

IR-2006-50, March 31, 2006
Washington — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that taxpayers are continuing to e-file in greater numbers than ever before. As of March 24, 2006, the IRS had received more than 50 million tax returns through e-file, an increase of almost 3 percent compared to the same period last year.
“The increase in e-filing is really being driven by people using their home computers,” said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson. “E-file is the safe, accurate way for taxpayers to quickly finish their taxes and get a refund.”
So far this tax filing season, 68 percent of all returns have been e-filed, compared to 66 percent for the same period last year.
More than 14 million returns have been filed this tax season by people e-filing from the comfort of their own homes, up from just over 12 million for the same period last year. As of last Friday, 28 percent of e-filed returns were filed by people using their home computers, up from 25 percent of e-filed returns for the same period last year.
More people are choosing to have their tax refunds directly deposited than ever before. So far this year, the IRS has directly deposited more than 42 million refunds, or 69 percent of all refunds issued this tax filing season, up from 65 percent of the total for the same period last year.
People are also visiting the IRS Web site – IRS.gov – in record numbers. The IRS has recorded almost 90 million visits to IRS.gov this year, up from 84 million for the same period last year, an increase of 7.1 percent.
 

 


2005


2006


Percent Change


Total Receipts


73,762,000


73,438,000


-0.4


Total Processed


69,605,000


69,196,000


-0.6


 


 


 


 


E-filing Receipts


 


 


 


TOTAL


49,021,000


50,296,000


2.6


Tax Professionals


34,369,000


36,269,000


  5.5


Self-prepared


12,011,000


14,027,000


16.8


Telefile


2,641,000


NA


NA


 


 


 


 


Web Usage


 


 


 


Visits to IRS.gov


83,898,013


89,864,558


7.1


 


 


 


 


Total Refunds


 


 


 


Number


61,290,000


61,660,000


  0.6


Amount


$138,587 billion


$144.513 billion


4.3


Average


$2,261


$2,344


3.6


 


 


 


 


Direct Deposit Refunds


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Number


40,118,000


42,252,000


5.3


Amount


$104.243 billion


113.414 billion


8.8


Average


$2,598


$2,684


3.3

 
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