The Internal Revenue Service has started mailing 1040 tax packages to 17.7 million taxpayers, but more Americans are expected to file their tax returns electronically through the Internet this year.

The IRS e-file, available at www.irs.gov, can allow taxpayers to receive refunds in two weeks or less – half the time for paper returns, IRS officials said.

This year’s April 15 deadline will be pushed to April 17 because April 15 is a Saturday.

“The simple answer is the sooner you file, the sooner you get your money back,” said Michael Devine, an IRS spokesman in St. Louis.

The IRS expects about 1.25 million Kansans to file individual tax returns this year, Devine said. About 720,000 of those are anticipated to be filed online, he said.

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