Most deductions are lost on paperwork, not knowledge.
You already half know what you can write off. What you do not have, eighteen months later, is the record that proves it.
Tax Buddy keeps that record. Photograph a receipt, answer the two or three things a photograph cannot prove, and hand your accountant something they can work from.
Why the record is the thing
For travel, meals, gifts and vehicles, the law requires the amount, the time, the place, the business purpose and the business relationship. A reasonable estimate does not substitute for them. IRC 274(d); Treas. Reg. 1.274-5T(a), which supersedes the Cohan rule
That is the whole problem. A receipt proves the amount and the date. It says nothing about the other three, and those are the ones that get asked about.
What it does
Reads the receipt
Vendor, date, amount and category, from a photo. Then it asks you what the photo cannot tell it.
Tells you what is still missing
Every record says plainly whether it is complete, and which required element it lacks. Not a green tick. The actual gap.
Answers with the law attached
Ask whether something is deductible and the answer names the statute or regulation it rests on, so you or your accountant can check it.
Says when it does not know
If there is no vetted material behind your question, it says so and points you to a professional, rather than producing a confident guess.
Remembers your situation
Tell it once what you drive, how you are structured and where you are. It stops asking. You can see and edit everything it remembers.
Hands off cleanly
An export your accountant can file from: records, categories, and an honest list of what is not fully substantiated.
What it is not
It is not tax advice. It is information, and it is not a substitute for a CPA, an enrolled agent or an attorney. You remain responsible for the content of your return.
It does not prepare or file returns, and it will not tell you what to put on a line.
It is not affiliated with the IRS or any government agency.
Answers are generated with AI assistance and should be checked before you rely on them, which is why every one of them shows its source.
Access
Early access, by invitation, while the reference material is reviewed by a licensed professional. If you run a small business and keep your receipts in a shoebox, you are who this is for.
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