Wisconsin Tax Season by the Numbers

MADISON — About midway through the income tax filing season, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) is reporting productive numbers, including 3,000 taxpayers who have already taken advantage of a new service allowing individuals to e-file for free their Form 1 and Schedule H returns through the My Tax Account (MTA) portal.

DOR’s Tax Operations Bureau reported over 1 million or about 33% of Wisconsin individual income tax returns processed, with about 96.7% submitted electronically for an $784 average refund.

“Filing your tax return electronically is the most secure way to file,” says DOR Secretary Peter Barca, adding that e-filing your return reduces chance of errors and usually results in a faster refund.

DOR’s customer service team numbers are ticking toward the positive as well, having already answered over 94,000 inquiries so far this year, assisting customers by phone, live chat, email and in-person at DOR customer service centers statewide. Of these customer service inquiries, nearly 80,000 were by phone with a 1 minute 37 second average call hold time and a 99.81% call answer rate. This, in addition to 842,000 new user visits to DOR’s website and 14,000 views of the agency’s many instructional videos, means customers are finding and using the resources at hand to help process and file their tax returns.

There are free e-file services available through IRS Free File, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs, serving those who qualify, and a new DOR e-file option for qualifying Wisconsin taxpayers through DOR’s My Tax Account (MTA) portal.

Another positive this tax season is the increasing number – about 20% – of MTA individual account holders who thus far have signed up for a Wisconsin Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN). The Wisconsin IP PIN is an added layer of security, further protecting taxpayer’s personal information by ensuring no one can fraudulently file a tax return in their name. Every taxpayer is encouraged to visit the DOR website and sign up for a Wisconsin IP PIN. Taxpayers are also encouraged to file sooner than later to get their refunds sooner and decrease the chance of errors that can come with having to rush through the preparation process to meet the April 18 tax filing deadline.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.