Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for allowing taxpayers to utilize mobile communication or communication devices such as smartphones and tablet devices to upload tax document images and process tax document images such that resulting recognized tax data is incorporated into an electronic tax return. Authentication data is generated and provided to the taxpayer to establishing a connection with an image processor, which provides recognized tax data to the on-line tax preparation application for incorporation into the electronic tax return. Authentication data may be embodied within a URL address to the image processor that is transmitted as a SMS message to the mobile communication or computing device or encoded within a QR code such that the mobile communication or computing device can be used to take an image of and decode the QR code to determine the URL address and authentication data to establish a connection with the image processor.

Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for allowing taxpayers to utilize mobile communication or communication devices such as smartphones and tablet devices to upload tax document images and process tax document images such that resulting recognized tax data is incorporated into an electronic tax return. Authentication data is generated and provided to the taxpayer to establishing a connection with an image processor, which provides recognized tax data to the on-line tax preparation application for incorporation into the electronic tax return. Authentication data may be embodied within a URL address to the image processor that is transmitted as a SMS message to the mobile communication or computing device or encoded within a QR code such that the mobile communication or computing device can be used to take an image of and decode the QR code to determine the URL address and authentication data to establish a connection with the image processor.

Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for generating interface elements of an electronic tax preparation application to allow a taxpayer or user to view a portion of an image of a tax document that is a source of data for a field of a screen generated by the electronic tax application. The image portion displayed may be a particular box or field of a tax document for a corresponding particular field of the screen generated by the electronic tax preparation or a bounding region including one or more adjacent or surrounding boxes or fields. Embodiments allow taxpayers to view an image of a source document while viewing the data that was entered in the field from within the tax preparation application without having to consult paper copies of the tax documents.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of acquiring tax data for use in tax preparation application includes acquiring an image of at least one document containing tax data therein with an imaging device. A computer extracts one or more features from the acquired image of the at least one document and compares the extracted one or more features to a database containing a plurality of different tax forms. The database may include a textual database and/or geometric database. The computer identifies a tax form corresponding to the at least one document from the plurality of different tax forms based at least in part on a confidence level associated with the comparison of the extracted one or more features to the database. At least a portion of the tax data from the acquired image is transferred into corresponding fields of the tax preparation application.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of acquiring tax data for use in tax preparation application includes acquiring an image of at least one document containing tax data therein with an imaging device. A computer extracts one or more features from the acquired image of the at least one document and compares the extracted one or more features to a database containing a plurality of different tax forms. The database may include a textual database and/or geometric database. The computer identifies a tax form corresponding to the at least one document from the plurality of different tax forms based at least in part on a confidence level associated with the comparison of the extracted one or more features to the database. At least a portion of the tax data from the acquired image is transferred into corresponding fields of the tax preparation application.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of acquiring tax data for use in tax preparation application includes acquiring an image of at least one document containing tax data therein with an imaging device. A computer extracts one or more features from the acquired image of the at least one document and compares the extracted one or more features to a database containing a plurality of different tax forms. The database may include a textual database and/or geometric database. The computer identifies a tax form corresponding to the at least one document from the plurality of different tax forms based at least in part on a confidence level associated with the comparison of the extracted one or more features to the database. At least a portion of the tax data from the acquired image is transferred into corresponding fields of the tax preparation application.

Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for generating interface elements of an electronic tax preparation application to allow a taxpayer or user to view a portion of an image of a tax document that is a source of data for a field of a screen generated by the electronic tax application. The image portion displayed may be a particular box or field of a tax document for a corresponding particular field of the screen generated by the electronic tax preparation or a bounding region including one or more adjacent or surrounding boxes or fields. Embodiments allow taxpayers to view an image of a source document while viewing the data that was entered in the field from within the tax preparation application without having to consult paper copies of the tax documents.

Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for allowing taxpayers to utilize mobile communication or communication devices such as smartphones and tablet devices to upload tax document images and process tax document images such that resulting recognized tax data is incorporated into an electronic tax return. Authentication data is generated and provided to the taxpayer to establishing a connection with an image processor, which provides recognized tax data to the on-line tax preparation application for incorporation into the electronic tax return. Authentication data may be embodied within a URL address to the image processor that is transmitted as a SMS message to the mobile communication or computing device or encoded within a QR code such that the mobile communication or computing device can be used to take an image of and decode the QR code to determine the URL address and authentication data to establish a connection with the image processor.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of acquiring tax data for use in tax preparation application includes acquiring an image of at least one document containing tax data therein with an imaging device. A computer extracts one or more features from the acquired image of the at least one document and compares the extracted one or more features to a database containing a plurality of different tax forms. The database may include a textual database and/or geometric database. The computer identifies a tax form corresponding to the at least one document from the plurality of different tax forms based at least in part on a confidence level associated with the comparison of the extracted one or more features to the database. At least a portion of the tax data from the acquired image is transferred into corresponding fields of the tax preparation application.

Abstract: Systems, methods and articles for online computerized methods and systems for facilitating a loan between a borrower and a lender in a financial services system having a loan processing application integrated with a tax return preparation application, in which a lender's tax refund is used to fund the loan. Tax returns are prepared for borrowers and for lenders using the tax return preparation application. The borrowers submits loan request to the system. The system asks lenders having a tax refund if they would like to loan the tax refund to other people and the system presents loan options to the lenders. If a lender likes a loan request, the lender instructs the system to enter into a loan for the request for a specified amount on agreed to loan terms, and the loan amount is then transferred to the borrower, funded by the tax refund.