

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.
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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%

 
 


