If you were among the millions of people who filed your taxes electronically this year, you helped set a record here in New York.
The IRS says more than 6.8 million New Yorkers filed their 2010 individual federal income tax returns electronically, which is a 15.7 percent increase over last year. The number also exceeds the total number of electronically filed individual income tax returns by New Yorkers for the 2009 tax year.
"IRS e-file is popular because it's fast, safe and accurate. An electronically prepared and filed return has an error rate of less than 1 percent, compared to an error rate of about 20 percent for a paper prepared return," said Dianne Besunder, IRS spokeswoman for New York. "We remind New Yorkers with extensions that they can still file their tax returns electronically. The IRS will continue to accept individual income tax returns through IRS e-file through October 17, 2011."
So far this year, New Yorkers have filed more than 1.6 million 2010 income tax returns electronically on their home computers. That's a 15 percent increase over the same period last year.
You can use Free File to prepare and e-file your tax returns for free by clicking here. Individuals or families with 2010 adjusted gross incomes of $58,000 or less can use Free File software. Using Free File Fillable Forms has no income restrictions.
