The IRS normally publishes detailed filing-season statistics after each tax season, and this year's were expected to give the first detailed look at how taxpayers used the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's new deductions for overtime and tips. They were supposed to come out in July, Politico reported on October 14, 2026. The IRS's own release schedule lists the late-May filing-season statistics for filing year 2026 as “Pending,” and its filing-season statistics page, last updated July 15, carries tables only through 2025. “The IRS said it is awaiting approval from the Treasury Department to publish the figures,” Politico reported; that explanation has not been reported independently.
During the filing season the administration promoted the IRS's weekly top-line figures on refunds as evidence of the tax cuts' benefits, Politico noted. The delay also follows the IRS's withholding of its periodic tax-gap estimate (see The IRS's Estimate of Unpaid Taxes Is a Year Overdue, as a Watchdog Finds Audit Revenue Fell 35 Percent After Staff Cuts). The reason for this delay is not established, and data releases can slip for ordinary reasons; what the record shows is that the detailed numbers have not appeared three weeks before the midterms.