5 Apps to keep Zen during tax season

By Jacqueline Kim on
After hundreds of years, Benjamin Franklin's infamous words of wisdom still ring true: "Nothing is certain in this world but death and taxes, and no one looks forward to either." You won't find any apps to stop the Grim Reaper from knocking at your door, but you can download a few key applications on your smartphone that are designed to make tax filing less painful this year. 

 

  1. Digit

Take the hassle out of organizing your savings account with this useful app—a top-rated online savings tool that analyzes your bank account and income in order to find the best areas for saving. This year, Digit offers a new feature that allows you to automatically transfer a portion of your tax refund into a savings account. If you end up owing taxes, this app can also be used to set aside savings specifically for paying off Uncle Sam. 

 

  1. Smart Receipts

Instead of keeping a shoebox full of receipts, impress your accountant with this essential app that helps you organize expenses on your mobile device without saving paper receipts. Available for iOS and as a Chrome extension, Smart Receipts is fail-safe tool for tracking your spending, especially since the app allows you to organize receipts based on date, location, value, or item. Whether you own a business, are self-employed, or work for a company, never lose important receipts that could qualify you for a deduction. 

 

  1. ItsDeductable and iDonatedit

With this handy app from TurboTax, it's easy to track all your donations, including mileage. For example, if you donate items to a thrift store, this app gives you a suggested resale value to use for calculating your itemized deductions. If you're a TurboTax user, it also allows you to import data directly to tax forms. Taking this concept one step further is iDonatedit, an app that lets you attach photos for additional documentation.

  

  1. IRS2Go

Even Albert Einstein believed that the hardest thing to understand was tax code. It might seem like taxes are specifically designed it to confuse us, but the official IRS tax app helps make it less perplexing by offering free general tax help. This includes copies of tax records, the status of your refund, resources for free tax preparation services, and more.

 

  1. MileIQ and MileBug

If you travel frequently for business, these apps are a must-have for filing taxes. Available for iPhone and Android, this app automatically tracks your mileage and expenses and logs the data into a report that you can use for tax deductions or employment reimbursement. 

 

Paying taxes doesn't have to be painful. Quickly organize donations, track expenses, log mileage, and manage your money with the best tax apps for the 2017 tax season. 

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