NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Uncle Sam is giving taxpayers an added incentive to getting their taxes done early this year.

The Internal Revenue Service said that the average refund so far is up nearly 5 percent from a year earlier, to $2,423 from $2,324.

But some taxpayers are still dragging their feet to file -- 60.7 million tax returns have been filed so far this year, down 1.1 percent from this time last year, the IRS said.

Many more taxpayers are choosing to e-file, which means they will get their refund in half the time. Returns e-filed from home computers is up almost 17 percent over last year's figure, according to the IRS.

"Each year, we are seeing more taxpayers choosing e-file, with the highest growth belonging to those who file from a home computer," said IRS Commissioner Mark Everson.

According to the latest Principal Financial Well-Being Index, people plan on being more responsible than usual with their refunds.

Fewer workers said they'll splurge on big ticket items (7 percent in 2006 down from 16 percent in 2003) and more people said they would save and invest their refund in 2006 (38 percent, up from 31 percent).

"Tax time is a great time to take any refund you receive and invest in your future either by opening up an IRA account, or increasing the deferrals in your 401(k) plan." Dan Houston, senior vice president of the Principal Financial Group, said in a statement.

"What's very encouraging today compared to a few years ago is that American workers are increasingly demonstrating a discipline for saving and investing their hard earned dollars, and are less likely than in the past to say they will run out and turn it in for a plasma TV for example."

The Principal Financial Group commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct an online study of 1,374 full- and part-time employees of small and midsized U.S. businesses between Jan. 31 and Feb. 8, 2006.

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