IRS Says Two Thirds of All Returns Are E-Filed

Two of every three federal income tax returns (67.18%) filed this year (for 2008) were filed electronically. More than one third (32 million returns) were filed from home computers; this is nearly 20% more than in the previous year.

Also, almost two thirds of all federal tax refunds were made via direct deposit into a taxpayer’s bank account or other authorized account. The average refund by means of direct deposit was $2,997, compared with $2,753, the average of all refunds.

More than 3 million taxpayers used the IRS Free File program to complete their returns and then e-file them. Also, for the first time, taxpayers were able to fill in and file a Form 1040 online; 273,000 taxpayers used this new option.