Case Study

Tax returns in the digital era: Taxfix uses Google Cloud and Maps to simplify tax filing

Client

Taxfix

Industries

Technologies

Features

Cloud Architecture
DevOps Jump Start

Region

EMEA, North EMEA

Country

Berlin, Germany

Meet Taxfix

Taxfix leverages DoiT Google Cloud and Maps expertise to expand and diversify.

Taxfix is Europe’s leading mobile tax app – with millions of downloads in Germany, Italy and Spain. Their mission is to make complex tax systems accessible to everyone and allow users to submit tax returns quickly and easily via app or web, ultimately unlocking financial well-being for everyone

The Taxfix app helps taxpayers claim the highest possible tax refunds by guiding users through the process of filing their taxes by asking them simple questions – as a tax advisor would. The company recently surpassed the milestone of two billion euros in tax refunds returned to their customers. Via the Taxfix app’s automated plausibility evaluation and data checks, users’ tax returns are ensured to be accurate and complete and are sent instantly to the tax office.

As the company grows and plans on additional international expansion and diversification, it relies more than ever on sophisticated technologies and support.

The challenge

When considering implementing services in additional regions, it is essential to recognize that there may be legislation or cultural differences between countries, including the approach to filing one’s taxes. Tax declarations require precise and reliable government-provided databases, which can vary depending on the country. Therefore, Taxfix must conduct thorough analyses to ensure its Google Cloud-built framework adheres to industry standards, local culture and expectations and can respond to unexpected events.

In order to provide efficient and timely solutions, Taxfix skillfully utilizes a diverse range of Google Cloud tools, such as BigQuery, CloudSQL, Compute Engine, GKE, Firebase and Pub/Sub. To diversify and adapt their products, they prioritize essential services optimization such as compute power, Kubernetes, networks, and databases over more advanced and technical features. They complement their offering with user-friendly Google Maps Platform services such as Place Autocomplete, as well as leverage Geocoding API and Directions API to support their users in providing accurate address information used to calculate daily travel distances for commute rebate purposes.

With Google services’ global reach, Taxfix focuses on replicating and adapting its architecture in the target regions while maintaining an optimized user experience.

The solution

Since day one in 2020, Taxfix has utilized at length DoiT’s expertise on Google Cloud, Kubernetes, and Google Maps Platform, and has adopted DoiT’s world-class first-line support. They also benefit from great consulting services and DoiT’s proprietary Cloud technologies, giving them greater confidence in their decision-making and helping them save significantly on costs.

In Germany, the Taxfix team continually seeks to expand its customer base and cater to new segments of customers. While there are changes in the market, the team strives to be responsive to its customers’ needs and utilizes DoiT’s products and services to forecast costs and potential upgrades of its architecture.

Taxfix has access to a vast range of tools as they enter new countries, some of which might be more relevant to a country than others. While their architecture and product teams conduct due diligence, Taxfix relies on their direct access to DoiT’s experts to gather insights and advice on their implementation and tool choices.

The result

Taxfix can focus on developing and launching new products and services while expanding its product line, such as the recently launched “Do it for me.” In case of more complex cases or uncertainty about personal ability to handle tax filing, one can fill out paperwork and answer basic questions to be connected with a tax advisor, who can provide knowledge and take over the declaration process for them. As Taxfix expands to new horizons and develops more services, they continuously rely on DoiT’s expertise to support their decision-making and focus on their users.

Ilya Kozlov, VP Engineering.

“It may appear too good to be true, and we were initially skeptical about it when we signed up, wondering what the catch might be. However, we decided to have faith in DoiT and give it a chance. Once you get past your skepticism, you will appreciate the value of its services and expertise.”