5 Tax Apps You Should Know About

While the 2012 calendar kindly offers two additional days for procrastinators, Tuesday, April 17, is the deadline to file your 2011 income tax returns. Whether you are wondering about your refund, looking for some last minute filing help or want to get a jump on planning for 2012, there are many mobile apps on the scene to lend a hand.
TaxCaster Mobile
Plug basic income and deduction information into this free app from TurboTax to receive an approximation of your tax burden or your refund check. The app also allows you to consider the tax implications of key life changes in the coming year, like a home purchase or a new job.

IRS2Go
The IRS’ smartphone app lets taxpayers check on the status of their tax refund and obtain tax-related information. In addition, the app allows users to: watch videos from the IRS YouTube channel; request a tax return or account transcript; receive daily tax tips; and follow the IRS on Twitter.

MyTaxRefund
Another TurboTax tool, MyTaxRefund lets users check on both federal and state returns, and find out whether their returns have been accepted. Most important to most taxpayers is the ability to find out when they can expect state and federal refunds.

Shoeboxed
The cleverly named Shoeboxed app offers an alternative to our low-tech past: shoving crumpled up receipts in a shoebox under the bed until tax season. This app enables you to take photos of your receipts and store them in an online account. With the paid version (fees start at $9.95 per month), key receipt data is organized by date and category into a searchable database that proves valuable when it’s time to file. Android version/iOS version

iDonatedIt
Tracking charitable donations made throughout the year gets simpler with iDonatedIt. Developed by a group of certified public accountants, the app helps you keep tabs on what you’ve donated to which organizations, estimates the value of donated items, and allows you to snap pictures for your records. Keeping a running total of your estimated donation-related tax savings, the app allows you to email reports to yourself or your accountant. iDonatedIt costs $2.99.

>

All apps included here are available for both the iPhone and Android operating systems.