E-filing individual income-tax returns has passed the 1 billion mark, new numbers released by the Internal Revenue Service show.

The program, which dates back to test runs beginning in 1986 and a 1990 national rollout, also saw 100 million e-filers during the 2011 filing season, the IRS said.

The number of Utahns using the service over those periods was not available, but IRS spokesman Bill Brunson said the projected number of Beehive State e-filers for 2011 is expected to hit 894,000.

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman, in a statement, said, "The 1 billion milestone means e-file has delivered real services to taxpayers, including faster refunds and more-accurate tax returns."

The program, he said, has saved "America's taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars" in what it costs to run the IRS.

New laws require professional tax preparers who file 11 or more returns in 2012 to file electronically. This, the IRS said, should put the agency within reach of its goal of 80 percent e-file rate for individual returns.

The Salt Lake Tribune