april (April Tax Solutions Inc.), the only AI-powered suite of embedded tax products, has announced the results of its "State of the American Taxpayer" report, a survey of over 4,600 taxpayers compiled to understand the pain points, gaps, and opportunities with existing tax software. Through a sample reflecting 2020 US Census demographic data, april's report found that over 50% of respondents rank confidence and accuracy in receiving their maximum refund as a top priority. There is a growing interest in new software that can help with estimating and optimizations, with over 27% reporting interest in trying new products. Additionally, april's report revealed that consumers widely vary in what they're looking for when it comes to tax products, which increases the difficulty in developing new products for the category.
"For the average American, preparing to file taxes elicits anxiety and frustration, and many are left feeling that there has to be a better way. april is solving this with artificial intelligence," said Ben Borodach, Co-founder and CEO of april. "As we see more and more Americans working multiple jobs and taking on side gigs or gig work, we see a world where more and more people will have complex tax situations that require more of a year-round approach. We believe AI is uniquely poised to be the game-changing development that allows every American to have access to a digitized version of tax planning," he said.
According to the IRS, the average American spends nine hours on their individual tax returns. Despite lengthy filing times, reducing time spent on taxes from hours to minutes was ranked only the seventh priority for when filing taxes. april's report revealed that Americans are willing to spend more time on their taxes if it helps them maximize their refund, even if it means engaging in tax optimization year-round.
Additional taxpayer priorities include:
"What we've come to understand is that despite the prevailing innovations of our time, tax innovation is virtually nonexistent, and Americans are asking for help with understanding their unique tax situation," said Borodach. "Given the complexity of the U.S. tax code, it's no surprise that most Americans are willing to pay a premium for feelings of confidence and accuracy in the process."
Additional key trends revealed by the study:
As the country prepares for tax season, april's solutions are combating discomfort surrounding tax filing. While less than 1% of all tax returns are audited annually, 1 in 4 Americans still report to be afraid of an IRS audit, according to Lexington Law. To read april's full "State of the American Taxpayer" report, visit https://www.getapril.com/taxpayer-report.
About april
april helps Americans file, estimate and optimize their taxes by embedding AI-powered tax experiences anywhere they make financial decisions. april partners with banks, creditors, payroll providers and other fintechs to bring their customers tax insights and actions year-round, so when filing season comes around there are no surprises. april uses AI to smartly navigate users through the complexity of the tax code, saving time while not sacrificing accuracy. There are over 1.12 quadrillion different potential paths to a return; april will dynamically route customers through the filing and estimation process, only asking questions that are relevant to them. The product suite uses ML to better predict the best next step to get every cent taxpayers deserve. Learn more at getapril.com
These press releases may also interest you
|