What People Are Most Likely to Spend Their Tax Refund On

What would you do if you had a recent windfall of money, say, $3,000? According to the IRS, the average tax refund in 2015 was $3,120.

According to GoBankingRates, the average tax refund in 2016 was $2,800. It’s the common curiosity to wonder what your peers’ and family’s priorities are when receiving their refund, but if you’re assuming they’re going to spend their refund as soon as humanly possible, think again.

GoBankingRates recently conducted a survey of what people are planning to do with their tax refund, collecting close to 5,000 responses. The number one thing most Americans plan to spend their tax refund on? Pay off debt, followed by a close second of putting in savings. Just 9 percent of Americans plan on putting their refund toward a vacation, and 5 percent intend on making a major purchase with the money, such as a car, a home, etc. Only 4 percent of those surveyed said they’d put the money towards a purchase, such as tv, a pair of shoes, etc.

You’ll also notice that the top response isn’t pay off debt — it’s actually “I do not receive a tax refund,” coming in at 30 percent. Historically, are you in the pool of respondents that expects not to receive a refund? Did you expect the majority of Americans would be fiscally responsible? Leave a message down below, and if you haven’t yet filed your taxes, consider reading our articles on tips for filing your return and when to know to hire a professional tax preparer.