Now that tax season is in full swing you may want to start your tax return and get it over with quickly. This year there is more of an incentive to overcome your procrastination since there is now an app that makes doing your tax return quicker and less painful.
Financial software giant, Intuit, has come out with a very stripped-down version of its TurboTax software for the iPhone. This version is only for those who normally use the 1040EZ form and have no deductions. There are even more limitations that you’ll need to investigate, but essentially SnapTax can only be used if you have a very straightforward return.
Before you start, you are asked several questions about yourself so that the app can determine whether your profile is simple enough to qualify you to use the app.
If you meet all the requirements, you can establish an account and then start entering your W-2 information. The gem in this app is that it can enter this information for you from a snapshot of your W-2 taken from your iPhone. It does a very respectable job of recognizing your form and all the information on it, but it’s not 100 percent perfect.
Alternatively, you can type the information in manually, but there’s no fun in doing that. SnapTax can accept information from a few other forms also, but with those you have to enter the information manually.
Once the forms are complete, you move onto the section where you enter your personal information. SnapTax pre-enters most of it through information obtained from your W-2, leaving you with only a few bits of information for you to enter and review. With that, you are done. You can then choose to retrieve the completed forms on their website to file by snail mail or you can file electronically through the app for a $14.99 fee.
The entire process can actually be completed in 15 to 30 minutes and best of all, with very little typing. If you don’t owe any taxes, you may even find this app enjoyable. The innovations in SnapTax mark a milestone in the evolution of tax filing software, but unfortunately in its present form, most tax filers cannot take advantage of it.
Financial software giant, Intuit, has come out with a very stripped-down version of its TurboTax software for the iPhone. This version is only for those who normally use the 1040EZ form and have no deductions. There are even more limitations that you’ll need to investigate, but essentially SnapTax can only be used if you have a very straightforward return.
Before you start, you are asked several questions about yourself so that the app can determine whether your profile is simple enough to qualify you to use the app.
If you meet all the requirements, you can establish an account and then start entering your W-2 information. The gem in this app is that it can enter this information for you from a snapshot of your W-2 taken from your iPhone. It does a very respectable job of recognizing your form and all the information on it, but it’s not 100 percent perfect.
Alternatively, you can type the information in manually, but there’s no fun in doing that. SnapTax can accept information from a few other forms also, but with those you have to enter the information manually.
Once the forms are complete, you move onto the section where you enter your personal information. SnapTax pre-enters most of it through information obtained from your W-2, leaving you with only a few bits of information for you to enter and review. With that, you are done. You can then choose to retrieve the completed forms on their website to file by snail mail or you can file electronically through the app for a $14.99 fee.
The entire process can actually be completed in 15 to 30 minutes and best of all, with very little typing. If you don’t owe any taxes, you may even find this app enjoyable. The innovations in SnapTax mark a milestone in the evolution of tax filing software, but unfortunately in its present form, most tax filers cannot take advantage of it.
