PHOENIX - The Internal Revenue Service announced today the number of tax returns electronically filed or e-filed by businesses rose nearly 9 percent this year, continuing the growth in the number of corporate and partnership returns filed electronically. This year, an additional 625,000 corporations and partnerships chose to e-file their tax returns.

As of Sept. 20, almost 8 million corporations and partnerships e-filed their income tax returns. The IRS estimates that e-file accounts for 77 percent of all corporate and partnership returns filed during 2015. Many corporations and partnerships operating on a calendar year receive filing extensions. The due date for filing a return after filing for an extension is usually Sept. 15.

Most large corporations and partnerships are required to electronically file or e-file.

Large and mid-size corporations, generally those with $10 million or more in total assets, are required to electronically file their Forms 1120 or 1120S. Partnerships with more than 100 partners (Schedules K-1) are also required to e-file their tax returns. The IRS is seeing growth in e-filing by all business segments.

This year, a record 100,000 large corporations e-filed their returns, an increase of 8 percent compared to the same time last year. The greatest rate of growth in e-filing among these businesses is by large partnerships. This year, 142,237 large partnerships e-filed their tax returns, up almost 16 percent from the same time last year.

Tax Returns e-filed by Corporations and Partnerships

Category of e-filersSept. 21, 2014Sept. 20, 2015%Change
Large Corporation Tax Returns92,494100,0528.2%
Other Corporate Returns4,373,5974,720,6987.9%
Total Corporate Returns4,466,0914,820,7507.9%
Large Partnership Tax Returns122,879142,23715.8%
Other Partnership Returns2,640,3192,891,4669.5%
Total Partnerships2,763,1983,033,7039.8%
Total Returns7,229,2897,854,4538.6%

Corporations and partnerships can get more information about IRS e-file (http://www.irs.gov/Filing/E-File-Options) at IRS.gov.