IR-2015-38, March 4, 2015 WASHINGTON — With almost 59 million tax returns filed so far, the Internal Revenue Service estimates that three out of five taxpayers have yet to file their tax returns, according to statistics released today. For taxpayers still working on their taxes, the Internal Revenue Service added three revised publications to IRS.gov just this week. These publications will help businesses and individuals understand how to figure depreciation as well as pension options. Publication 946, How to Depreciate Property PDF explains how you can recover the cost of business or income-producing property through deductions for depreciation. The publication was updated to reflect the extension of expiring tax provisions in legislation signed into law on Dec. 19. Publication 4587, Payroll Deduction IRAs for Small Businesses PDF explains that individuals saving in a traditional IRA may be able to receive some tax advantages on the money they contribute, and the investments can grow tax-deferred. Publication 4334, SIMPLE IRA Plans for Small Businesses PDF explains how a SIMPLE (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees of Small Employers) IRA plan offers great advantages for businesses that have 100 or fewer employees (who earned $5,000 or more during the preceding calendar year) and that do not have another retirement plan. The IRS constantly adds revised tax forms, publications, instructions and tax information to IRS.gov. The IRS encourages taxpayers to frequently visit IRS.gov, including the forms and pubs page for all current forms and publications, updates and changes, and additional information. 2015 FILING SEASON STATISTICS Cumulative statistics comparing 2/28/14 and 2/27/15 Individual Income Tax Returns: 2014 2015 % change Total Receipts 58,883,000 58,528,000 -0.6 Total Processed 57,410,000 56,857,000 -1.0 E-filing Receipts: TOTAL 54,942,000 55,104,000 0.3 Tax Professionals 30,053,000 28,733,000 -4.4 Self-prepared 24,889,000 26,371,000 6.0 Web Usage: Visits to IRS.gov 163,397,540 179,918,451 10.1 Total Refunds: Number 48,429,000 47,547,000 -1.8 Amount $146.918 Billion $144.903 Billion -1.4 Average refund $3,034 $3,048 0.5 Direct Deposit Refunds: Number 42,380,000 43,228,000 2.0 Amount $131.203 Billion $136.571 Billion 4.1 Average refund $3,096 $3,159 2.0 Follow the IRS on New Media Subscribe to IRS Newswire
