Not surprisingly, the most dreaded time of the year for many of us is tax time. But thanks to technology, there are apps that can simplify the tax filing process and make it a little less daunting.
1. H&R Block Tax Preparation (Free, iOS) – This iPad app provides free tax preparation, printing and e-filing of your federal return. It also promises free-of-charge unlimited advice from a tax expert through live chat, in-person audit support and guarantees 100 percent accuracy and a maximum refund.
2. IRS2GO (Free, Android, iOS) – With this IRS-developed app, you can check the status of your federal income tax refund, request tax records, access tax tips, search for an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site near you, and interact with the IRS by following its Twitter feed, watching helpful videos on YouTube and signing up for email updates. Available in Spanish.
3. Shoeboxed (Free, Android, iOS) – Maximize your reimbursements and tax deductions in seconds with the free Shoeboxed Receipt and Mileage Tracker app. With this app you can instantly archive receipts on-the-go, transform receipt images into accurate, human verified data, access an archive of your categorized IRS-accepted receipts, generate email expense reports, track your mileage, and export expenses to QuickBooks, Wave Accounting, Excel, Outright, Xero, and dozens of other tools.
4. TaxCaster by Turbo Tax (Free, Android, iOS) – Using the same tax calculator found in TurboTax, this free app will provide you a quick estimate of your tax refund. The app forecasts your tax information so there are no surprises when you sit down to file. With an estimate of your refund, you can make last-minute changes to make sure you’re getting the maximum refund. Also, use an estimate from TaxCaster to adjust your paycheck withholdings so you take home more money or plan ahead so you pay less tax. TaxCaster doesn’t prepare your taxes, but based on the information you enter into the app, it will recommend the best Turbo Tax product to suit your particular tax situation.
5. iDonatedIt ($2.99, iOS) / Donation Assistant (Free, Android, iOS) - Have you ever dropped off a bag of clothes at a charity and wondered what that bag of clothes was really worth? The iDonatedIt app for $2.99 tracks and values your non-cash donations. The app tracks the date you donated your non-cash items, the name of the receiving charity and the fair market value of the donated items. It also builds lists of your donated items, allows you to keep a permanent record of your donated items that meet the compliance requirements of the IRS and you can attach a photo to your donation list to further document your donation. Similarly, the Donation Assistant app from TaxACT tracks your charitable donations so you can maximize your tax deduction for cash, non-cash and recurring donations. The app can be downloaded for free to iOS and Android devices.
6. Quick Tax Reference (Free, iOS) – Bloomberg BNA’s handy Quick Tax Reference app gives you access to tax rates and schedules with just a few clicks. This free iPhone app includes current tax rates and retroactive ones back to 2011. It also provides standard mileage rates, corporate tax rate schedules, individual tax rate schedules, standard deductions/personal exemptions, capital gains and dividends taxed as net capital gain, income tax rates for estates, trusts/estate and gift taxes, tax code pension, retirement plan limits, and more. In addition, the app calculates taxable income for different filing statuses.
