More than a third of online households plan to filed their 2004 federal taxes over the web, a survey released Wednesday showed.

About 34 percent of online households plan to file electronically, up from 28 percent last year, The Conference Board said.

The survey of 10,000 households also found that more women than men, 31 percent and 29 percent, respectively, prefer to use do-it-yourself tax software. This was a reversal from last year, when men seemed more willing than woman, 30 percent to 28 percent, respectively, to file on their own online.

More men than women, however, plan to use the Internal Revenue Service's E-file this year, 26 percent versus 21 percent, respectively.

Driving the use of the web for tax filing are the ease of use of the Internet and do-it-yourself tax software and faster refunds than using snail mail, the research group said.

"As the pros grow in number and continue to outweigh the cons, we can expect more consumers to file online in the years ahead," Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board's Consumer Research Center, said in a statement.

Among online consumers intending to file their federal taxes online, 42 percent said they planned to use a professional service, with women more likely than men to seek assistance.