7 Apps to Help You Navigate Taxes Amidst COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic has stirred up a lot of uncertainty. Many processes have changed, so it can be challenging to know how to do certain things. With tax season approaching, no one can blame you if you feel a little lost.
Thankfully, there’s an app for just about everything these days. You can find help for virtually any part of the tax filing process, and you have options. Even if you’re a competent tax filer, you may want some assistance, given how COVID-19 has impacted everything.
How Taxes Are Changing Because of Coronavirus
Because of the pandemic, tax season is a little bit different this year. Most notably, the IRS extended the deadline to July 15, 90 days later than the previous April 15 deadline. If you haven’t filed yet, you’re not late, but the due date is fast approaching.
The IRS’s Taxpayer Assistance Centers have temporarily closed in light of the virus. If you want some help with your taxes, you’ll have to turn to electronic services. Here are seven apps that can provide the assistance you need.
1. IRS2Go
As you might’ve guessed from the name, IRS2Go is the IRS’s official tax app. It takes their filing website and optimizes it in a user-friendly mobile setup. You can find tax documents, frequently asked questions, status updates and payment options all in one place.
Since IRS2Go comes from the IRS itself, it’s an ideal place to find answers to your questions. You can be sure all of its resources are trustworthy because they come from the official source. You can get the app for free on any device.
2. TurboTax
TurboTax is one of the most recognizable names in tax assistance. According to their website, they prepare more federal returns than any other tax provider. Regardless of how famous they are, their app is one of the best for filing your taxes.
With the TurboTax app, you can take a picture of your W-2s to fill your tax forms automatically. If you have questions, you can use the app to talk to their certified public accountants (CPAs). The TurboTax app is free on all platforms, but you have to pay for some premium features.
3. H&R Block Tax Prep and File
If you don’t want to go with TurboTax, H&R Block is an excellent alternative. H&R Block has two apps — Tax Prep and File and My Block. For filing, you want the former. It’s a similar platform to TurboTax, enabling you to file by taking a picture of your W-2s.
Like TurboTax, H&R Block has experts you can talk to if you need some help. You can also use it to estimate what you owe or track your refund. The app is free for iOS and Android, with some content requiring payment.
4. ItsDeductible
ItsDeductible is the product of TurboTax but offers different features. It’s not a tax filing app, but rather a way to track your tax-deductible donations. Calculating your deductions isn’t always straightforward, so ItsDeductible helps with that.
You can deduct donated items from your taxes, but you may not know what they were worth. ItsDeductible helps with that, too, offering a tool to calculate the resale value of these items. You can find this app for free on the Apple App Store.
5. Expensify
If you’re one of the 16 million self-employed Americans or own a small business, you’ll have some extra work. Expensify is an expense tracker for small businesses, helping you make sure your filings are accurate. All you have to do is take a picture of a receipt, and Expensify will generate an expense report.
Keeping all of these reports in one place will help you once you start filing your taxes. Expensify is available on all platforms, even Blackberry. There’s a free trial, but after that, it’ll cost between $5 and $9 a month, depending on your service.
6. Scanbot
If you have a hard time keeping track of physical documents, you should try Scanbot. It’s a mobile scanner that lets you upload documents by taking a picture of them. That way, you can have easily-accessible records of everything come tax season.
The base version of Scanbot is free, but you can upgrade it for $5. Scanbot Pro will give you features like document editing and text recognition. You can get the app for free on both iOS and Android.
7. FileThis
FileThis is an electronic document organizer. You can use it to store any documents that would be useful while filing your taxes for easy, safe storage. FileThis also offers tools to categorize files so you can find them quickly.
Since FileThis uses the cloud, you can access your documents from anywhere. If you prefer services like Google Drive or Dropbox, you can transfer files to them, too. FileThis is free on all platforms, but you can upgrade your account for $2 to $5 a month.
Tax Season Doesn’t Have to Be Stressful
Taxes can be complicated, so turning to outside help might be good idea. Consulting tax experts has even saved people upwards of $60,000 in some cases. There’s a lot of excellent help available so that you don’t need to worry about tax season.
These seven apps are only a fraction of the tools available. Don’t let the uncertainty of the pandemic make you slip up with your taxes. Turn to technology for help.
