Selling Points

1.  IRS e-file gives you peace of mind.

• You’ll get confirmation within 48 hours that the IRS received your return.
• You’re less likely to hear from the IRS down the road because e-filed returns are automatically checked for accuracy. If errors are detected, you or your tax preparer will receive an electronic message indicating the error and will allow the mistake to be corrected and resubmitted without penalty.
• IRS e-file transmissions are very secure. IRS e‑file meets or exceeds all government security standards.
• There is no greater chance of being audited for taxpayers who use IRS e-file.
• Research shows that more than 80 percent of taxpayers who have tried e-file are “very satisfied” with the e-file’s benefits.
• Research shows that 83 percent of individual taxpayers who use IRS e-file remained loyal and e-filed the following year.

2.  E-file is part of the electronic process that gets taxes done more accurately, quickly and efficiently.

• You or your tax professional can prepare, file and pay your taxes electronically.
• With IRS e-file, you can receive refunds in about half the time as paper filers, even faster with Direct Deposit.
• If you owe money, you can file early in the season and delay electronic funds withdrawal payments to as late as April 17, 2006.
• Individual taxpayers who electronically file their tax returns see a greater accuracy rate (99 percent) than those who only prepare forms electronically, but then print them and mail them to the IRS.
• Those who pay electronically are less likely to receive an IRS penalty or have their payments misapplied.
• Tax preparation software and online applications allow you to retain basic data – i.e. birth dates and Social Security Numbers – from year-to-year, virtually eliminating transcription errors.
• You can apply to use electronic signatures.
• In 37 states and the District of Columbia, taxpayers can use the Federal/State e-file program, through which taxpayers can electronically file federal and state income tax returns together.

3.  Getting started with IRS e-file is easy.

• Ninety-nine percent of 1040 forms and schedules – including the majority of forms for the self-employed – are available through IRS e-file.
• A listing of authorized e-file applications – both online applications and software that can be found at retail stores nationwide – is available on the IRS Web site.  
• More than 160,000 tax preparers nationwide are authorized to e-file taxes on behalf of their clients.
• More than 60 percent of American taxpayers – or 78 million people – are eligible for Free File, which allows them to electronically prepare and file their individual income tax returns for free. A listing of commercial software companies offering free online tax preparation and filing is available on IRS.gov.