IR-2011-28, March 23, 2011 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that nearly 100 IRS offices will be open on Saturday, March 26, to help taxpayers. The location of participating offices is listed on IRS.gov. "We are opening our doors this Saturday to help taxpayers who may not have a chance to seek assistance during the work week," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. " We are very focused on providing services to taxpayers when they want it, where they want it." On Saturday, March 26, the IRS offices will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. IRS staff will be on site to help taxpayers. More than 35,000 taxpayers attended similar events last year resolving more than 95 percent of their issues. During the open-house hours, IRS personnel will be available to provide services such as tax return preparation, assist with account questions and help with a variety of other issues. In addition to IRS help, community organizations partner with the IRS. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs assist people who earned $49,000 or less, and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs assist individuals age 60 and over with their 2010 income tax return preparation and electronic filing. Many of these sites have Saturday hours while others offer assistance at various times during the week. Taxpayers can call 800-906-9887 to locate partner sites in their area. In addition to the open house on Saturday, March 26, the IRS expects to open many of its offices on two additional Saturdays later this year. 2011 FILING SEASON STATISTICS Cumulative through the weeks ending 03/12/10 and 03/11/11 Individual Income Tax Returns 2010 2011 % Change Total Receipts 68,743,000 68,195,000 -0.8% Total Processed 64,294,000 66,159,000 2.9% E-filing Receipts: TOTAL 56,802,000 59,948,000 5.5% Tax Professionals 35,510,000 36,840,000 3.7% Self-prepared 21,293,000 23,108,000 8.5% Web Usage: Visits to IRS.gov 120,071,838 131,128,908 9.2 Total Refunds: Number 57,779,000 59,005,000 2.1% Amount $175.415 Billion $178.356 Billion 1.7% Average refund $3,036 $3,023 -0.4% Direct Deposit Refunds: Number 47,893,000 49,896,000 4.2% Amount $154.801 Billion $159.080 Billion 2.8% Average refund $3,232 $3,188 -1.4% 2011 FILING SEASON STATISTICS Cumulative through the weeks ending 03/19/10 and 03/18/11 Individual Income Tax Returns 2010 2011 % Change Total Receipts 75,561,000 75,271,000 -0.4% Total Processed 70,948,000 73,342,000 3.4% E-filing Receipts: TOTAL 61,650,000 65,538,000 6.3% Tax Professionals 38,898,000 40,772,000 4.8% Self-prepared 22,752,000 24,766,000 8.9% Web Usage: Visits to IRS.gov 130,831,659 141,297,472 8.0 Total Refunds: Number 63,255,000 64,672,000 2.2% Amount $190.027 Billion $193.055 Billion 1.6% Average refund $3,004 $2,985 -0.6% Direct Deposit Refunds: Number 51,392,000 53,736,000 4.6% Amount $165.157 Billion $170.011 Billion 2.9% Average refund $3,214 $3,164 -1.6% Follow the IRS on New Media Subscribe to IRS Newswire
