5 helpful last-minute tax tools

Editor's note: Every week The Week's editors survey product reviews and articles in websites, newspapers, and magazines, to find cool and useful new items we think you'll like. We're now making it easier to purchase these selections through affiliate partnerships with certain retailers. The Week may get a share of the revenue from these purchases.

1. TurboTax (from $55)

TurboTax typically isn't the cheapest tax-filing software available, but it "asks all the right questions" and provides "the easiest and most painless way to file your taxes online," said Kevin Purdy at The Wirecutter. The $55 price quoted here is for 1040 filers; for certain users, it's free. Get it at TurboTax.

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2. Swingline Style + Super Cross-Cut Shredder ($64)

"If ever a document shredder could be called stylish," said Tony Hoffman at PC Mag, this Swingline is it. Though a bit noisy, it's inexpensive, "wicked fast," and holds more paper than its compact dimensions suggest. Buy it at Amazon.

3. LAMPAT Dimmable LED Desk Lamp ($32)

When you're perusing documents for hours, "a good desk lamp will make the job much easier on your eyes," said The Street. This one has four lighting modes, five levels of brightness, and an arm that can be set at any angle. Buy it at Amazon.

4. Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i Portable Scanner ($249)

No other portable scanner matches the combination of speed, accuracy, and portability offered by this Fujitsu, said Amadou Diallo at The Wirecutter. When you're digitizing receipts and other documents, its user-friendly software will spare you many panicked hunts for the owner's manual. Buy it at Amazon.

5. Lorell File Cabinet ($68)

This simple two-drawer file cabinet topped 29 other choices in a recent test. Though it was among the least expensive, "it had the smoothest drawers and stood sturdily even when fully loaded," said Nick Guy at The Sweethome. Buy it at Amazon.