IR-2009-46, April 30, 2009 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today a record 90 million tax returns were filed electronically this year, led by a big increase in people using home computers. For the first time, more than 30 million individual income tax returns were filed from home computers. By April 24, the IRS had accepted 31.2 million returns filed from home computers, up 19.3 percent from the same time last year. IRS e-file broke the 90 million mark this year. By April 24, the IRS had accepted 90.6 million income tax returns through e-file, up almost 6 percent compared to the same time last year. “E-file is a great option for taxpayers, and this year’s record is another sign people enjoy the speed and accuracy of e-file,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “We remind taxpayers with extensions who haven’t filed yet that they can still take advantage of e-file.” A higher percentage of the population is choosing to e-file this year. As of April 24, almost 70 percent of individuals chose to e-file their tax returns, compared to 61 percent for the same time last year. The IRS will continue to accept income tax returns through IRS e-file and Free File until Oct. 15. IRS e-file is popular because it’s fast, safe and accurate. An electronically prepared and filed return has an error rate of less than 1 percent, compared to an error rate of about 20 percent for a paper prepared return. People can receive a refund in as little as 10 days if they use electronic filing and direct deposit. Also, people who owe can also pay electronically by debiting their financial account or using a credit card. Subscribe to IRS Newswire 2009 FILING SEASON STATISTICS Cumulative through the weeks ending 4/25/08 and 4/24/09 Individual Income Tax Returns 2008 2009 % Change Total Receipts 139,928,000 131,543,000 -6.0% Total Processed 119,100,000 117,014,000 -1.8% E-filing Receipts: TOTAL 85,606,000 90,639,000 5.9% Tax Professionals 59,444,000 59,439,000 -0.01% Self-prepared 26,162,000 31,200,000 19.3% Web Usage: Visits to IRS.gov 168,069,815 190,905,950 13.6% Total Refunds: Number 93,183,000 96,673,000 3.7% Amount $220.958 Billion $259.348 Billion 17.4% Average refund $2,371 $2,683 13.1% Direct Deposit Refunds: Number 62,795,000 68,646,000 9.3% Amount $168.847 Billion $202.395 Billion 19.9% Average refund $2,689 $2,948 9.7%
