Taxpayers are e-filing their Federal income tax returns from their home computers in record numbers this year the IRS announced today. As of March 6, more than 18 million income tax returns were filed from home computers, up 20 percent compared to the same time last year.

Filing Tax Returns from Home Computers Up 20% in 2009

So far this year, almost 52 million tax returns have been e-filed, up 6 percent compared to the same time last year. However, the number of people using IRS Free File has fallen from almost 3 million last year to just under 2 million for the same time this year, a reduction of about 30 percent. A number of factors could be causing the decrease in Free File volumes, including national advertising of other free online tax preparation offers and the elimination of electronic filing fees by some software providers.

As of March 6, about 91 percent of tax returns resulted in a refund. This percentage however is usually at its highest at the start of the filing season because taxpayers expecting refunds usually file earlier than taxpayer who must make a payment.

The IRS cautioned that year-to-year analysis of total returns file will be an anomaly this year because last year’s results include those returns filed for the economic stimulus payment. As the year progresses, the IRS expects to receive and process more individual income tax returns during 2009 than in 2007 but fewer than in 2008.

2009 FILING SEASON STATISTICS
Cumulative through the weeks ending Mar. 7, 2008 and Mar. 6, 2009
Individual Income Tax Returns	2008		2009		% Change
Total Receipts	63,383,000		63,851,000		0.7%
Total Processed	59,270,000		59,763,000		0.8%

E-filing Receipts:
TOTAL	48,795,000		51,793,000		6.1%
Tax Professionals	33,419,000		33,349,000		-0.2%
Self-prepared	15,377,000		18,444,000		19.9%

Web Usage:
Visits to IRS.gov	90,729,850		116,774,933		28.7%

Total Refunds:
Number	53,176,000		54,638,000		2.7%
Amount	$136.976	Billion	$153.579	Billion	12.1%
Average refund	$2,576		$2,811		9.1%

Direct Deposit Refunds:
Number	41,665,000		44,744,000		7.4%
Amount	$117.808	Billion	$135.613	Billion	15.1%
Average refund	$2,827		$3,031		7.2%

eFile Your 2007 Income Tax Return Electronically

Nearly 80 million tax returns were e-filed in 2006! (22.6 million were filed from home computers).

Ask us about filing and paying electronically. Filing taxes online and paying electronically gets taxes done more accurately, quickly and efficiently.

Electronic tax filing and paying ensures that your tax information arrives and that your history is safe and secure.

Direct Deposit of your tax refund will ensure you recieve your refund safely. 115,478 taxpayers did not recieve their refund checks (worth about $110 million) because the checks were returned as undeliverable.

Since 2001, the number of e-filed returns has almost doubled and over the past decade the number of e-filers has increased four-fold.

Year

Returns

Total e-file

Percent e-file

1997

121.5 million

19.2 million

15.8%

1998

123.8 million

24.6 million

19.9%

1999

125.9 million

29.3 million

23.3%

2000

128.4 million

35.4 million

27.6%

2001

131.0 million

40.2 million

30.7%

2002

131.7 million

46.9 million

35.6%

2003

131.6 million

52.9 million

40.2%

2004

132.2 million

61.5 million

46.5%

2005

134.0 million

68.5 million

51.1%

2006

136.1 million

73.3 million

53.8%

More than 22.6 million returns have been e-filed by taxpayers doing their own returns, up from 20.3 million from the same period last year. More than 57.4 million returns were e-filed by tax professionals, up from nearly 52.9 million last year.

Tag: e-filing