More taxpayers this year are choosing to save rather than spend.

A survey by job website CareerBuilder found that 46 percent of taxpayers who will receive tax refunds plan to use them to pay off bills, down from 56 percent who had those intentions last year. Meanwhile, 36 percent plan to put the funds into their savings accounts, up from 34 percent last year.

In a sign that consumers’ personal financial situations may be improving aiong with the economy, 61 percent of people said they live paycheck to paycheck, down from 77 percent when the study was conducted last spring. In addition, almost 80 percent said they had not reduced their 401(k) accounts or personal savings in the past year.

The CareerBuilder survey of 3,910 adults was conducted between Nov. 15 and Dec. 2.