IRS will expand e-filing availability

The IRS will make electronic filing available to 99.1 percent of all taxpayers next year.The agency will provide online 38 forms and schedules, which could add 3.8 million new e-filers, said Terry Lutes, electronic tax administration director. He spoke at a recent Council for Electronic Revenue Communication Advancement conference in Arlington, Va.The IRS will let users register with the agency online and obtain user names and passwords, update their e-filing service provider profiles, and search and browse their e-filing accounts content.By summer’s end, the IRS will redesign its Web site to let taxpayers ask questions about refunds, Lutes said. “We are remapping the existing Web content and collecting feedback from users before the redesign,” he said.The agency is also testing a new application for businesses to pay taxes online.EFTPS-Online will let businesses enroll in the system, make federal tax payments and check their electronic payment history. Businesses that now use the IRS’ Electronic Funds Transfer Payment System will also be able to schedule future payments and cancel payments online. More than 3 million businesses use EFTPS.