Taxpayers in Increasing Numbers Find Help from IRS.gov

As taxpayers are preparing their returns, they continue to turn to the information and tools on IRS.gov, which can assist anyone preparing a return.

Visits to IRS.gov have increased by 11 percent compared to the same time last year, totaling more than 215 million visits according to filing season statistics released today. There have been 15 million new visits in just the past week.

Taxpayers who have filed their returns and are waiting for their refunds can use the Where’s My Refund? tool, which has been accessed 164 million times as of March 13. The site enables taxpayers to track the status of their refund. Initial information will normally be available within 24 hours after the IRS receives the taxpayer’s e-filed return or four weeks after the taxpayer mails a paper return to the IRS. The system updates every 24 hours, so there’s no need to check more often.

More than 11 million copies of previously filed tax information have been obtained online with the IRS Get Transcript application. In the past, these inquiries, which are now being answered online, would have required the taxpayer to order it by phone and wait up to 10 calendar days for it to arrive in the mail or visit an IRS office for a copy.

Four other frequently used tools on IRS.gov include:

From access to tax forms, instructions and publications to online tools, such as the Interactive Tax Assistant, IRS.gov can answer most taxpayer questions — getting taxpayers the tax help they need, when they need it.

IRS information is also available through e-readers and other mobile devices as an eBook. If taxpayers still need printed forms or instructions, they can place their order online at IRS.gov/orderforms. Publication 17 is only available from the IRS online, and certain other products like Form 1040 EZ and Form 1099-Misc are not available at TACs this year. Similarly, the tax forms available from community partners, like libraries, have also been reduced.