

IR-2009-23, March 13, 2009
WASHINGTON — Taxpayers are e-filing their Federal income tax returns from their home computers in record numbers this year the IRS announced today. As of March 6, more than 18 million income tax returns were filed from home computers, up 20 percent compared to the same time last year.
So far this year, almost 52 million tax returns have been e-filed, up 6 percent compared to the same time last year. However, the number of people using IRS Free File has fallen from almost 3 million last year to just under 2 million for the same time this year, a reduction of about 30 percent. A number of factors could be causing the decrease in Free File volumes, including national advertising of other free online tax preparation offers and the elimination of electronic filing fees by some software providers.
As of March 6, about 91 percent of tax returns resulted in a refund. This percentage however is usually at its highest at the start of the filing season because taxpayers expecting refunds usually file earlier than taxpayer who must make a payment. 
The IRS cautioned that year-to-year analysis of total returns file will be an anomaly this year because last year’s results include those returns filed for the economic stimulus payment. As the year progresses, the IRS expects to receive and process more individual income tax returns during 2009 than in 2007 but fewer than in 2008.
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2009 FILING SEASON STATISTICS


Cumulative through the weeks ending Mar. 7, 2008 and Mar. 6, 2009


Individual Income Tax Returns


2008


2009


% Change


Total Receipts


  63,383,000


63,851,000


  0.7%


Total Processed


  59,270,000


  59,763,000


  0.8%


 


 


 


 


E-filing Receipts:


 


 


 


TOTAL


48,795,000


51,793,000


  6.1%


Tax Professionals


33,419,000


33,349,000


-0.2%


Self-prepared


15,377,000


18,444,000


19.9%


 


 


 


 


Web Usage:


 


 


 


Visits to IRS.gov


90,729,850 


116,774,933 


28.7% 


 


 


 


 


Total Refunds:


 


 


 


Number


  53,176,000


  54,638,000


  2.7%


Amount


$136.976


Billion


$153.579


Billion


12.1%


Average refund


$2,576


$2,811


9.1%


 


 


 


 


Direct Deposit Refunds:


 


 


 


Number


41,665,000


44,744,000


7.4%


Amount


$117.808


Billion


$135.613


Billion


15.1%


Average refund


$2,827


$3,031


7.2%



