Top 6 Free Tax Apps For Your Smartphone or Tablet


February 7th, 2012 by Davey Alba, LAPTOP Staff Writer  

With tax season in full swing, it’s easy to get stressed out about filing your return. Fortunately, there are a few free apps that can help make the process easier.  These free tax apps will help you do everything from estimating how much your refund check will be — as well as when you can expect to receive it — to automatically e-filing your W-2s after snapping a photo of the forms. 

TurboTax SnapTax (iPhone, Android; free)

If you don't have children or dependents, make less than 100K a year, don't own real estate and have income rolling in only from W-2 forms, interest or unemployment, TurboTax SnapTax is the absolute easiest way to file your taxes electronically--as long as you've got an iPhone or Android smartphone.

The app essentially holds your hand through the process of submitting a 1040EZ form, even showing you how to rip your W-2 to get just the portion of the page that you need. Then, simply line up the frame and use your smartphone's camera to snap a photo. The app slurps your information, asks you a few painless questions and shoots everything over to the IRS.

While the app is free to download, it costs $20 to e-file. It's not a big change from last year's version, but this iteration gives you the option to try out the app without signing up for an account. Afterwards, it holds your information for an hour in case you want to go through with the process.

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