Reflecting on the 2024 tax filing season, the IRS released major filing numbers for the season. The agency highlighted a variety of improvements that dramatically expanded service for millions of taxpayers during the 2024 filing season. “A well-funded IRS is like night and day for taxpayers. With the help of more funding and added resources, service for taxpayers this filing season eclipsed levels seen during the past decade. This tax season meant real-world improvements for people looking for help, whether calling, visiting in-person or using IRS.gov,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. Through the Inflation Reduction Act funding, the agency has expanded taxpayer services to historic levels, with double digit gains occurring in critical areas.
The IRS answered over 1 million more taxpayer phone calls and saw a large increase in traffic in the IRS website owing to a new and expanded “Where’s My Refund?” tool. Extended hours were added at 242 TAC locations across the nation, generating more than 11,000 extra service hours for taxpayers during the 2024 filing season. The agency also improved response times for help on the IRS main phone lines to just over three minutes. Over 450,000 returns were found to be filed between volunteer sites, Direct File and Free File. The new Direct File pilot, offered on a limited basis in 12 states, generated more than 60,000 tax returns after opening widely in mid-March. Finally, the IRS estimates about 19 million taxpayers will file extensions, which will be due October 15, 2024.
