

IR-2004-72, May 26, 2004
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers that e-file, its electronic filing service, remains available for their use long after the regular April 15 filing deadline.
The IRS expects some 10 million taxpayers, out of approximately 130 million, to file after April 15. Among these are taxpayers who received an automatic four-month filing extension, filers in certain hardship situations who are eligible for an additional two-month extension and late filers who did not get an extension.
IRS e-file will be available through Oct. 15 to serve these taxpayers.
“The advantages of e-file don’t go away after April 15,” said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson. “Millions of taxpayers can still use e-file to submit their returns whether they have an extension or not. No matter what time of the year, e-filing is the fastest, easiest way to do taxes. There are fewer errors, and taxpayers get their refunds in less than half the time of paper returns.”
In addition, several private companies participating in the Free File program will also continue to provide free return preparation and e-filing services to eligible taxpayers through mid-October. About 60 percent of taxpayers qualify for Free File services, which are available through the IRS Web site.
Through May 21, 60 million taxpayers had e-filed their returns, marking a 15.5 percent increase from last year.
E-filing is the best way to avoid tax return problems. It is easier and less prone to errors than traditional paper filing.
And for taxpayers who didn’t get an extension, e-filing offers another advantage: e-filers get their returns to the IRS quicker, reducing the amount of interest and penalties they’ll owe.
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