WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service says more taxpayers are visiting its Web site this year to get tax help and information.

According to the IRS, the number of visitors to IRS.gov is up almost 20 percent compared with last year. The IRS web site has been visited more than 100 million times so far this year compared with 85 million for the same time last year.

The IRS reminds taxpayers that the site contains a wealth of information and options, including tools that allow taxpayers to check the status of a refund,  access transcripts of their tax returns, request electronic filing personal identification numbers, find answers to tax law questions, and check the status of amended returns. Usage of the tool to check the status of a refund, “Where’s My Refund?” is up 91 percent, compared to the same time last year.

The IRS has issued 19.7 million refunds worth more than $66 billion, up slightly from last year’s totals. The average refund as of Feb. 6 is $3,366, slightly more than the average at this time last year. The vast majority of taxpayers are choosing to receive their refunds through direct deposit, which accounts for almost 95 percent of refunds so far this year.

In total, the IRS has received 27.5 million tax returns, slightly more than at the same time last year. Of those returns, more than 96 percent were e-filed.

Source: IRS.gov