Tax e-filers reach 60 percent

The IRS has received 60 percent of its tax returns through electronic filing as of the April 15 deadline, boosted by increases in individuals e-filing from their computers.Tax filers preparing their own taxes with software and submitting them via their home PCs jumped almost 13 percent, while those choosing tax professionals to e-file their returns rose 9.7 percent, the IRS said. E-filing through the Free File Alliance, a collaboration between IRS and industry, surged 43 percent to 4.5 million.Of the total 104.17 million tax returns received, Americans e-filed 62.1 million, or 60 percent. At the same time last year, tax payers e-filed 52.7 percent of returns.“This may be one of the smoothest tax seasons we’ve ever had,” said Bert DuMars, director of IRS’ electronic tax administration, at an industry conference sponsored by the Council for Electronic Revenue Communication Advancement in Arlington, Va.This year for the first time in 40 years, IRS began processing tax returns with a modernized database, the Customer Account Data Engine, which the tax agency deployed last summer. IRS expects CADE to process about 3 million individual 1040EZ returns this year.This is the last year taxpayers may use the Telefile option for certain simplified returns. IRS is hoping that those 3 million filers will migrate to computerized filing.Tax filers choosing to get their refunds back sooner through direct deposit increased 4.7 percent this year. Refunds average $2,550, 4.6 percent higher than last year.