The reasons are only increasing for you to file your tax returns electronically.

For one, e-filing decreases the number of errors. Also, if you e-file and have direct deposit, you can get your refund in as little as 10 days. That’s in contrast to the four to six weeks it takes the Internal Revenue Service to process a paper return, said David Williams, director of the Return Preparer Implementation Effort at the IRS, in an interview with the DorobekINSIDER.

E-filing also costs the IRS much less than paper filing – 19 cents vs. more than $3.50 per return, Williams said.

“Another benefit is, given the complexities of the tax code, most people are not part aware of all the tax breaks they may be eligible,” Williams said. E-filing software make sure people get the tax breaks they are eligible for, he said.

The IRS has securely processed 892 million tax returns since its national debut in 1990. In 2010, nearly 100 million people – or 70 percent of the taxpayers – filed their returns electronically, according to the IRS website.

Williams said the IRS anticipates the number of e-filers to be closer to 80 percent in this tax season.

“The whole trend is going to be toward e-filing and ultimately there will be very few people filing by paper,” he said.

Williams said, “Probably in the next two years there will be no return anywhere of any kind complex or not that you won’t be able to file electronically.”

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