Self-prepared efiles have fallen further behind the pace the 2021 tax season. The total dropped to 3.3 percent behind the comparable period a year ago, according to the report issued this week by the Internal Revenue Service for the tax season through March 4.That DIY gap has grown for each of the weekly reports issued by the IRS this year. Given the impact of the DIY efiles, the total number of returns dropped to 54,741,000, down 1.7 percent from 55,716,000 for the season through March 5, 2021.
Total efiles dropped 1.3 percent to 53,216,000 from 53,922,000 for last year’s corresponding period. Self-prepared efiles fell to 29,015,000 from 29,996,000 for the compared periods. Efiles from paid preparers stayed ahead of the year-ago filings, as they have in each report this season. For the season through March 4, professionals submitted 37,999,000 efiles, an increase of 5.4 percent from 36,049,000.
The number of refunds issued remained ahead of 2021. The IRS has issued 36,049,000 refunds for the reported season, a rise of 5.4 percent from 37,999,000 while the average refund continued to grow over last year’s level. This year’s average refund was reported as $3,462, up 14 percent from $3,036.
