Nashville, TN - The Internal Revenue Service today reminded tax filers who owe taxes and are purposely waiting until the last-minute to file and pay that they can easily postpone paying but are less likely to make mistakes if they file now, before the April rush.

The IRS estimates that nearly 690,000 Tennesseans waited until April to file last year, many of them wanting to hold on to their money until the very last minute.

"Taxpayers can e-file right now and authorize a direct-debit payment for the April 17 deadline," said IRS spokesman Dan Boone. "That way they avoid the April rush, keep their money until the last minute, and get the benefits of e-filing."

E-filing benefits include a lower error rate and faster processing than with paper returns, along with confirmation of receipt by the IRS. Last-minute filers often make the most mistakes, Boone said, but e-filing helps eliminate common errors.

Boone also reminded filers that e-filing is secure and that anyone can e-file free at the IRS website, www.IRS.gov, using the Free File program. Filers with income of $57,000 or less can use brand-name tax software free, but all filers are eligible to use the Fillable Forms option.

Filers who need help with their taxes can visit one of about 170 free tax help sites in 53 Tennessee counties. The sites are staffed by trained volunteers who will prepare and e-file returns for filers whose household income was less than $50,000 or who are age 60 or older. Taxpayers can call the IRS at 1-800-906-9887 to find the closest help site.

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NASHVILLE, TN - The Internal Revenue Service opened the 2012 electronic tax return filing season today with a reminder that e-file remains the best way to get fast refunds and ensure accurate tax returns, and that e-filing can be free for everyone through the IRS Free File program at www.IRS.gov.

In Tennessee, about 83 percent of all tax returns received by the IRS in 2011 were e-filed. More than 880,000 of returns that were e-filed were self-prepared by taxpayers using their own computers.

Nationwide, more than 112 million income tax returns were e-filed last year, or 77 percent of all individual returns filed. IRS e-file has surpassed the milestone of 1 billion returns processed.

"E-filing is fast, easy, and accurate, plus it's safe and secure," said IRS spokesman Dan Boone. "And through IRS Free File, taxpayers don't have to pay anything to prepare and e-file their returns."

Taxpayers can e-file their tax returns one of three ways: through a tax return preparer, through self-preparation software or through IRS Free File.

IRS Free File, which has been making taxes a little less taxing for a decade, also begins today, Jan. 17. Everyone can use Free File, either the brand-name software offered by IRS’ commercial partners or the online fillable forms.

Individuals or families with 2011 adjusted gross incomes of $57,000 or less can use Free File software. Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic version of IRS paper forms, has no income restrictions.

IRS e-file has reached a major milestone as it passed the one billion mark for individual tax returns processed safely and securely since 1986 nationwide.

The Internal Revenue Service’s electronic filing program started as a pilot project in 1986 and became available nationally in 1990. Prior to the April 18 deadline, IRS e-file passed another high point as more than 100 million individual tax returns were e-filed during the 2011 filing season.

Through June 2, nearly 2.2 million returns have been e-filed by Tennesseans this year. That is an increase of 13.3 percent over this time last year. Nearly 853,000 Tennesseans prepared and e-filed their own returns, an increase of 13.6 percent over last year.

“Tennesseans and filers nationwide realize that IRS e-file is a good deal,” said IRS spokesman Dan Boone. "E-file delivers faster refunds and more accurate tax returns and is available free for most filers through the Free File program at IRS.gov."

Taxpayers can e-file through their tax preparers, through commercial software they use to prepare their own returns or through Free File, the free tax software and e-file program offered through IRS.gov.

Congress originally set an 80 percent goal for the electronic filing of federal tax and information returns back in 1998. E-file is now very close to that mark. Currently, more than 79 percent of taxpayers have used e-file to submit their tax returns so far this year.

More than half a million tax returns have been filed with the IRS from home computers so far this year in Tennessee, an increase of 9 percent compared to the number of returns from the same time last year.

Nationwide, the number of returns filed from home computers is up almost 6 percent over last year at this time.

IRS reminds taxpayers that everyone can use Free File to prepare and e-file their tax returns for free, either by using brand name software or Free File Fillable Forms, which is the electronic version of IRS paper forms.

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.

The total number of individual income tax returns that have been e-filed this year by Tennesseans is 1.25 million, an increase of 5 percent from the same time last year. E-file includes both returns filed from home computers and returns e-filed by professional tax return preparers. Nationwide, the total number of returns e-filed has risen by 2 percent compared to last year at this time.