Electronic tax filing set a new record this year, with 95 million individual federal income tax returns e-filed, up nearly 6 percent from last years total of nearly 90 million.
Approximately two out of three taxpayers filed electronically this year, said the IRS. Out of the 141 million returns filed so far this year, over 67 percent were e-filed, compared to 59 percent last year.
Each year, more taxpayers choose to e-file their tax returns. While the total number of tax returns has increased 10 percent during the past decade, the number filed electronically has increased by 168 percent.
Taxpayers who file electronically from a home computer continue to be an increasingly significant segment of those who e-file, the IRS noted. This year, for the first time, more than a third of e-filers filed their returns themselves from a home computer, accounting for approximately 34 percent of all e-filed returns from individuals. More than 32 million returns were e-filed from home computers, up almost 20 percent from last years record of 27 million.
Nearly 73 million refunds were electronically deposited into taxpayer accounts this year. These taxpayers received their refunds at least a week sooner than those receiving a paper check.
Direct deposit refunds accounted for 66 percent of all refunds, up from 62 percent of refunds last year. Overall, the IRS issued 110 million refunds, averaging $2,753 per refund; direct deposit refunds averaged $2,997 per refund.
More than 3 million taxpayers filed their tax returns for free through the IRS Free File program. This year, for the first time, taxpayers could also file directly to the IRS by completing a Form 1040 on IRS.gov; 273,000 taxpayers used this new way to file.
