Method, system, and manufacture for tax information distribution

• US 8,423,433 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2009
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HRB Innovations Incorporated (H&R Block, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HRB Innovations Incorporated (H&R Block, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meinecke Diaz, Susanna M
• Application Number:
  US12/471,040
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 705/31
• US Class Current: 705/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission

Abstract

An electronic intermediary electronically receives information from a taxpayer or an authorized tax return preparer of the taxpayer. The received information may include information on a tax data provider and taxpayer identification information. The electronic intermediary connects automatically and electronically to the tax data provider based on the received information. The electronic intermediary collects automatically and electronically tax data from the tax data provider and processes automatically and electronically the collected tax data to obtain processed tax data. The electronic intermediary prepares automatically and electronically an electronic tax return by using the processed tax data. The electronic intermediary receives electronically direction from the taxpayer to provide the electronic tax return and/or the tax data to a tax information distributor, connects electronically to the tax information distributor, and provides electronically the electronic tax return and/or tax data to the tax information distributor.

Claims

1. A method for tax information distribution by an electronic intermediary comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the electronic intermediary, information from a taxpayer or an authorized tax return preparer of the taxpayer, wherein the received information comprises information on a tax data provider;

connecting electronically the electronic intermediary to the tax data provider, wherein the electronic intermediary connects electronically to the tax data provider based on the received information;

collecting, by the electronic intermediary, tax data from the tax data provider, wherein said tax data is taxpayer specific tax data;

processing, by the electronic intermediary and via a processor, the tax data collected from the tax data provider to obtain processed tax data; and

preparing, by the electronic intermediary, a tax return using the processed tax data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

receiving, by the electronic intermediary, authorization from said taxpayer or said authorized tax return preparer of said taxpayer to contact and receive said tax data from said tax data provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

searching and locating said tax data provider based on said received information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said received information is comprised of one or more of the following:

an identification of the taxpayer;

an identification of the tax data provider; and

information to determine whether said taxpayer has a special tax case.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said tax data provider is an employer, a partnership, a bank, a savings and loan institution, a mortgage institution, a credit card bureau, a thrift institution, a securities brokerage firm, a mutual fund holding institution, or a charity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said tax data is a payroll statement, a bank statement, a savings and loan statement, a mortgage statement, a credit card bureau statement, a thrift institution statement, a brokerage account statement, a mutual fund statement, or a charity statement.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether taxes are owed or to be refunded;

if taxes are owed, paying, via the electronic intermediary, said taxes owed; and

if taxes are to be refunded, receiving, via the electronic intermediary, a tax refund.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of paying said taxes owed comprises:

connecting to a financial institution; and

authorizing said financial institution to pay said taxes owed.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of receiving said tax refund comprises:

connecting to a financial institution; and

authorizing a taxing authority to credit said tax refund to said financial institution.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon for tax information distribution, wherein the program instructs a processor to perform the following steps:

receive, by an electronic intermediary, information from a taxpayer or an authorized tax return preparer of the taxpayer, wherein the received information comprises information on a tax data provider;

connect the electronic intermediary to the tax data provider, wherein the connection to the tax data provider is based on the received information;

collect, by the electronic intermediary, tax data from the tax data provider, wherein said tax data is taxpayer specific tax data;

process, by the electronic intermediary, the tax data collected from the tax data provider to obtain processed tax data; and

prepare, by the electronic intermediary, a tax return using the processed tax data.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform the following step:

receive authorization from said taxpayer or said authorized tax return preparer of said taxpayer to contact and receive said tax data from said tax data provider.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform the following step:

search and locate said tax data provider based on said received information.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein said received information is comprised of one or more of the following:

an identification of the taxpayer;

an identification of the tax data provider; and

information to determine whether said taxpayer has a special tax case.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein said tax data provider is an employer, a partnership, a bank, a savings and loan institution, a mortgage institution, a credit card bureau, a thrift institution, a securities brokerage firm, a mutual fund holding institution, or a charity.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein said tax data is a payroll statement, a bank statement, a savings and loan statement, a mortgage statement, a credit card bureau statement, a thrift institution statement, a brokerage account statement, a mutual fund statement, or a charity statement.

16. A system for tax information distribution, comprising:

a computer having;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon for tax information distribution by the computer, wherein the program instructs the processor to perform the following steps;

receive, by the computer, information from a taxpayer or an authorized tax return preparer of the taxpayer, wherein the received information comprises information on a tax data provider;

connect the computer to the tax data provider using an electronic data network, wherein the computer connects to the tax data provider based on the received information;

collect, by the computer, tax data from the tax data provider using the electronic data network, wherein said tax data is taxpayer specific tax data;

process, by the computer, the tax data collected from the tax data provider to obtain processed tax data; and

prepare, by the computer, a tax return using the processed tax data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform the following step:

receive authorization from said taxpayer or said authorized tax return preparer of said taxpayer to contact and receive said tax data from said tax data provider.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said received information is comprised of one or more of the following:

an identification of the taxpayer;

an identification of the tax data provider; and

information to determine whether said taxpayer has a special tax case.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said tax data provider is an employer, a partnership, a bank, a savings and loan institution, a mortgage institution, a credit card bureau, a thrift institution, a securities brokerage firm, a mutual fund holding institution, or a charity.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein said tax data is a payroll statement, a bank statement, a savings and loan statement, a mortgage statement, a credit card bureau statement, a thrift institution statement, a brokerage account statement, a mutual fund statement, or a charity statement.