| 摘要 |
A computer program, a method, and a system for determining an effect a tax event has on a taxpayer's tax refund amount or tax owed amount (refund/owe amount). During a tax interview for preparation of a tax return using tax preparation software, tax event information related to the taxpayer's liability is inputted. The refund/owe amount is displayed via a refund/owe meter (ROM) on a graphical user interface. After each tax event is inputted or after a ROM generating event, the ROM displays an updated refund/owe amount. Additionally, the effect of the tax event on the displayed amount is presented, including a monetary amount by which a last received tax event affects the displayed amount. The effect is calculated and displayed in real time so as to dynamically change the displayed refund/owe amount in response to the last received tax event information or in response to the ROM generating event. |
| 主权项 |
1. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium with a computer program stored thereon for providing tax return preparation software that calculates, in generally real time, an effect a tax event has on a taxpayer's tax refund amount or tax owed amount (collectively “refund/owe amount”), wherein the tax event affects the taxpayer's tax liability and is categorized in one of the following categories: income; adjustments and deductions; credits; and taxes, payments, and penalties, wherein the computer program instructs at least one processing element to perform the steps of:
presenting, via a graphical user interface, a plurality of requests for tax event information related to the taxpayer's tax liability; in response to said plurality of requests for tax event information related to the taxpayer's tax liability, successively receiving a plurality of inputted tax event information; displaying, via the graphical user interface, a refund/owe meter (ROM) that presents a calculated refund/owe amount based on at least a portion of the plurality of inputted tax event information; identifying a plurality of ROM generating events; in response to identifying each ROM generating event, calculating a modified refund/owe amount and presenting the modified refund/owe amount via the ROM, wherein the modified refund/owe amount is based on a cumulatively entered tax event information; determining, in real time and upon receipt of each ROM generating event, said effect each successively received tax event has on the refund/owe amount, including determining a monetary amount by which a last received tax event effects the modified refund/owe amount; and displaying, on the graphical user interface, a category tax event accounting for each category of said income; adjustments and deductions; credits; and taxes, payments, and penalties, wherein the category tax event accounting provides an explanation to the taxpayer of how each category affects the taxpayer's refund/owe amount, and wherein the category tax event accounting is a sum of a monetary amount by which all tax events in the respective category affect the refund/owe amount. |
