Taxpayers break e-filing record

According to a Nov. 7 IRS news release, of the 139.3 million returns filed in 2007, roughly 80 million, or 57.4 percent, were filed electronically, up about 9 percent from the 73 million e-filed during the same period last year.

“Paper returns continue to drop year after year,” said IRS Acting Commissioner Linda E. Stiff, in a news release. “E-file is the safe, accurate way for more taxpayers to quickly complete their taxes and get a refund faster.”

Since 2001, the number of e-filed returns has nearly doubled, and in the last decade, the number of e-filers has grown fourfold, according to the release. In 1997, only 15.8 percent, or 19.2 million, returns were submitted electronically, according to the IRS.

In year-to-date 2007, more than 22.6 million returns have been e-filed by taxpayers doing their own returns, up from 20.3 million for the same period in 2006. More than 57.4 million returns were e-filed by tax professionals, up from nearly 52.9 million last year.

More people this year have chosen to have tax refunds directly deposited. According to the release, the IRS has directly deposited 61.4 million refunds, up 8 percent from last year. The IRS Web site, www.irs.gov, also is experiencing a record year. The IRS has recorded 196.2 million visits to the Web site, an increase of more than 10 percent from the 177.5 million visits during the same period last year.