Are you a tax-time procrastinator? Is the mere thought of filing your taxes and compiling the necessary paperwork enough to send you straight to the couch with a pint of Cherry Garcia to binge watch something—anything—that will take your mind off your looming deadline?
Take a deep breath, and put down your spoon. We’ve compiled the following tips to help make April 18th seem like just any other day. (Yep, you read that right. You’ve got a few extra days this year. See? You’re already ahead of the game!)
TaxCaster
The TaxCaster app from TurboTax asks for some basic information and turns it into a surprisingly accurate prediction of your federal refund (or amount owed).
Filing Online
Okay, yes. We’re probably not introducing you to anything new by telling you about online tax filing sites like TurboTax or H&R Block, but they’re still worth mentioning. With step-by-step questions that make filling out your taxes feel more like a conversation than a complicated form, filing online really does simplify the process.
TaxFyle
TaxFyle is a fast-growing startup that launched in 2015. After the app has gathered some basic information, you’re given an upfront quote and then matched with a licensed tax professional. With file sharing and a handy chat feature, your taxes are completed in no time. When they’re finished, just sign with your finger, and your dedicated professional will file for you.
QuickBooks Self-Employed
It’s great to be self-employed! Until it comes to tax time, that is. All the deductions,
receipts, and complicated forms are enough to make you wish for a boss and a 9-to-5 job again (maybe). The QuickBooks Self-Employed app takes away some of the pain of quarterly and annual tax filing by categorizing your receipts and business expenses, tracking things like mileage, and automatically separating work expenses from personal. Users actually report finding an average of $4,340 in potential tax savings per year!
Expensify
It might not help you this year, but if you’ll be writing off anything in 2017, now’s the time to get organized. The Expensify app lets you take photos of all your receipts, categorize them, and store them all year. The app is free for individuals, and even comes with unlimited receipt storage. No more purse or wallet stuffed with paper!
Where’s My Refund?
Finished with your return and want to know when you might see your hard-earned check? Good news! The IRS recently launched the “Where’s My Refund?” tool, which should become available 24 hours after your e-file return has been received (or up to 4 weeks from the time they get your return by mail). Most refunds are processed in 21 days or fewer, but it can take longer in some cases. This handy tool will tell you how far along you are in the process.
See? That wasn’t so bad, right? And now you actually deserve that ice cream.
