Tax filers continue to migrate online

Taxpayers continue to shift in droves from paper to electronic filing, running 10 percent ahead of last year, the IRS said today in its latest count. Filing from home computers remained steady, still up 23 percent from the same time last year.“People are filing electronically in record numbers,” said IRS Commissioner Mark Everson.Through March 5, out of 55.5 million returns received, 37.1 million returns were e-filed. More than 8.5 million taxpayers filed from their home computers, 23.2 percent over last year. Tax professionals electronically transmitted 25.8 million returns, up 8.4 percent. The average refund has increased 4.4 percent to $2,182. The number of direct-deposit refunds has climbed 10.3 percent ahead of 2003 to 31.1 million.Taxpayers have also made about 9.8 million visits to the “Where’s My Refund?” service so far this tax season, almost twice as many as a year ago, reflecting activity through Feb. 29.Taxpayers who file electronically can use the service within 72 hours of submitting their returns. Paper filers can use the feature three to four weeks after their returns are mailed.Tax filers provide their Social Security number, filing status and refund amount. Once the information is submitted, “Where’s My Refund?” notifies the taxpayer whether the return was received and is being processed, and the expected mailing date or direct-deposit date for the refund. The service will also notify a taxpayer if a refund has been returned to the IRS as undeliverable.