IR-2015-25, Feb. 6, 2015 WASHINGTON — The 2015 tax filing season is off to a strong start with most taxpayers filing their returns electronically and choosing direct deposit for their refunds, according to the Internal Revenue Service. As of Jan. 31, the IRS received more than 14 million tax returns this year. More than 13 million of those returns have been filed electronically, an indication that more taxpayers are realizing the benefits that e-filing offers. “We encourage taxpayers to e-file their returns since it is the quickest, safest and most accurate way to file and the fastest way to get a refund,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “We also urge taxpayers to take advantage of the many online resources available through our web site.” IRS.gov has been accessed more than 65 million times this year, up 49 percent from the same time last year. Filing a complete and accurate return is more crucial than ever to prevent refund delays or discrepancies. The IRS has issued 7.6 million refunds worth $26.8 billion; the average refund is worth $3,539. More than 96 percent of all refunds have been paid through direct deposit. In total, 7.3 million refunds worth $26.2 billion have been directly deposited to taxpayer accounts. Follow the IRS on New Media Subscribe to IRS Newswire 2015 FILING SEASON STATISTICS Cumulative statistics comparing 1/31/14[1] and 1/30/15 Individual Income Tax Returns: 2014 2015 % Change Total Receipts 11,169,000 14,026,000 25.6 Total Processed 11,036,000 13,897,000 25.9 E-filing Receipts: TOTAL 10,418,000 13,327,000 27.9 Tax Professionals 4,212,000 5,857,000 39.1 Self-prepared 6,206,000 7,469,000 20.4 Web Usage: Visits to IRS.gov 43,996,932 65,561,078 49.0 Total Refunds: Number 3,838,000 7,595,000 97.9 Amount $12.351 billion $26.882 billion 117.7 Average refund $3,218 $3,539 10.0 Direct Deposit Refunds: Number 3,715,000 7,310,000 96.8 Amount $12.053 billion $26.213 billion 117.5 Average refund $3,244 $3,586 10.5 [1] When comparing the tax filings as of Jan 31, 2015 and the same time last year it must be remembered that the 2014 filing season began ten days later — Jan. 30, 2014 — because the process for updating IRS systems saw significant delays in October 2013 as a result of the 16-day federal government closure.
