IRS SAYS ELECTRONIC FILING PREFERRED WAY TO FILE TAXES THIS YEAR

FROM:  U.S. INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE 
February 8, 2015
2015 Tax Filing Season Volume Outpacing Prior Year

WASHINGTON — The 2015 tax filing season is off to a strong start with most taxpayers filing their returns electronically and choosing direct deposit for their refunds, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

As of Jan. 31, the IRS received more than 14 million tax returns this year. More than 13 million of those returns have been filed electronically, an indication that more taxpayers are realizing the benefits that e-filing offers.

“We encourage taxpayers to e-file their returns since it is the quickest, safest and most accurate way to file and the fastest way to get a refund,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “We also urge taxpayers to take advantage of the many online resources available through our web site.”

IRS.gov has been accessed more than 65 million times this year, up 49 percent from the same time last year.

Filing a complete and accurate return is more crucial than ever to prevent refund delays or discrepancies.

The IRS has issued 7.6 million refunds worth $26.8 billion; the average refund is worth $3,539. More than 96 percent of all refunds have been paid through direct deposit. All total, 7.3 million refunds worth $26.2 billion have been directly deposited to taxpayer accounts.

HOW TO E-FILE

The following excerpt is from a USA.gov. e-mail:

“Last year, nearly 100 million taxpayers e-filed their federal income taxes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It’s the safest, fastest, and easiest way to submit your tax return.
If you e-file, you can expect to get your refund in half the time. If you owe money, you have more payment options.
There are four ways to e-file your federal income taxes:
Free File - if your income was $57,000 or less, you can use Free File for free tax preparation and e-filing.

Free File Fillable Forms - regardless of income, you can use online Fillable Forms. Fillable Forms are an electronic version of the IRS paper forms. This is a good option if you are comfortable preparing your own tax return, but want the advantages of fast, secure, and free e-filing.

Commercial Tax Software - you can buy your own tax preparation software, prepare your own return, and press send to e-file.

Tax Preparer - Find a tax professional you trust to prepare and e-file your return. Nearly all tax preparers use e-file now and many are now required by law to e-file.”