Keeper is an app that helps independent contractors, freelancers, and employees file their tax returns while tracking work-related expenses.
The company offers both an iOS and Android app to use so you can keep up with what you’re spending and what may be related to your taxes.
Here’s a look at how Keeper compares to our best tax software list.
If you’re looking for an app to help keep you organized and ready when tax time comes, Keeper can be a bit pricey, but it’s probably worth it for you. It all depends on your specific needs. Here’s what to know.
Keeper helps freelancers and independent contractors with tax-related write-offs. The app automatically scans your bank and credit card statements for tax-deductible expenses. Offers both iOS and Android versions of the app.
tax return with business income
What is Keeper?
Keeper, formerly called Keeper Tax, is an app that can do things like track expenses and scan your bank and credit card statements to see where you can write off, with the hopes of lowering your tax bill. . It also handles your tax filing and offers tax professionals to answer questions related to filing.
The company, founded in 2018 by Paul Kaulick and David Kang, has rebranded from Keeper Tax to just Keeper. The app is highly rated on both the App Store (4.8 out of 5) and Google Play (4.6 out of 5).
How does Keeper work?
Keeper is one such app that you need to download on your phone. You link your bank and credit card accounts to the app so it can automatically start scanning your purchases to see what kind of write offs you might be eligible for.
When you sign up for Keeper, you are asked a series of questions before being taken to the next screen. For example, it asks whether you are a freelance, employee, or business owner. It also asks whether you use your own vehicle or travel for work.
How much does Keeper cost?
There’s a free seven-day trial with Keeper. Once that expires your pricing options are:
Monthly subscription: $16Ordinary return: $99Taxed return with business income: $192
Their monthly plan is $16 per month, which includes expense-tracking features. For a one-time fee of $39, you can export your write-offs for your own records so you can keep them with you when you file your taxes.
Keeper offers an annual plan, which includes everything on the monthly plan, plus the option to file your taxes at no extra cost.
Notable Keeper Features
Let’s take a look at some of the key features of Keeper.
Tax Pro Help
When you use a platform to help you file your taxes, oftentimes, you may not have access to a live expert. Or if you do, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher level. The nice thing about Keeper is that you have access to a tax expert who can answer questions for you. It may not be over the phone, but at least you can have someone help you with your specific problem.
Keeper prides itself on being a top educational content creator for those with 1099 taxes, so they may even be able to provide you with a video, article, or calculator.
audit protection
Beyond having an expert to answer your questions, you may want to know what would happen if you were audited by the IRS. Keeper offers audit protection, meaning that their team of tax assistants will help gather the necessary documents to send to the IRS. They will give you access to their CPA and tax experts who can answer your questions.
write-off detection
Keeper offers write-off detection, which scans your credit card and bank accounts and notifies you if there’s anything you can write off. Keeper looks at up to 18 months of transactions to automatically show you which tax breaks you’ve missed. Then, all deductions are itemized and automatically added to your tax return. Keeper also double-checks deductions to make sure they don’t raise red flags.
There are a few steps involved before you can use this feature, including telling Keeper what type of work you do. Then you need to link your accounts with Keeper so that it can start checking.
tax bill prediction
No one likes to be surprised by a huge tax bill, which is why Keeper gives you a year-round estimate of how much you’ll owe or how much your refund will be worth.
You will need to enter your position, your state, W-2 and 1099 income to get an instant calculation of this number. His calculation includes all federal and state, as well as deductions and credits.
This is a useful feature because you know how much to save or how much you’re getting back so you can prepare your budget ahead of time.
tax payment
Since Keeper already scans your tax write-offs and prepares you for tax season, it may make sense to file your taxes with Keeper. It offers automated tax form uploads, prefills documents for you, and in general, is a very user-friendly experience for filers.
You can also file your complete taxes on your phone. Keeper says it takes an average of 22 minutes for users to file their taxes. Once you submit, a tax professional reviews your documents before submitting them to the IRS.
How does Keeper compare?
Even though Keeper is an easy-to-use platform that helps you with bookkeeping and filing, it has limited accounting features. In other words, you’ll pay $192 for the year to manage your expenses, but you won’t be able to take advantage of the in-depth reports and features you can get from Quickbooks, for example. It’s also on the pricey side, at $16 per month.
For a cheaper alternative, you can check out Hurdler, a similar accounting, bookkeeping, and income tax app that comes fully featured with the option to upgrade to premium at $8.34 per month (billed annually). is free or choose to go with their month-to-month two-month option at $10 per month. Hurdler has a similarly priced tier, Pro, at $16.67 per month (billed annually).
Everlance helps freelancers track their business expenses and revenue. The app makes it easy to fill out Schedule C for your taxes. Everlance offers a free 10-day premium trial, but many of the features are available in their free version. Everlance Premium features exclusive customer service access, PDF reports, and automated trip tracking. Premium costs $8 per month or $12 per month for Premium Plus.
If your taxes aren’t that complicated, you can file completely free. Check out our favorite options for getting your taxes done for free.
There are plenty of other less expensive options that allow you to export your data without the extra $39 cost. TurboTax tops College Investor’s list as the best and easiest tax software to use. You can import PDFs and spreadsheets directly from your employer, financial institutions and investment companies to download your tax data.
If you want a human to help guide you through the process, you might consider H&R Block, which has a robust software like TurboTax with the ability to import most tax PDFs, but nationwide There is also the added benefit of thousands of physical locations. , Here’s our review of H&R Block.
Visit The College Investor’s Tax Center to learn more about the best tax software, resources and tools, as well as what to understand about your tax return.
To contact customer service, you can email directly to [email protected] There is no phone number for customer service. 
how to sign up
You are asked for an email address and a phone number. Then, you’re given a choice whether you want to link your checking or credit card accounts to find eligible write-offs, for example, if you freelance.
After answering questions and entering your email address, you are prompted to download the app to your computer via a QR code, or you can go directly to the App Store or Google Play to download the app.
Free Tax Resources & Customer Service
Keeper is big on educating you all you need to know about your taxes to help you save money and reduce your taxable income. The way they do this is through their Free Tax Resources page, which has knowledge articles, free calculators, tools, articles and FAQs on their website.
For more specific answers to customer questions, visit their support site.
Is the Keeper really a Keeper?
Keeper is an impressive expense tracking plus tax filing combo. If you’re freelance, have 1099 income, and your finances are relatively simple (i.e., you file a Schedule C), you may appreciate the app. Keeper is easy to use and the expense-tracking features may be worth the $16 monthly fee.
However, if you have a more complex job, income, and financial situation – for example, if you own rental real estate or buy and sell crypto regularly, you may want to consider a more robust platform such as TurboTax or H&R Block. Consider software.
guard features
Expense Tracking File Tax (Self-Preparation) Audit Security Chat with a Live Tax Expert
Simple Return Filing Cost
Cost of Filing Tax Returns with Business Income
Ask a Tax Expert (free service from Keeper)