Both companies allow you to download the applications for free, but there’s a cost for filing.
By CAROLE FELDMAN
Associated Press
For the taxpayer on the go trying to file a return quickly and easily, there’s an app for it.
“We’re trying to anticipate and follow trends you see in the real world,” said Bob Meighan, a vice president at TurboTax.
And the trend is mobile, from smart phones to tablets. “People want simple solutions,” he said.
Taxes-on-the-go applications are a natural next step to the explosion in electronic filing. TurboTax has SnapTax, which allows those filing the simplest tax form — 1040EZ — to file directly from their iPhone or android. Similarly, H&R Block has H&R Block At Home for filing simple returns via those smart phones.
The IRS says the typical 1040EZ filer is a wage earner who has income of less than $100,000, is under 65, and doesn’t have kids, own a home, or qualify for most other deductions or credits.
Meighan said about 24 million people file the 1040EZ. “You can literally do your return in 10 or 15 minutes max,” he said.
Taxpayers can use smart phones to take pictures of documents like the W-2 form, and an optical reader in the application imports the photos into the tax forms.
Both companies allow you to download the applications for free, but there’s a cost for filing.