IRS sending out another 1.5 million tax refunds to people who overpaid on unemployment benefits

The government is issuing another batch of refunds this week to taxpayers who received jobless aid last year and overpaid on taxes, the Internal Revenue Service announced. 

The agency said it is issuing 1.5 million tax refunds to Americans this week, with the typical refund around $1,600. The IRS said direct-deposit payments went out starting July 28 and paper checks started hitting mailboxes July 30.

This is the fourth round of refunds related to unemployment aid that the IRS has issued since Congress changed the tax law this spring to allow formerly unemployed people to keep more of their benefits. The IRS sent out three previous rounds of payments in May, June and earlier this month.

Normally, unemployment benefits are subject to federal income tax. However, the American Rescue Plan, passed in March, decreed that up to $10,200 in jobless benefits would not be taxable. The change, passed after millions of jobless aid recipients already filed tax returns, meant that many were due refunds.