Streamlined Sales Tax Return Preparation

• US 20140337189A1
• Filed: 05/10/2013
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jonathan Barsade
• Inventors: Barsade, Jonathan, Suzanski, Todd M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,332,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission

Abstract

A tool for assisting end-users to comply with complex sales tax compliance requirements by electronically preparing a tax return by dynamically creating and providing to each end-user a first data input page having input fields relating only to types and categories of tax for which each end-user'"'"'s line of business is required to report while suppressing presentation to the end-user data fields which are related to tax types which are not required to be reported or collected for the end-user'"'"'s line of business. Using the streamlined input page, the end-user only provides the relevant data values and avoids seeing or worrying about irrelevant input values. The tool then electronically prepares one or more tax return forms or data files, and optionally submits those to an electronic server corresponding to the tax authority for the appropriate jurisdiction(s) or produces a paper return.

Claims

1. A method for assisting an end-user with limited tax expertise to comply with complex taxation requirements by preparing a sales or use tax return electronically, the method comprising the steps of:

responsive to a log-in of an end-user, a tax preparation server computer dynamically creating and providing to the end-user a Landing input page presenting on a user interface display input fields corresponding to one or more enabled tax type universal codes and suppressing presentation to the end-user of input fields corresponding to disabled tax type universal codes, wherein the enabled tax type universal codes comprise an end-user-specific subset of tax type universal codes selected from a system-wide table of tax type universal codes, and wherein each enabled tax-type universal code corresponds to one or more jurisdiction-specific tax report sections or schedules according to each end-user'"'"'s compliance jurisdiction, and wherein the suppressing of presentation of input fields streamlines the user interface display;

prompting on the dynamically generated Landing input page the end-user to input aggregated sales data values for one or more taxable enabled tax type universal codes without requiring tax form section or tax form schedule data entry;

the tax preparation server receiving one or more aggregated sales data values from the presented input fields corresponding to the enabled tax type universal codes; and

the tax preparation server preparing a sales tax return according to the received data values for the end-user and according to one or more rules of jurisdiction which apply to the end-user, and by associating the received data values with jurisdiction-specific tax report sections or schedules corresponding to the enabled tax type universal codes;

wherein the tax preparation server prevents the end-user from readily modifying enablement states of the tax type universal codes and the suppressed input fields without a further level of authorization.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the Landing input page comprises a web form.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the Landing input page comprises an input screen produced by an application program.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the application program is a mobile application.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the Landing input page comprises an Application Programming Interface.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the tax preparation server responding to a second level of authentication by an end-user by providing an account management input page to the end-user, wherein the account management input page presents the enabled tax type universal codes which may be disabled by the end-user, and presents the disabled tax type universal codes which maybe enabled by the end-user, wherein the Landing input page and the account management input page are separate and distinct from each other and wherein the display of the second input page is prevented without said second level of authentication.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 further comprising one or more selectable lines of business profiles on the account management input page, which when selected by the end-user, causes the tax preparation server to enable and disable the tax type universal codes in a predetermined configuration.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein enabled and disabled tax type universal code definitions are stored in a user account record associated with the end-user.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tax return is a paper tax return.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tax return is an electronic tax return.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising electronically filing the tax return by the tax preparation system to a jurisdictional tax server.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 further comprising submitting a tax payment by the tax preparation system to a payment processing service corresponding to a value due in the tax return.

14. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the presented input fields comprise one or more input prompts selected from the group consisting of a web form field and a voice prompt, and where the one or more data values received from the presented input fields comprises one or more data values received from the group consisting of a typed value, an input from a handwriting recognizer, an input from a telephone dialing code recognizer and an input from a voice recognizer.

17. The computer program product as set forth in claim 14 further comprising program instructions encoded by the one or more tangible computer memory devices for, responsive to a second level of authentication by an end-user, providing an account management input page to the end-user, wherein the account management input page presents the enabled tax type universal codes which may be disabled by the end-user, and presents the disabled tax type universal codes which maybe enabled by the end-user, wherein the Landing input page and the account management input page are separate and distinct from each other and wherein the display of the second input page is prevented without said second level of authentication.

5. (canceled)

15. A computer program product for assisting an end-user with limited tax expertise to comply with complex taxation requirements by preparing a sales or use tax return electronically, the computer program product comprising:

one or more tangible computer memory devices; and

program instructions encoded by the one or more tangible computer memory devices for causing a tax preparation server computer to perform the steps of;

responsive to a log-in of an end-user, dynamically creating and providing to the end-user a Landing input page presenting on a user interface display input fields corresponding to one or more enabled tax type universal codes and suppressing presentation to the end-user of input fields corresponding to disabled tax type universal codes, wherein the enabled tax type universal codes comprise an end-user-specific subset of tax type universal codes selected from a system-wide table of tax type universal codes, and wherein each enabled universal tax-type universal code corresponds to one or more jurisdiction-specific tax report sections or schedules according to each end-user'"'"'s compliance jurisdiction, and wherein the suppressing of presentation of input fields streamlines the user interface;

prompting on the dynamically-generated Landing input page the end-user to input aggregated sales data values for one or more taxable enabled tax type universal codes without requiring tax form section or tax form schedule data entry;

receiving one or more aggregated sales data values from the presented input fields corresponding to the enabled tax type universal codes; and

preparing a sales tax return according to the received data values for the end-user and according to one or more rules of jurisdiction which apply to the end-user, and by associating the received data values with jurisdiction-specific tax report sections or schedules corresponding to the enabled tax type universal codes;

wherein the end-user is prevented from readily modifying enablement states of the tax type universal codes and the suppressed input fields without a further level of authorization.

16. The computer program product as set forth in claim 15 wherein the Landing input page comprises one or more inputs selected from the group consisting of a web form, an input screen produced by a desktop computer application program, an input screen produced by a mobile application program, an audible prompt, and an Application Programming Interface.

19. A system for assisting an end-user with limited tax expertise to comply with complex taxation requirements by preparing a sales or use tax return electronically, the computer program product comprising:

a tax preparation server computer having a processor for performing logical operations by a computing system;

one or more tangible computer memory devices accessible by the processor; and

program instructions encoded by the one or more tangible computer memory devices for causing the tax preparation server computer to perform the steps of;

responsive to a log-in of an end-user, dynamically creating and providing to the end-user a Landing input page presenting on a user interface display input fields corresponding to one or more enabled tax type universal codes and suppressing presentation to the end-user of input fields corresponding to disabled tax type universal codes, wherein the enabled tax type universal codes comprise an end-user-specific subset of tax type universal codes selected from a system-wide table of tax type universal codes, and wherein each enabled tax-type universal code corresponds to one or more jurisdiction-specific tax report sections or schedules according to each end-user'"'"'s compliance jurisdiction, and wherein the suppressing of presentation of input fields streamlines the user interface;

prompting on the dynamically-generated Landing input page the end-user to input aggregated sales data values for one or more taxable enabled tax type universal codes without requiring tax form section or tax form schedule data entry;

receiving one or more aggregated sales data values from the presented input fields corresponding to the enabled tax type universal codes; and

preparing a sales tax return according to the received data values for the end-user and according to one or more rules of jurisdiction which apply to the end-user, and by associating the received data values with jurisdiction-specific tax report sections or schedules corresponding to the enabled tax type universal codes;

wherein the end-user is prevented from readily modifying enablement states of the tax type universal codes and the suppressed input fields without a further level of authorization.

20. The system as set forth in claim 19 further comprising program instructions encoded by the one or more tangible computer memory devices for, responsive to a second level of authentication by an end-user, providing an account management input page to the end-user, wherein the account management input page presents the enabled tax type universal codes which may be disabled by the end-user, and presents the disabled tax type universal codes which maybe enabled by the end-user, wherein the Landing input page and the account management input page are separate and distinct from each other and wherein the display of the second input page is prevented without said second level of authentication.