The number of tax returns received for the tax season through March 11 dropped 3.9 percent from period ended March 12, 2021. Meanwhile, the decline in the number of self-prepared returns also accelerated.
There were 63,474,000 received for this year’s tax season to date, down from 66,065,000 a year.
Driven by the drop in DIY returns, the number of efiles fell to 61,605,000, down 3 percent from 63,492,000. The number of DIY returns declined 5.5 percent to 32,302,000 from 34,199,000. The number of efiles submitted by paid preparers was 29,303,000, little changed from 29,293,000 in last year’s corresponding period.
The shift away from the self-prepared totals probably reflect the growth of assisted return programs from companies such as Intuit
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