With the number of returns filed during 2018 up 1.4 percent from 2017, this year’s total makes up for last year’s unexpected weakness. Returns filed last year fell .5 percent from the 2016 totals but this year’s filed returns exceeded results for both 2017 and 2016.

Intuit’s new TurboTax Live is drawing customers who have used assisted tax return preparation. During this week’s third-quarter earnings webcast, CEO Brad Smith said Live is drawing those customers at a higher rate than TurboTax Online had previously.

Customer and efiling counts were down for TaxAct for the first quarter ended March 31. But the parent company, Blucora, said revenue was up as the company sought out customers that produce higher levels of sales instead of those simply seeking free tax return filing