ABC reported that the refund checks sent out so far averages $2,292, a 4.5% percent increase over that of last year. (Caution: this number may be higher than the final average check size because early filers are mostly likely to be people expecting big refund checks.)
I'm always amazed by the number of people who didn't project their tax liabiities correctly and ended up with a huge tax refund. Perhaps my tax scenario is too simple (wage + mortgage + stock portfolio with 10-20 trades/year), but I always reassess my tax situation every month (you can find my tax liabilities reported in my monthly update every time). I will owe the Treasury about $1,000, and I am proud of that.