H&R Mobile Block – iOS, Android
The H&R Block Mobile app makes filing your taxes easy by connecting you directly with tax professionals. Basically, the app allows you to upload your documents and send them to a tax professional. You can create a custom checklist of required documents and allow you to view previous years’ tax returns. If you need to schedule a face-to-face meeting with an H&R agent, the app can also help you find the nearest office in your area. In addition, the app allows you to check the status of your federal tax return and estimate your refund amount with a built-in calculator.
H&R Block 1040EZ – iPad
While the H&R Block Mobile app focuses on connecting you with tax professionals, the H&R 1040EZ helps you independently file your taxes electronically. To use the app, take photos of the necessary documents and then file the information. It’s free to prepare your taxes, but electronic filing costs $9.99. The app checks for errors so you can fix errors and omissions, and customer service agents are available to provide live support if you need it. Plus, with the 1040EZ app, you can easily view past tax returns if you’ve used H&R Block before.
Turbo Tax – iPad
TurboTax for iPad guides you through the tax filing process. Here, again, take a photo of your tax documents; The app then walks you through each step of the submission process, double-checking to make sure you’ve entered all the information correctly. TurboTax also verifies deductions and credits, and once your return arrives, it’s stored in the TurboTax Cloud. If you have questions, you can request assistance from a live agent right from the app. TurboTax is free to download, but costs $29.99 for federal tax filing and an additional $36.99 per state for state tax filing.
TaxCaster: iOS, Android, Windows Phone
The lightweight TaxCaster app helps you estimate your tax refund on the go. Simply enter basic information about your lifestyle and business, and TaxCaster will calculate what you owe and how much you can expect to recover. The app uses the same tax calculator you’ll find in the desktop version of TurboTax to provide estimates even before you file your taxes. Based on the information you provide, it can also recommend a product to help you complete the submission process.
Shoebox – iOS, Android
With Shoeboxed, keeping your receipts, invoices, and other financial documents organized is as easy as taking a photo. Once you upload your document through the Shoeboxed app, it automatically pulls important information such as vendor, date, total, and payment type. This creates a fully searchable digital database of your transactions. For small business owners, Shoeboxed will pay off in a big way come tax time. The app can save you time and money; Managing paper documents yourself is time consuming and hiring someone else to do it is expensive.
Evernote: iOS, Android, Windows Phone
More than just a robust note-taking tool, Evernote also offers a way to manage the documents you’ll need to file your taxes. Because Evernote makes it easy to store and organize images, you can scan your receipts and then throw them away. And because the app can read printed text, it’s easy to search for a specific receipt. You have a few options for entering your receipts into Evernote. First, there’s the pricey ScanSnap scanner, created by the developer of Evernote, which directly scans high-quality images and automatically uploads them to your Evernote account. For a cheaper solution, try the DocScanner app for iOS and Android, which you can use to “scan” receipts by taking a photo with your smartphone or tablet.
IDonatedIt – iOS, Android
Charitable donations are tax deductible expenses. They reduce your taxable income and ultimately lower your tax bill. But keeping track of your donations throughout the year can be a chore. A mobile app called iDonatedIt streamlines the process by helping you document your donations quickly and easily. Simply open the app when you donate a non-cash item to charity to track the date of the donation, the charity you donated to, and the fair market value of the item. By tax day, you’ll have a complete and permanent record of donated items that meet IRS compliance requirements. You can also attach photos of the donated items and email the detailed donation report to yourself or your accountant.
All these applications are free and for more information you can consult our Quickbooks support blog.