How many remember TeleFile, a program that lasted only two or three years, in which taxpayers could self-prepare a Form 1040-EZ using a worksheet, and then file the return over the phone?
The program was discontinued in 2005. For those that are curious, you can still read a press release touting the benefits of the program, and an Internal Revenue Bulletin announcing the end of the program, on the IRS website:
Now, in 2011, TurboTax has launched an application that allows taxpayers to file their return from a Droid or an iPhone. The app is pretty limited, in that it doesn't support returns with dependents, or itemized deductions. And it's not free. It's $14.99.
Here's the article on CNN/Money:
The article is part of a series called 7 best apps for filing taxes. If you click on the "next" button, you can read about an app that is designed to help taxpayers manage receipts for deductible expenses. The article describes an app called "Tax Organizer":
This is actually an intriguing idea. But if you read the description carefully...
Well, here's what I don't get: You don't need an app that costs $14.95 a month to do this. You can take photos of the receipts without any application at all, and store the photos in a designated folder right on the device. The files can then be synced to your computer for backup purposes, or to "e-mail the receipts to your accountant."
So what exactly are you getting for $14.95 a month? Online storage of the receipts? Are the images also stored on the phone when using the app? If not, you still need to perform some sort of backup from the online platform periodically, so that the online storage is not your only copy. (What if the online storage platform fails? Do the original receipts serve as the backup? Oh, no, wait a minute. The whole point was to eliminate the shoebox.)
The app stores the images online in chronological order. But if I store them right on the device, and then sync them to my computer, won't each file have a date and time stamp anyway?
The only function in the app that could possibly be worth paying for would be...
Well, see, the camera in the phone is going to take a picture of the receipt, and the native file format would be a jpeg. So using my approach, without the app, the client, in late January 2012, will be trying to e-mail you an awful lot of jpeg files, that might be relatively large, slow to download in your e-mail program, and just plain difficult to work with. Because the jpeg format is meant for photos--not documents.
So maybe the online storage platform of this application actually converts all those jpeg photos into PDF, and compresses them into a single file that can actually be used by a tax professional.
BMK
The program was discontinued in 2005. For those that are curious, you can still read a press release touting the benefits of the program, and an Internal Revenue Bulletin announcing the end of the program, on the IRS website:
Now, in 2011, TurboTax has launched an application that allows taxpayers to file their return from a Droid or an iPhone. The app is pretty limited, in that it doesn't support returns with dependents, or itemized deductions. And it's not free. It's $14.99.
Here's the article on CNN/Money:
The article is part of a series called 7 best apps for filing taxes. If you click on the "next" button, you can read about an app that is designed to help taxpayers manage receipts for deductible expenses. The article describes an app called "Tax Organizer":
Instead of stuffing receipts into a drawer or shoebox, just snap a photo of them with your iPhone or Droid and store them in an online account.
When you're ready, simply email the receipts to your accountant.
Plus, if you find yourself about to be audited, you'll have everything you need to back up your claim -- with the receipts arranged chronologically.
The app, created by Mishap Studios Inc., is free for 14 days and then costs $14.95 a month.
When you're ready, simply email the receipts to your accountant.
Plus, if you find yourself about to be audited, you'll have everything you need to back up your claim -- with the receipts arranged chronologically.
The app, created by Mishap Studios Inc., is free for 14 days and then costs $14.95 a month.
Well, here's what I don't get: You don't need an app that costs $14.95 a month to do this. You can take photos of the receipts without any application at all, and store the photos in a designated folder right on the device. The files can then be synced to your computer for backup purposes, or to "e-mail the receipts to your accountant."
So what exactly are you getting for $14.95 a month? Online storage of the receipts? Are the images also stored on the phone when using the app? If not, you still need to perform some sort of backup from the online platform periodically, so that the online storage is not your only copy. (What if the online storage platform fails? Do the original receipts serve as the backup? Oh, no, wait a minute. The whole point was to eliminate the shoebox.)
The app stores the images online in chronological order. But if I store them right on the device, and then sync them to my computer, won't each file have a date and time stamp anyway?
The only function in the app that could possibly be worth paying for would be...
Well, see, the camera in the phone is going to take a picture of the receipt, and the native file format would be a jpeg. So using my approach, without the app, the client, in late January 2012, will be trying to e-mail you an awful lot of jpeg files, that might be relatively large, slow to download in your e-mail program, and just plain difficult to work with. Because the jpeg format is meant for photos--not documents.
So maybe the online storage platform of this application actually converts all those jpeg photos into PDF, and compresses them into a single file that can actually be used by a tax professional.
BMK