Taxes can be a bit of a hassle. Filing taxes can take up a lot of time especially if you are not the most organized person. You may have pertinent receipts stashed in file cabinets or old purses that will take you almost a day just to locate. Also, what about filing taxes in general? The task is daunting and probably one of most fearful processes an American citizen has to go through. Tax preparation for you or your accountant (or tax preparer) is complex and can be overwhelmingly time consuming.

 

     So, how do you cut back time for the professional that’s always “on-the-go”? Well Blake Ellis, of CNN Money.com, wrote an article suggesting Smart phone applications that can surely earn hours back in your day. Here are a few:

 
1. Shoeboxed – Great application to store receipts. Simply snap a photo of a receipt with your phone and upload the image to your Shoeboxed app. At NO COST to you, you can organize the save receipts into categories (i.e. Meals, Gas, Supplies, etc). During tax preparation, you can search for a category or receipts, add them up, and claim that amount as a deduction. The Shoebox app can also provide more detail and organizational options for your receipts. To do this, sign up for just $9.95 a month.
2. iDonatedIt – For $2.99, this app helps users keep track of charitable donations. It also values the items you’ve donated and provides an estimate of what you will receive in tax savings.
3. EITC Finder – Need extra money??? Well, if you earn under $49,000 annually, there’s a benefitial tax credit waiting on you. All persons earning under $49K can receive a $5700 Earned Income Tax Credit. Because many tax payers overlook this credit, Intuit created this free app for iPhones and Androids.
4. IRS2Go – If you are tired of waiting on your refund and need to know the status, download this free app by the IRS. This app will tell you if your return has been processed and when you can expect to receive your refund.

 

 

If you want to find out what other cool apps are available that’s tax oriented, check out the full article here.