Apps Abound for Accounting Pros & Small Businesses

Column: Tricks & Tips

We live in a mobile and always-on world, and where the smartphone by itself was once lauded (or blamed) for our incredible connectivity, that honor now belongs to the app. An abbreviation for the word application that was used almost only by developers and computer techs just a couple of years ago, the term is now firmly entrenched in the vocabulary of almost everyone, from age 5 to 85.

Even those who don’t use smartphones know what apps are, largely because of the catchy Apple slogan, “There’s an app for that.” Considering that Apple’s App Store has been in existence for less than three years, this is quite a feat. And now that there are more than 350,000 apps and games (as of January 2011) available through Apple’s App Store, there very likely is “an app for that,” whatever that happens to be. In fairness, there are other mobile device app stores, most notable being the Android Market, which at the time of this writing had more than 200,000 apps. The nearest competitors from there include Blackberry with about 25,000 apps, the new Windows Phone Marketplace with nearly 13,000 as of early April 2011, and Palm, with less than 10,000 apps as of the end of 2010.

While many of these apps are games or utilities with minimal purpose, the last two years have seen an avalanche of truly useful personal and business-focused tools. Many of these consumer apps are familiar, offering banking tasks, document productivity tools, calendars and options for news, sports, hobbies, travel, e-books, social networking and even auto diagnostics, to name a few.

Even though useful, several of these apps are still geared toward entertainment. However, there are some real business apps out there, including some specifically designed for accounting professionals, and even some designed by accounting pros. With hundreds of thousands of apps from which to choose, we can’t possibly cover them all. But here are some you might find to be productivity boosters for you or your small business clients.

Apps For Tax & Accounting Professionals

BNA Quick Tax Reference – Free
www.bnatax.com/quick-tax-reference-app
Offers instant access to standard mileage rates; individual, corporate and estate tax rates; standard deductions/exemptions; Sec. 179 limits; and other information. 

Mobile CS from Thomson Reuters – Free
https://cs.thomsonreuters.com/mobilecs
Gives users of the Practice CS system quick, anywhere access to data, such as client and staff information, firm details, WIP, AR, project management and scheduling functions. (Requires Practice CS.)

CCH Mobile – Currently Free
www.cchgroup.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/content_mobile_default
Allows for simple smartphone access to CCH’s IntelliConnect tax research platform, including customizable Tax Tracker News, primary materials such as the IR Code and Regulations, various tax tools and calculators, and even the Smart Charts feature. Users can also save and email any document from the app. (Subscription to IntelliConnect may be required after mid-2011.)

Mobile Accountant (mAccountant) – $6.99
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mobile-accountant/id395155845?mt=8
Designed for accountants, offering a single app to track client information, expenses, billable time, CPE credits, staff schedules, travel details and deadlines. The vendor also offers specific apps for time and expense tracking, staff management and consulting.

Documents to Go Office Suite – $9.99
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/documents-to-go-office-suite/id317117961?mt=8
Offers fully featured viewing, editing and creation of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, as well as the ability to view Adobe PDF, Apple iWork and other files. The system integrates with Google Docs, Box.net, Dropbox and other online file storage and sharing tools. Users can also view and edit email attachments from within the app.