Development Notes
Current status and progress on the Big Beautiful Bill Tax Calculator
Active Development
Work-in-progress tax calculator by an independent developer
Status: July 2025
What Actually Works
✅ Core Calculator
- Individual Tax Calculator - Basic personal tax calculations
- Tip Income Exclusion - Tax-free tip calculations
- Overtime Income Exclusion - Tax-free overtime calculations
- Enhanced Deductions - Updated standard deductions
- Child Tax Credits - Enhanced credits calculation
- PDF Reports - Download calculation results
✅ Basic Infrastructure
- Working Website - Basic functionality operational
- 300+ Unit Tests - Comprehensive automated testing
- Advanced Help System - Contextual help, guides, and interactive tutorials
- Multiple Workflows - Individual, Professional, Business, etc.
- Mobile Responsive - Works on phones and tablets
- Privacy Focused - No personal data stored or shared
- Internal Analytics - Private usage tracking for improvements (no 3rd parties)
Work in Progress / Incomplete
✅ Fully Implemented
- Business Calculator - Complete with employee analysis and QBI optimization
- Policy Analysis - Advanced analytics with economic modeling
- Educational Workflow - Interactive learning with progress tracking
🚧 Partially Implemented
- Professional Tools - Sophisticated forms exist, missing result pages
- Government Tools - Basic framework only
❌ Known Issues
- Incomplete Features - Many advanced features are placeholder only
Ideas & Wishlist Maybe Someday
No Promises
These are ideas being considered, but no timeline or commitment is provided. This is a solo developer project with limited time and resources.
💡 Feature Ideas
- User Accounts - Save calculations (maybe)
- Better Reporting - More detailed analysis
- State Tax Integration - Basic state tax estimates
- Comparison Tools - Side-by-side scenarios
- Export Options - Excel, CSV formats
- Voting System - Let users vote on new features
🎯 Technical Improvements
- Better Error Handling - More graceful failures
- Performance Optimization - Faster calculations
- Better Testing - Frontend and integration tests
- Code Cleanup - Ongoing refactoring
- Documentation - Better help content
- Mobile App - Native apps (very unlikely)
Technical Reality
🛠️ What's Actually Built
- Modern Web Application: Built with current web technologies
- Responsive Design: Works on desktop and mobile devices
- Comprehensive Testing: 300+ automated tests ensure reliability
- Analytics System: Usage tracking for improvements
- Development Environment: Currently in active development
🔍 Honest Assessment
- Solo Project: One developer, limited time
- Educational Only: Not for actual tax filing
- No Guarantees: Calculations may contain errors
- Limited Scope: Federal taxes only, basic scenarios
- No Support: Self-service only
What This Is NOT
- Not Production Ready: This is a development project, not a finished product
- Not Professionally Reviewed: No tax experts have validated the calculations
- Not Supported: No tech support, help desk, or customer service
- Not Guaranteed: Calculations may be wrong, features may not work
- Not for Tax Filing: Do not use for actual tax preparation