IRS.gov a hit with tax filers

IRS Web site

The traditional run to the local post office or library in search of tax forms is being replaced by an online search of the Internal Revenue Service's Web site.

Tax filers have flocked to the IRS' Web site this tax season, according to data from the IRS and Nielsen//NetRatings, which measures Internet use.

From Jan. 1 through April 8, the most recent numbers available, the IRS Web site tallied 1.3 billion hits, a 67 percent increase over the 791 million hits for the same period last year, an IRS spokeswoman said.

For the week ending April 8, the tax site recorded more than 1 million unique visitors, according to Nielsen//NetRatings, making it one of the fastest growing domains for that week. By comparison, the site attracted 681,000 visitors the previous week.

Visitors spent an average of 11 minutes on the site, with most going to the page for electronic tax filing, according to the Nielsen//NetRatings analysis.

Hit counts are an accurate measure of how much traffic a Web server is handling. Each hit, however, does not represent a unique visitor to the site.

"IRS.gov has become the go-to online resource for timely and useful tax information," said Sean Kaldor, vice president of e-commerce for NetRatings Inc. "It strays from the stereotype of a typical government Web site, reaching out to the average taxpayer with well-organized content, providing assistance and support, and helping decrease the tax season burden."

The IRS is looking to provide even more of its forms online for the 2002 tax filing season, IRS officials have said.