WASHINGTON (LAWFUEL) — 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.
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%
