preserve and grow your assets when selling and buying investment properties. Learn more about Investment Property Exchange Services, Inc. (IPX1031), the nation’s largest 1031 Exchange company.
Take a look at our previous Tax Procrastinator Reports:
Methodology
In January 2026, we conducted a survey of 1,005 people from across the U.S. about their tax filing habits. Among respondents, 50% identified as male and 48% as female with an average age of 45.
To rank the states, we analyzed more than 1,450 Google search terms relating to the tax filing deadline from January-October 2025. We took the average number of monthly searches for each state and calculated the searches per 100,000 residents.
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Fair Use
When using this data and research, please attribute by linking to this study and citing IPX1031.
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Tax Day 2022: America’s Biggest Procrastinators
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Tax Day 2020: America’s Biggest Procrastinators
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