May is officially around the corner and that means lots of us are already looking ahead to warmer weather and our first long weekend of the season. If this is you, you may be at risk of forgetting something very important about fast-approaching April 30th: it’s the tax deadline.
Suddenly feeling stomach pains or a cold sweat coming on? Never fear. While you may not think you have time to tackle your tax return in less than a week, there are tons of resources out there to get your taxes handled on the go, from anywhere online. In fact, this year you can start or even complete your tax return online from your phone or tablet. If you’re thinking of leveraging a mobile device to partially or fully file your taxes this season, here are three things you should know:
Filing your taxes is only a few clicks away, from anywhere – Thanks to the evolution of tax software, you really can start or even complete your tax return on a mobile device. In fact, TurboTax just launched the latest in mobile filing with their mobile app, available now on Android and iOS. For the first time in Canada, you have access to live support should you need it at any point from a mobile device, and can feel assured that your security is taken seriously. If you have a few spare minutes to get started on your commute but want to finish tomorrow after dinner, that’s totally cool too – their software allows you to switch seamlessly between devices and saves your progress as you go.
Part of your return might already be done – Getting your tax return started on a mobile device may sound cumbersome, but there’s a good chance a big chunk of your return will populate for you, if you’ve set up the CRA’s Autofill My Return. This service will automatically fill in parts of your tax return if you’ve filed using online software in the past. If you haven’t done so previously, file online now so you’re a few steps ahead this time next year.
Don’t forget security on mobile is your job too – The increasing convenience of mobile-optimized personal finance services like tax filing is a major benefit. That said, it’s important to remember there are things we need to keep in mind when we’re managing our personal information on our phone. Leverage security features like multi-factor authentication, and make sure you’re not entering personal details like passwords where others can see. Bonus points for using different passwords for different accounts!
Source: Turbo Tax Canada
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