Feb. 12–Just when you thought a computer tablet like an iPad was only good for Words with Friends or watching YouTube, there comes a legitimate use: help with preparing your taxes.
Poring over your tax forms with a calculator, pencil and a lot of frustration is so 2000. Your tablet and even your smartphone can help you maneuver through the labyrinth that is the tax code. Here are some free apps for both iOS and Android that can help ease the seasonal pain of figuring out what the government’s share of your income is.
TurboTax 2012/TurboTax SnapTax If you’re brave enough to delve into doing your own taxes, this is the go-to app. Simply take a picture of your W-2 form with your tablet or smartphone’s camera, and the app fills in many of the blanks automatically. Then you can go through step-by-step where your deductions are and how you are saving money. The app also allows you to e-file your returns for the fastest refund. It’s free when you download it and you pay when you’re done.
H&R Block H&R Block is the second most-used service for tax preparation after doing it yourself. They have a suite of free apps available to help with the process. One is the main “H&R Block” app which allows you to upload your tax documents to a professional, get answers to questions, and it includes a calculator to estimate your refund and a glossary of tax terms.
If you make less than $100,000 per year, have no dependents, then you can use “H&R Block 1040EZ,” an app similar to TurboTax in which you can take a picture of your W-2 and the app can fill in the blanks. It works for both federal and state tax forms.
TaxACT TaxACT, the online tax preparation site is now available for computer tablets so you can prepare and file your taxes electronically without having to go to TaxACT’s website on a mobile browser. Meanwhile, there also a mobile companion app for smartphones called TaxACT Central that includes a checklist and lets you monitor the status of your return as well as access their help center for important tax questions.
IRS2Go The official app for the Internal Revenue Service keeps you in contact with the agency. You can follow its Twitter feed, monitor your refund status, get tax updates and the latest news from the IRS.
TaxCaster by TurboTax Before you do your taxes, you may want an estimate for how much you might owe. This calculator app — the same one used in TurboTax’s regular app — will tell you how much your refund will be. It also can figure out ahead of time what will happen to you at tax time if you take out more money for taxes out of each paycheck or if you instead pay less each check.
iDonatedIt ($2.99) The only paid app on this list can otherwise save you a lot of money if you’re a charitable sort. It allows you to keep track of any charitable donations you make so you can have a record of it all at tax time and need to calculate your charitable deduction. It can even keep track of the non-cash items you donated and what their fair-market value was when you donated them.
Time-Herald, Vallejo, Calif.
(c)2013 Times-Herald (Vallejo, Calif.)
