Starting this year, the Internal Revenue Service will no longer mail out tax forms and instead is urging taxpayers to file electronically to help ensure accurate returns and quick refunds.

“E-filing is the norm in today’s world,” said David Williams, IRS senior executive. “Seventy percent of all tax returns filed by individuals are filed electronically. We expect that to go up.”

Paper forms will still be available at some libraries.

Taxpayers can file electronically through a tax preparer, through commercial software or via IRS Free File. IRS Free File allows taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of up to $58,000 to use free brand-name software to guide them through the tax-preparation process.

“Taxpayers may select among a variety of software packages that will help them through the taxpaying process using various forms of interviewing techniques to elicit information to prepare the tax return,” Williams said in a teleconference last week. “It doesn’t require them to acquire specialized knowledge of tax preparation.”

Those with higher incomes can use Free File’s online fillable forms, which handle the math but give less guidance than most software programs. For more information, see www.freefile.irs.gov.

E-filing is considered the best way to get fast refunds and ensure accurate returns. The IRS said it takes less than two weeks to process an e-file return but as long as four to six weeks to process a paper return.

“We recognize there are many taxpayers who are struggling with trimmed economic circumstances,” Williams said. “Offering a free way to prepare and file your taxes is one service the IRS can provide to help them.”

(UPDATE: An earlier version of this story said paper forms are available at some post offices. While that is the case on the Mainland, Hawaii post offices do not have the forms).