H&R Block Mobile – iOS, Android

The H&R Block Mobile app makes filing 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. It can create a custom checklist of required documents and allows you to view tax returns from previous years. If you need to schedule a face-to-face meeting with an H&R agent, the app can also help you find the closest office in your area. In addition, the application allows you to check the status of your federal tax return and estimate the amount of your return 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 instead helps you independently file your taxes electronically. To use the app, take photos of the necessary documents and then archive the information. It’s free to prepare your taxes, but electronic filing costs $ 9.99. The app checks for errors so you can correct 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 the H&R Block before.

TurboTax – iPad

TurboTax for iPad guides you through the tax filing process. Here again, take a photo of your tax documents; The app then guides 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 is stored in the TurboTax Cloud. If you have questions, you can request live agent assistance directly within 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 your basic business and lifestyle information, and TaxCaster will estimate what you owe and how much you can expect to recover. The application uses the same tax calculator that you will find in the desktop version of TurboTax to provide estimates before you even file your taxes. Based on the information you provide, you 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 out important information like vendor, date, total, and payment type. This creates a fully searchable digital database of your transactions. For small business owners, Shoeboxed will pay off significantly at tax time. The application can save you time and money; Managing paper documents yourself is time consuming and hiring someone else to do it is costly.

Evernote: iOS, Android, Windows Phone

More than a robust note-taking tool, Evernote also offers a way to manage the documents you’ll need to file your taxes. Because Evernote allows you to easily 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 getting your receipts from Evernote. First, there’s the expensive ScanSnap scanner, created by the Evernote developer, that 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 lower 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 a 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 will have a complete and permanent record of donated items that meet IRS compliance requirements. You can also attach photos of 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 stand Blog.