Apps for Adults?

If you have teenagers at home, you’ve probably marveled at how they can sit for hours with their cell phones, texting away in a language that looks like it was designed specifically to shut you out. Kids these days (and some adults, too) have built their lives around cell phones and text messaging. It’s fast becoming a cliche of the times. In fact, in the George Clooney film Up in the Air, one character’s live-in boyfriend breaks up with her by text-message while she’s flying around the country with Clooney!

But now, there’s finally a cell phone application for grownups. Best of all, it’s for taxes! And it’s here to relieve you of the stack of W2s, 1099s, and 1098s that regularly hit your mailbox. The “easy” process for filing your taxes is only three steps:

1. Snap a picture of your W2 with your iPhone camera.

2. Answer some questions about interest, unemployment income and other tax-related details.

3. Review your information and e-file directly from your phone.

However, there are a few catches. (Aren’t there always when it comes to taxes?)

1. You have to have an iPhone. The app’s optical character recognition software works best on newer iPhones with more sensitive camera lenses.

2. You have to live in California. The manufacturer considers the CA rollout to be a “beta test” and plans to make more states available in the future.

3. Most important, you have to file a 1040-EZ — however, the 1040-EZ is the simplest form available.

That third “catch” is the real killer. Like it or not, complexity is what creates tax-saving opportunities. And Washington is showing a strong preference for making taxes more complicated, with targeted tax cuts and credits timed for quick action and effect. No “smartphone” is smart enough to keep up with new and ever-changing tax breaks for buying new cars or new homes, financing your children’s college tuition, or building your business.

Yes, technology can make filing some simple returns a “snap.” But taking that easy way out can be expensive. If you’re ready for a real plan to pay less tax, call us today!