E-Filing, Web Site Usage Running at Record Pace

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service is seeing a record surge of taxpayers filing electronically and using the IRS web site for help. According to statistics released Friday, more than 25.1 million taxpayers filed electronically as of March 10. That’s a 16.1 percent jump from last year’s record pace. The IRS e-file program also is seeing a big increase in people using home computers to file their returns. Through March 10, 2.8 million people filed from their computers a 95.7 percent increase from last year.

Another record is being set at the IRS web site as taxpayers download tax forms and publications and find other useful information. As of March 12, The Digital Daily at www. irs.gov recorded 567 million hits, a 16 percent increase from the 489 million hits from the same period last year.

A visit to The Digital Daily can open the door to a wealth of tax-related resources. Taxpayers can read about the latest changes to tax laws, find answers to the most frequently asked tax questions, consult current tax tables and rate schedules, locate a local IRS office or learn about the many advantages of filing a return electronically. Also available on the Web site are hundreds of tax forms and informational publications. Since its inception in 1996, the IRS’s award-winning Web site has received 2.8 billion hits, with more than 1 billion occurring in 1999 alone.

Downloads from the IRS web site are also on the rise, reaching 89 million in 1999. This year, there were nearly 20 million downloads in January alone. Besides the IRS web site, there are other ways to obtain IRS tax products. Tax forms, instructions and publications can be ordered over the phone by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676). To receive forms and instructions by fax, contact the IRS TaxFax Service at 703-368-9694. During the first three months of the 2000 filing season, more than 580,000 forms and instructions were faxed to taxpayers. Tax products are also available at more than 400 IRS offices nationwide and can be picked up at many post offices and libraries.

2000 FILING SEASON STATISTICS
Cumulative through the week ending 3/12/99 and 3/10/00
1999-2000

Individual Income Tax Returns
Total Receipts            51,805,000      52,932,000      2.2
Total Processed           40,950,000      45,085,000     10.1

E-filing Receipts:

TOTAL                     21,637,000      25,115,000     16.1
TeleFile (phone)           4,353,000       3,911,000    -10.2
Computer                  17,284,000      21,204,000     22.7
Tax Professionals         15,853,000      18,404,000     16.1
Self-prepared              1,431,000       2,800,000     95.7

Refunds Certified by the Martinsburg Computing Center:

Number                     37,560,000      41,349,000    10.1
Amount of principal       $61.470 b.       $71.591 b.    16.5
Average refund             $1,637          $1,731         5.8
Direct Deposit Refunds:
Number                     16,569,000      20,098,000    21.3
Amount                    $34.984 b.      $43.707 b.     25