Efficient work flow system and method for processing taxpayer source documents

Abstract

A method for processing taxpayer source documents is disclosed. The method may include receiving proforma data and an electronic image of a taxpayer source document, determining a type of tax statement for the taxpayer source document from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document and using the proforma data, a database, and business rules to verify the type of the tax statement for the electronic image of the taxpayer source document. This can be done by searching for an identification code within the electronic image of the taxpayer source document to determine whether the identification code matches the proforma data. The method can also include extracting data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document and determining if the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document has an error. Once the data is extracted, the method can also include creating an electronic document that includes the extracted data.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of processing a taxpayer source document comprising:
 receiving, at a computer system, proforma data and an electronic image of a taxpayer source document; 
 determining, using a processor of the computer system, a type of tax statement for the taxpayer source document from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document; 
 using the proforma data to verify, using the processor of the computer system, the determination of the type of the tax statement for the electronic image of the taxpayer source document by searching for an identification code within the electronic image of the taxpayer source document to determine whether the identification code matches the proforma data; 
 extracting, using the processor of the computer system, data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document; 
 determining, using the processor of the computer system, whether the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document has an error by verifying whether the extracted data is within a predetermined amount of accuracy of the proforma data; 
 using the proforma data to verify, using the processor of the computer system, the accuracy of the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document; and 
 creating, using the processor of the computer system, an electronic document that includes the extracted data. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 1  wherein the extracted data is tax data. 
     
     
       3. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 2  the further comprising identifying, using optical character recognition, the type of the tax statement for the taxpayer source document by searching for predetermined characters in predetermined locations of the electronic image of the taxpayer source document. 
     
     
       4. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 3  further comprising selecting a routine corresponding to the type of tax statement for the taxpayer source document. 
     
     
       5. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 4  wherein using proforma data to verify the type of taxpayer source document for the electronic image of the taxpayer source document further includes using the routine corresponding to the type of taxpayer source document and a supplemental database to verify the type of tax statement for the taxpayer source document. 
     
     
       6. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 5  wherein using extracting data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document further includes, further comprising using the routine corresponding to the type of tax statement for the taxpayer source document and the supplemental database to extract tax data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document. 
     
     
       7. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 6  wherein verifying determining whether the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document that may have potential errors includes flagging the extracted tax data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document that have has potential errors based on an inability to extract the tax data with a the predetermined amount of accuracy or through an analysis of the tax data using business rules to determine which extracted data needs to be verified and verifying the extracted tax data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document that are is flagged. 
     
     
       8. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 7  wherein the taxpayer source document is either a wage document, an investment document, or a deduction document. 
     
     
       9. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 8  further comprising the step of correcting the extracted tax data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document that are is flagged. 
     
     
       10. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 9  further comprising the step of assigning unassociated images of the taxpayer source documents to parent taxpayer source documents. 
     
     
       11. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 10  further comprising the step of assigning unassociated electronic images of the taxpayer source documents to parent taxpayer source documents and determining which electronic images of the taxpayer source documents are superseded. 
     
     
       12. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 11  further comprising the step of determining which electronic images of the taxpayer source documents are duplicates and which electronic images of the taxpayer source documents are new taxpayer source documents. 
     
     
       13. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 12  further comprising supplementing updating the proforma data with tax data extracted from the electronic image of the taxpayer source documents. 
     
     
       14. A method of processing a taxpayer source document comprising:
 receiving, at a computer system, proforma data and an electronic image of a taxpayer source document;   determining, using a processor of the computer system, a type of tax statement for the taxpayer source document from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document;   selecting, using the processor of the computer system, a routine corresponding to the type of the tax statement for the taxpayer source document;   using the routine corresponding to the type of the tax statement for the taxpayer source document and proforma data to verify, using the processor of the computer system, the determination of the type of the tax statement for the taxpayer source document by searching for an identification code within the electronic image of the taxpayer source document;   using the routine corresponding to the type of the tax statement for the taxpayer source document and proforma data to extract, using the processor of the computer system, tax data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document;   determining, using the processor of the computer system, whether the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document has an error by flagging data that may be an error and using the proforma data to verify, using the processor of the computer system, the accuracy of the flagged data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document, wherein the error may be either through an inability to extract the tax data with a predetermined amount of accuracy or an analysis of the extracted tax data using business rules to determine which extracted tax data needs to be verified; and   creating, using the processor of the computer system, an electronic document that includes the extracted data.   
     
     
       15. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 14  further comprising identifying, using optical character recognition identifies the taxpayer source document by searching for predetermined characters in predetermined locations of the electronic image of the taxpayer source document. 
     
     
       16. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 15  further comprising using a supplemental database to verify the type of taxpayer source document for the electronic image of the taxpayer source document and to extract tax data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document. 
     
     
       17. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 16  wherein the taxpayer source document is either a wage document, an investment document, or a deduction document. 
     
     
       18. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 17  further comprising correcting the extracted tax data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document that are flagged. 
     
     
       19. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of  claim 18  further comprising:
 verifying and correcting the extracted tax data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document that are flagged; 
 assigning unassociated images of the taxpayer source documents to parent taxpayer source documents; 
 determining which electronic images of the taxpayer source documents are superseded; 
 determining which electronic images of the taxpayer source documents are duplicates; 
 determining which electronic images of the taxpayer source documents are new taxpayer source documents; and 
 supplementing the proforma data with tax data extracted from the electronic image of the taxpayer source documents. 
 
     
     
       20. A method of processing a taxpayer source document comprising:
 receiving, at a computer system, proforma data and an electronic image of a taxpayer source document;   determining, using a processor of the computer system, a type of tax statement of the taxpayer source document for the electronic image of the taxpayer source document using optical character recognition by searching for predetermined characters in predetermined locations of the electronic image of the taxpayer source document, wherein the taxpayer source document is either a wage document, an investment document, or a deduction document;   selecting, using the processor of the computer system, a routine corresponding to the type of taxpayer source document;   using the routine corresponding to the type of taxpayer source document, optical character recognition, a supplemental database, and proforma data to verify, using the processor of the computer system, the determination of the type of the taxpayer source document for the electronic image of the taxpayer source document by searching for an identification code within the electronic image of the taxpayer source document;   using the routine corresponding to the type of taxpayer source document, optical character recognition, the supplemental database, and proforma data to extract, using the processor of the computer system, tax data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document;   determining, using the processor of the computer system, whether the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document has an error by flagging data that may be an error, using the proforma data to verify the accuracy of the flagged data, and correcting, using the processor of the computer system, inaccurate data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document, wherein the error may be either through an inability to extract the tax data with a predetermined amount of accuracy or an analysis of the extracted tax data using business rules to determine which extracted tax data needs to be verified;   assigning, using the processor of the computer system, the electronic image of the taxpayer source documents to a parent taxpayer source document if the electronic image of the taxpayer source document is not associated with a parent taxpayer source document;   determining, using the processor of the computer system, whether the electronic image of the taxpayer source document is superseded;   determining, using the processor of the computer system, whether the electronic image of the taxpayer source document is a duplicate;   determining, using the processor of the computer system, whether the electronic image of the taxpayer source document is a new taxpayer source document;   supplementing, using the processor of the computer system, the proforma data with tax data extracted from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document; and   creating, using the processor of the computer system, an electronic document that includes the extracted tax data.   
     
     
       21. A method of processing a tax payer source document comprising:
 receiving, at a computer system, an electronic image of a taxpayer source document; 
 determining, using a processor of the computer system, a type of tax statement for the taxpayer source document from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document; 
 using a supplemental database to verify the determination of the type of the tax statement for the electronic image of the taxpayer source document by searching for an identification code within the electronic image of the taxpayer source document to determine whether the identification code matches data from the supplemental database; 
 extracting, using the processor of the computer system, data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document; 
 determining, using the processor of the computer system, whether the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document has an error; 
 using the supplemental database to verify the accuracy of the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document; and 
 
       creating, using the processor of the computer system, an electronic document that includes the extracted data. 
     
     
       22. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, using the processor of the computer system, the extracted data to a database containing the proforma data and updating, in the database, an existing tax record of the proforma data with the extracted data or creating, in the database, a new tax record for the extracted data. 
     
     
       23. The method of processing a taxpayer source document of claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount of accuracy is at least 70%. 
     
     
       24. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, using the processor of the computer system, whether the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document has an error through the use of business rules.