System and method for tax filing, data processing, data verification and reconciliation

Abstract

A system and method for processing transaction and use tax data, verifying tax calculations/determinations, reconciling calculation/determination errors, and filing and/or paying taxes owed to the appropriate jurisdictions is provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of processing tax data for sales or purchase of goods or services, said method comprising the steps of:
 uploading a data file containing information regarding taxes collected or paid for a plurality of transactions into a database accessible by a customer-administered mapping tool of a computer program;   obtaining by said mapping tool information from column headers of said data file;   populating a source field table of said database with said information from column headers of said data file;   displaying said source field table of said database to a system user of said computer program, the system user being a customer-type user of said computer program that utilizes said computer program for processing tax data provided by the system user;   providing the system user destination field selection options for association with each record in said source field table;   storing in a destination field table of said database the destination field selection option selected by the system user for association with each record in said source field table;   saving said source field table and said destination field table in said database as a source file map; and   utilizing said source file map to process by said computer program a data file containing information regarding taxes collected or paid for a plurality of transactions.   
     
     
         2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said data file processed in said utilizing step is the data file stored in said database in said uploading step. 
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said data file processed in said utilizing step is a different data file from the data file stored in said database in said uploading step. 
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said computer program provides an real-time alert to the system user if a required destination field selection option is not included in said source file map, if said computer program identifies a data error in said data file processed in said utilizing step, if said computer program identifies a formatting discrepancy between the types of data or how data is laid out in said source file map and said data file processed in said utilizing step, or if said computer program identifies a discrepancy between setup fields relating to the system user or the source file map and said data file processed in said utilizing step. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising the step of ignoring during said utilizing step any source field or fields of a record in said data file that were not associated by the system user with a destination field selection option. 
     
     
         6 . A method of processing tax data for sales or purchase of goods or services, said method comprising the steps of:
 uploading a data file containing information regarding taxes collected or paid for a plurality of transactions into a database accessible by a computer program;   processing said data file by said computer program;   displaying to a system user of said computer program information relevant to one or more records of said data file in said database after said processing step, the system user being a customer-type user of said computer program that utilizes said computer program for processing tax data provided by the system user;   allowing the system user to input an action to be taken with respect to said displayed information;   storing said inputted action in said database in association with said one or more records to which said displayed information is relevant;   utilizing said inputted action for further processing of said one or more records; and   displaying to the system user updated information relevant to said one or more records following said utilizing step.   
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in  claim 6  further comprising the steps of:
 allowing the system user to input an other action to be taken with respect to said displayed updated information; 
 utilizing said inputted other action for further processing of said one or more records; and 
 displaying to the system user updated information relevant to said one or more records following said step of utilizing said inputted other action. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein said inputted action is stored in a separate field in said one or more records from said information stored in said database in said uploading step. 
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 8  wherein said information stored in said database in said uploading step remains in said database separate from said inputted action and without altering, deleting, updating or otherwise modifying said information stored in said database in said uploading step. 
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 8  wherein at least of portion of said information stored in said database in said uploading step is ignored during said utilizing step. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein said inputted action is utilized for processing of one or more other records of said data file or of an other data file uploaded into said database. 
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein said inputted action corrects a data error in said one or more records of said data file, reconciles a formatting discrepancy between the types of data or how data is laid out in a source file map and said data file, overrides data in said one or more records of said data file, or overrides data associated with other records or other data files. 
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein said inputted action applies a net credit taxes collected or paid for a particular transaction toward a future tax liability or to a like kind tax jurisdiction. 
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein said computer program provides in said allowing step a list of actions that may be inputted by said system user. 
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 14  wherein said list of actions is determined by said computer program during said processing step. 
     
     
         16 . The method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein said information relevant to said one or more records displayed in said displaying steps comprises a variance analysis of said information in said data file or any updated information regarding taxes collected or paid compared to taxes calculated through a validation engine of said computer program based upon said information in said data file or any updated information. 
     
     
         17 . A method of processing tax data for sales or purchase of goods or services, said method comprising the steps of:
 uploading a data file containing information regarding taxes collected or paid for a plurality of transactions into a database accessible by a computer program;   processing said data file by said computer program;   selecting by said computer program one or more jurisdictions in which one or more tax filings are recommended to be based upon said information in said data file;   reporting to a system user said one or more jurisdictions recommended by said computer program, the system user being a customer-type user of said computer program that utilizes said computer program for processing tax data provided by the system user.   
     
     
         18 . The method as claimed in  claim 17  further comprising the steps of:
 displaying to the system user of said computer program a pre-determined time period of estimated tax due in said one or more jurisdictions recommended by said computer program. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method as claimed in  claim 17  further comprising the step of generating an interactive tax calendar continuously responsive to actions of said system user related to said one or more tax filings. 
     
     
         20 . The method as claimed in  claim 19  wherein said tax calendar is color coded and updated based upon which step of the process a particular tax filing exists that has been generated or recommended by the computer program.