AUTOMATIC RESIDENCY DAY COUNTING

Prove where you were.

One day too many in the wrong state can make you its tax resident, and the burden of proof is on you. SpyglassBeacon counts your days in every state and country automatically, tracks the Schengen 90/180 and UK clocks, warns you before you cross a threshold, and keeps the audit-ready record.

iPhone · your location never leaves your device

COUNT

Every day, every state and country, automatic

Motion-aware background tracking builds your day-by-day ledger. No check-ins, no spreadsheets, under 1% battery a day.

WARN

Know before you cross 183

Live counts against every line you track: state 183-day thresholds, the Schengen 90/180 window, the UK tax year. Beacon alerts you before you cross one, even with the app closed.

PROVE

A record that holds up

Export a day-by-day report (the “any part of a day” standard residency audits actually use) as a PDF for your CPA.

WHO IT'S FOR

Snowbirds & state movers. Splitting the year between two states? The count decides which one taxes your income.

Florida, Texas & Puerto Rico relocators. Moving to a no-tax state or Puerto Rico only works if you can prove where you spent your days. Beacon is your evidence.

Remote workers. Work from anywhere, without accidentally becoming a resident of somewhere expensive.

US expats & two-clock travelers. The FEIE's 330 foreign days, the Schengen 90/180 window, and the UK's April tax year, all counted automatically.

Anyone facing an audit. New York alone runs thousands of residency audits a year. The day count is the whole case.

DAY COUNTER APP

A day counter app that doesn't need you to count

Most "day counter" apps are really date-math calculators: you type in a start date and an end date and it tells you the number of days between them, or you log each day yourself. That works for a countdown to a wedding. It falls apart for tax residency, where the number that matters is a live, running tally of days you've actually been present in a specific state or country, reconstructed correctly under rules like "any part of a day counts" — and it has to hold up if a tax authority asks for the record.

No manual entry. Background location tracking builds the day-by-day ledger as you travel; you don't log trips or dates by hand.

Counts against the actual rules. Not a generic day-span calculator — it applies state 183-day tests, the federal Substantial Presence Test, the Schengen 90/180 window, and more, per jurisdiction.

Warns before you cross a line. A plain day counter tells you a number after the fact. Beacon alerts you before a threshold, while you can still change your plans.

Exports a record, not just a number. A day-by-day PDF, timestamped, in the format residency audits actually look at.

Best day counter app for tax residency: how it compares

"Best" depends entirely on what you're counting. If you need a running, provable tally of days present in a state or country for tax residency, that's the job SpyglassBeacon is built for. If you just want to count down to a date, a generic app is the better pick. Here's an honest side-by-side:

App type	Platform	Tracking	Applies residency rules	Best for
SpyglassBeacon	iPhone (iOS)	Automatic, background GPS	Yes: state 183-day, Schengen 90/180, UK, FEIE 330, Canada citizenship	Tax residency, audit proof
Generic countdown apps (Countdown, Days Until)	iOS & Android	Manual, you set the date	No	Weddings, trips, sobriety and other milestones
Date-math calculators (TimeAndDate)	Web	Manual, two dates	No	One-off "days between" math
Spreadsheet / travel log	Any	Manual, every day by hand	Only if you build it	DIY tracking if you're diligent

Honest notes. SpyglassBeacon is iPhone only right now, so if you need a day counter on Android, a generic countdown app from the Play Store is your best bet today. And if you're counting days sober, days since a milestone, or down to an event, a simple countdown app does that better and for free. SpyglassBeacon earns its place for one specific job: proving how many days you actually spent in a state or country when a tax authority can ask.

Frequently asked questions

Updated 2026-08-26

What is SpyglassBeacon?

An iPhone app that automatically counts the days you spend in every US state and country, runs residency clocks like the 183-day state tests, the Schengen 90/180 window, and the UK tax year, warns you before you cross a line, and exports an audit-ready day-by-day record.

How is this different from a regular day counter app?

A regular day counter does date math between two dates you type in, or asks you to log each day yourself. SpyglassBeacon counts automatically in the background and applies the actual residency rules (state 183-day tests, the federal SPT, Schengen 90/180, and more) instead of a plain day span.

Is there a day counter app for Android?

SpyglassBeacon is iPhone only for now, so if you need automatic tax-residency day counting on Android, that isn't available yet. For non-tax uses like counting down to an event or tracking days since a milestone, a generic countdown app on the Google Play Store is a good free option.

What does it cost?

Free to download, fully usable for 14 days with no card, then $29.99 per year through the App Store.

Does my location data leave my phone?

No. History is stored only on your device, with no account and no cloud copy. The only thing that leaves is a report you choose to export.

Does it work outside the US?

Yes, worldwide. Days resolve to countries, and the Schengen, UK, FEIE, and Canada citizenship clocks run automatically.

All questions, answered straight →

PRIVATE BY ARCHITECTURE

Your location history never leaves your phone.

Beacon stores your day ledger on your device. There is no account, no cloud copy, and nothing for us to sell or lose. The only thing that ever leaves your phone is a report you choose to share.

Pause tracking or delete your entire history at any time, in one tap, from Settings.