Project Description

Most people typically dread tax time. This is especially true in the airline industry, as confusion and uncertainty usually accompany the term “Per Diem.” Every location in the world has a different IRS designated per day tax deduction allowance for work travel. However, most employees do not understand how their unreimbursed meal and entertainment allowances accrue as an unreimbursed employee expense. They also don’t understand how it is calculated or deducted on their tax return. This generally scares and frustrates most employees during tax season.

Nowadays, smartphones are more commonly used and with the rapid advance of technology, they include more sensors and functionalities that promote the generation of new applications to facilitate the user daily activities. The main purpose of this project requested by the tax preparation company Bookmantax and approved by Dr. Raul Salazar, Ph.D. is to create the ultimate solution for business travelers to track their traveling expenses automatically with the minimum user interface in an accurate manner, to facilitate their tax report and obtain the most accurate reimbursement.

AirBooks is an application for smartphones that will use the available technology of the device, primarily the Global Positioning Services (GPS), cellular towers and mobile internet to find the current location, determine if the user is at home or not, and log the information into a database with the correct per Diem amount that corresponds to the situation, with minimum user interaction.