Returns received by the Internal Revenue Services for the tax season ended February 25 rose by .3 percent over the totals for the season through Feb. 26, 2021. And the number of self-prepared efiles was down for the second weekly report in a row.
The IRS said this month that it had received 45,413,000 for the season to date, up from 45,271,000 returns in the comparable period a year ago.
Efiles rose .8 percent for the compared season to 44,293,000 from 43,936,000.
Returns for paid preparers rose to 19,082,000 for the most recently ended period, an increase of 4 percent from 18,344,000 a year earlier. DIY efiles dropped 1.5 percent to 25,211,000 from 25,592,000. That compared to a .4-percent decline in that category for the prior weekly IRS report
The IRS issued 29,723,000 refunds through February 25, rising 5 percent from 28,301,000 a year earlier. The average return rose a strong 15 percent to $3,473 from $3,021.
Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards. Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind