How mobile tax filing works, step by step
- Download a guided tax app from your phone’s official app store.
- Create an account or log into an existing one.
- Gather your documents: Social Security number (SSN), Form W-2, and any Form 1099-NEC for freelance or gig income.
- Photograph or import your W-2 and 1099s so the app can prefill your numbers.
- Answer the app’s guided interview questions about your income, credits, and deductions.
- Review your return for accuracy before submitting.
- E-file and choose direct deposit to get your refund fastest.
Filing on your phone with Credit Karma Tax
You can use your phone to file with Credit Karma Tax, which makes it easy to simply take a picture of your W-2 and upload it into the Credit Karma app. The app can even pre-fill some of your info for you.
Free Credit Karma Tax is available for all forms and tax situations for your federal tax return. State tax returns are $15 per state.
Whether the IRS2Go app can file your taxes
The IRS’s own app, IRS2Go, doesn’t prepare or file a return for you. It can:
- Check your refund status
- Take payments
- Point you to free filing options, like Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE)
If you want to actually prepare and submit a return from your phone, you’ll need a separate guided tax app.
Security and filing taxes from your phone
Filing from your phone is generally as safe as filing from a computer, as long as you take a few precautions:
- Turn on biometric login, like Face ID or Touch ID, so a lost or unlocked phone doesn’t expose your return.
- File over secure Wi-Fi or your cellular data, not an open public network.
- Download tax apps only from your phone’s official app store, never from a link in a text or email.
- Delete saved photos of your W-2, 1099s, and other tax documents once you’ve filed.
When a computer might serve you better
A phone screen can make filing harder to manage for those with more complex tax situations because they tend to involve more back-and-forth between forms. It’s never a bad idea to have a backup plan, like a neighbor, friend, or family member’s computer, in case you need the additional support that comes with using a computer.
