IR-2011-44, April 13, 2011 WASHINGTON — As the April 18 tax return filing deadline nears, taxpayers can find a wealth of tax-related information on the IRS YouTube channel. The channel, which debuted in August 2009, features numerous IRS experts answering common and not-so-common tax questions. The IRS YouTube channel is home to hundreds of videos on subjects ranging from how to choose a tax preparer to filing your taxes for free to checking on your refund. Videos are posted in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. To date, there have been more than 1.7 million views. The IRS YouTube video channel is the fifth most viewed out of more than 125 U.S. government YouTube channels. Taxpayers can even subscribe to the channel to receive notice of new video offerings. In fact, the IRS will soon be featuring summertime video tax tips. Topics include the tax implications of summer day camps and summer jobs. Hot Topics for the Final Week of Filing Season The following videos include information last-minute filers will find useful: Last-Minute Tax Tips (obsolete video removed 4/28/11) Follow the IRS on New Media Subscribe to IRS Newswire [Filing season statistics for the week ending April 8, 2011, are provided below.] 2011 FILING SEASON STATISTICS Cumulative through the weeks ending 04/09/10 and 04/08/11 Individual Income Tax Returns 2010 2011 % Change Total Receipts 98,802,000 98,562,000 -0.2% Total Processed 93,205,000 95,806,000 2.8% E-filing Receipts: TOTAL 77,395,000 83,662,000 8.1% Tax Professionals 50,070,000 53,658,000 7.2% Self-prepared 27,325,000 30,004,000 9.8% Web Usage: Visits to IRS.gov 162,235,522 172,489,766 6.3 Total Refunds: Number 79,705,000 80,874,000 1.5% Amount $234.306 Billion $234.161 Billion - 0.1 Average refund $2,940 $2,895 -1.5% Direct Deposit Refunds: Number 61,428,000 64,343,000 4.7% Amount $194.813 Billion $199.490 Billion 2.4% Average refund $3,171 $3,100 -2.2%
