How Employers Can Prepare Their Employees for Tax Season

Let’s face it — navigating tax season alone can be pretty overwhelming. The IRS estimates the average American spends about 13 hours and over $250 a year on their tax returns. To make matters worse, many big companies want to keep it that way, charging extra fees if you have a question or based on your specific tax situation. In an already stressful season, why should filing taxes be made more complicated, unpredictable, and expensive?

Unfortunately, many employers leave their employees hanging when it comes time to prepare their taxes.  “Here’s your W-2 for the year; good luck.” Taxes can quickly become overwhelming without the quality support and resources they need. This seasonal burden can and will weigh on your employees, negatively impacting productivity, company morale, and, ultimately, their financial and mental well-being. 

Stopping The Cycle—How Employers Can Prepare and Support Their Employees This Tax Season

#1 Contextualize and Streamline the Paper Trail 

Taxes can be messy, and employees shouldn’t have to dig through a pile of paperwork just to get started. Streamlining the tax document process and providing clear context can significantly reduce confusion. 

Start by offering guidance on what each document means, what to do with it, and what they should be paying attention to. Consider organizing their tax-related forms into an easily navigable digital folder with a checklist that explains each document in simple terms. This can help them quickly identify what they have and what’s still missing. By providing easy access to these resources and ensuring employees understand the significance of each form, you’ll help them feel more in control of their tax filing process.

#2 Grant Your Employees the Relief of a Great User Experience

Tax filing software and processes can often be archaic, complex, confusing, and just plain frustrating to use. A great user experience can make a huge difference in easing that stress. Origin, in partnership with Column Tax, provides a sleek, easy-to-use tax filing service at no extra cost right within our existing, holistic money management platform. 

This allows employees to file their taxes directly from an intuitive interface, reducing the learning curve and making the whole process smoother and more efficient. No more confusing forms or excessive tax jargon. With this service, employees can access everything they need to file accurately and stress-free, right from their fingertips.

#3 Education Is Empowerment—Help Employees Understand Their Taxes

A lack of understanding is often one of the primary sources of financial anxiety. The more employees understand about how taxes work, the better prepared they’ll be to navigate tax season with confidence. 

Employers can bridge this knowledge gap by providing resources that help employees build financial literacy, especially when it comes to taxes. Origin’s Learn suite is an excellent resource for just that—empowering employees to better understand their taxes. With over 150 quiz-based lessons and articles on a range of financial topics—from budgeting basics and retirement plans to debt management and improving credit scores — employees can learn at their own pace. Offering on-demand learning, along with regular industry insights delivered via email, ensures that employees feel confident about their financial decisions and can approach tax season with less stress.

#4 Provide Access to Financial Professionals Who Can Support Them

No matter how financially literate someone is, sometimes there’s simply too much to know. Whether it’s about maximizing deductions, navigating complex tax laws, or understanding the latest changes in tax policy, having access to financial professionals who can provide guidance is invaluable. 

Offering your employees access to experts who can answer questions, review their tax documents, and offer personalized advice can alleviate a lot of the stress that comes with tax season. Origin provides employees with unfettered access to financial professionals who can help them navigate the nuances of their unique tax situations. Whether it’s confirming whether they’re eligible for certain credits or answering questions about complex deductions, having access to a pro can give your employees peace of mind during what is often a stressful time.

How Origin Can Help

Fortunately, an all-in-one solution that can provide for all of these resources already exists. 

With Origin, your employees get access not only to a no extra cost, pleasant to-use tax-filing software but also unfettered access to financial professionals who can review, understand, and support their unique situation. 

But that’s not even the end—Origin also brings financial education to the forefront, empowering your employees to learn about taxes on their own time in our Learn portal, all while also providing a holistic view of their personal financial situation through that same platform equipped with tools for budgeting, spending, saving, investing, and much, much more. 

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