Abstract: Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for determining impact correlations from a calculation graph for calculating taxes. The system includes a computing device, a data store in communication with the computing device and a tax preparation software application executable by the computing device. The tax preparation software application has a tax calculation engine, a tax calculation graph, and an impact chain engine. The tax calculation engine is configured to perform a plurality of tax calculation operations based on the tax calculation graph. The impact chain engine is configured to analyze the tax calculation graph and determine an impact correlation between a change in a value of a first node caused by a change in a value of a second node utilizing an impact chain which includes both the first node and the second node.

Abstract: Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for determining impact chains from a calculation graph for calculating taxes. The system includes a computing device, a data store in communication with the computing device and a tax preparation software application executable by the computing device. The tax preparation software application has a tax calculation engine, a tax calculation graph, and an impact chain engine. The tax calculation engine is configured to perform a plurality of tax calculation operations based on a tax calculation graph. The impact chain engine is configured to analyze the tax calculation graph and determine an impact chain for each of a plurality of nodes in the graph, wherein an impact chain for a respective node consists of one of (a) each of the other nodes which are affected by the respective node, or (b) each of the other nodes which affect the respective node.

Abstract: A system for calculating an estimated result during preparation of an electronic tax return includes a server computer having a predictive model, and a tax return preparation computer having an electronic tax return preparation program. The server computer is configured to obtain a first taxpayer datum and execute the predictive model, which analyzes the first taxpayer datum to identify a most relevant taxpayer data category. The server computer is configured to communicate the taxpayer data category to the tax return preparation computer. The tax return preparation computer is configured to obtain a second taxpayer datum corresponding to the taxpayer data category, calculate the estimated result for the taxpayer based on the second taxpayer datum, and display the estimated result to a user during preparation of the electronic tax return.