In a recent survey of 4,413 U.S. users conducted by CivicScience, intriguing patterns emerged regarding tax filing habits. The survey, spanning from January 14 to April 22, 2025, revealed distinct differences between early tax filers and those who wait until the last minute.
Among the respondents, 30% reported filing their taxes early, while 19% admitted to procrastinating until the last minute. The remaining participants fell somewhere in between, with 35% filing neither early nor late. A small percentage, 7%, indicated that their filing habits vary by year, and 9% had no opinion or chose other options.
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Gender differences were notable. Early filers were predominantly male, with 52% of them identifying as such, compared to 48% female. In contrast, last-minute filers showed a slight female majority, with 51% female and 49% male. This gender distribution suggests that men are more inclined to file early, while women are slightly more likely to delay.
Parental status also influenced filing habits. Among early filers, 32% were parents, 25% were grandparents, and 43% had no children or grandchildren. Last-minute filers had a similar distribution, with 34% being parents, 22% grandparents, and 45% neither. This indicates that parental responsibilities do not significantly influence the timing of tax filing.
Age group analysis revealed that early filers were predominantly 65 or older, accounting for 22% of this group. In contrast, last-minute filers were more evenly distributed across age groups, with the highest percentages in the 18-24 and 35-44 brackets, each at 19%. This suggests that older individuals tend to file early, while younger adults are more prone to procrastination.
Income levels showed a clear distinction between the two groups. Early filers were more likely to have incomes between $30,000 and $99,999, while last-minute filers had a higher percentage, 28%, in the $100,000 to $149,999 range. This indicates that higher-income individuals may be more likely to delay their tax filing.
Education levels further differentiated the groups. Early filers were more likely to hold a Bachelor’s degree, 25%, or a graduate degree, 24%. In contrast, last-minute filers had a higher percentage, 25%, with some college education but no degree. This suggests that higher education levels may correlate with earlier tax filing.
Living area data showed that both early and last-minute filers predominantly resided in suburbs, with 43% and 46%, respectively. This indicates that urbanicity does not significantly impact the timing of tax filing.
Overall, the survey highlights intriguing distinctions between early and last-minute tax filers, with gender, age, income, and education levels playing significant roles. These insights provide a deeper understanding of the factors influencing tax filing behaviors in the United States.
This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights. Our AI content creation tool, DataScribe, supported the article.
