Miami Startup Taxfyle Looks to Uber-ize Your Taxes This Year

It's a new year, which means you're renewing your dusty gym memberships, setting new goals, and putting together plans that will result in 2016 being the best version of "you." Then — bam — you remember tax season is just around the corner, and your motivation is killed. You plop onto the couch next to a pizza, pull a shoe box full of receipts onto your lap, and pour a glass of wine — or six. It's an annual tradition.

Uncle Sam is the April Santa, except he's going up your chimney with all of your money. 

But wait! There's a solution. Two guys from Miami want to make sure you skip the stress and let their new tax-filing app do all the heavy lifting.

University of Miami and Belen Jesuit grads Richard Lavina and Michael Mouriz want to Uber-ize your taxes with their new app, Taxfyle. The app, releasing just in time for tax season, targets millennials, who are familiar with new technology and not afraid to download all sorts of apps onto their smartphones. 

"We're always on our phones, and life is experienced through apps. It's only natural that the need for this is presenting itself as well," Lavina tells New Times. Comparing it to other websites that help you file your taxes, Lavina says, "Turbo Tax is a do-it-yourself app, [whereas] Taxfyle is an Uber-type app."

By now you're probably asking yourself, What does Uber have to do with filing my taxes? Well, the two actually have a similar premise.

Both allow you to leave the work to a professional but in a way that never existed years ago. Just like you no longer want to call a cab and wait on a corner, you're probably dreading having to walk into an office and sit in a chair for an hour while a stranger asks you questions about how far you drive to work every day, what you ate September 3, and what you lost at the casino this year. With Taxfyle, you don't have to interact with people anymore!

"With Taxfyle, you are able to submit your tax job to a CPA on your walk from the parking lot to your office desk. You're personally assigned CPA will then securely in-app message you to make sure they have all they need to file your taxes. Taxfyle has constructed a revolutionary in-app messaging system allowing the customer to upload any files and sign their tax return with their finger when ready," Lavina explains.

The process is simple:

1. Download the Taxfyle app.
2. Snap a few photos of your forms. Don’t have them? No problem, just continue!
3. Answer a few "yes" or "no" questions.
4. Receive your quote.
5. Say hello to your very own CPA.

As with Uber, there's a flip side of the business coin here. Where there's a human Uber driver, there's a human CPA on the other end — and that could be you (if you like math and stuff). Taxyfyle is accepting new accountants all the time.

"If you're a CPA and you're interested, the more the merrier. Welcome aboard. Users will be able to rate their CPAs. Initially, a CPA can take on up to three jobs," Lavina says. "Based on their ratings (and all must maintain about a four-star rating), they're able to take on more." 

Taxfyle
Launches Tuesday, January 19, in the app store. Visit taxfyle.com.