What would tax filling experience look like 20 years from now?
I worked on a personal project where I explored how future AI could assist us with mundane tasks, such as tax filing, by automating most of the process.
1. Complexity & Confusion
Tax forms contain complicated jargon that’s difficult to understand.
Frequent changes in tax laws make compliance challenging.
Uncertainty about which forms to use for various incomes, deductions, and credits.
2. Time-Consuming Process
Requires collecting multiple documents and manually entering data.
Involves several steps like account creation, identity verification, and submission.
Long processing times for approvals and refunds.
3. High Filing Costs
Hiring tax professionals or using software can be expensive.
Hidden fees in “free” filing services for additional features.
Businesses and freelancers pay extra for tax compliance support.
4. Fear of Mistakes & Audits
Errors may lead to penalties or IRS audits.
Uncertainty about eligible deductions.
Difficulty in correcting mistakes after submission.
5. Lack of Support
Slow, unhelpful responses from tax authorities.
Limited real-time assistance during filing.
Difficulty accessing human support for complex queries.
6. Poor Digital Experience
Government portals are outdated, slow, and glitchy.
Lack of mobile-friendly tax filing options.
Tax software often has cluttered UI and unintuitive navigation.
7. Challenges for Small Businesses & Freelancers
Managing multiple income streams complicates reporting.
Confusion around estimated tax payments.
Tracking deductible expenses is tedious and error-prone.
Since most users would access the product on mobile, I took a mobile-first approach
I also worked on a landing page flow to clearly communicate the benefits of the product
Watch this video to understand the complete flow and my thought process
