Visit the Photo Place

E-filing is gaining interest

By KELBY HARTSON CARR
The Free Lance-Star

Date published: 2/28/2002

This is the second in a series of stories about the tax season. The series will run every other Thursday until the mid-April tax deadline. In two weeks, part three will include tips for hiring a tax preparer, doing it yourself or finding tax preparation assistance.

Electronic tax filing is increasingly popular, delivering refunds in about
a third the time that traditional methods do.

"More and more people are going to online filing because it's more convenient," explained IRS spokeswoman Gloria Wejciechowski. "It's faster, it's easier and it's more accurate."

The speediest way to get that refund is to file electronically, then get the money deposited directly into an account. Money can be in a taxpayer's hands as quickly as two weeks after filing.

Filing electronically but having the check mailed takes approximately three weeks, according to Wejciechowski. Traditional methods take around six weeks.

For simple returns, it can be done directly on the IRS Web site, irs.gov. More complicated returns may require software.

Much of the online tax-filing frenzy is happening locally at the Intuit office in Hartwood. Intuit produces popular tax software like Quicken and TurboTax.

At the Hartwood office, customer service representatives handle calls from tax preparers with questions. Other workers handle sales of support products for the tax software.

Employees have extended hours during the intense tax season.

"It gets really busy," said senior manager Donna Harring. "Call volume increases. There's a short window of time when people are preparing returns and there's a sense of urgency about getting a response."

The IRS is pushing for online filing. Not only is it easier on the taxpayer, it increases efficiency for the government, too.

"The overriding goal from Congress to the IRS is to have 80 percent of returns e-filed by 2007," noted Chuck McCabe, president of People's Income Tax and a member of a federal e-file tax committee.

"E-filing" includes any tax returns filed on the Web, via tax software or through the IRS tele-file phone system.

McCabe started using electronic filing in 1987, the first year it was available in Richmond where he is based. He also has a People's Income Tax office in Fredericksburg.

"We were actually pioneers," he said. "We were early adapters."

Follow us on

Date published: 2/28/2002