Electronic filing of US Federal government income tax returns began with a partnership between the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and H&R Block in 1985. It has since grown to include a large number of private tax preparation companies and individual and business taxpayers. Citizens can use the services of a private tax preparer who can submit the tax return electronically or they can file electronically from their home computers using commercial software or the services of private contractor that has established electronic links directly to the IRS mainframe computers. IRS e-file speeds up the tax filing process guaranteeing faster processing, fewer errors, and quicker refunds.