{"question": "best tax preparation software for freelancers", "category": "tax-preparation-software", "category_name": "tax preparation software", "audience": "freelancers", "audience_name": "freelancers", "engine": "Claude (Anthropic) with web search", "model": "claude-opus-5", "asked_at": "2026-10-01T22:15:06Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/tax-preparation-software-freelancers-2026-10-01", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/tax-preparation-software/freelancers", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "FreeTaxUSA", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "TurboTax", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "H&R Block", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "H&R Block Self-Employed", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "TurboTax Premium", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "TaxSlayer Self-Employed", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "Cash App Taxes", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "Keeper", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 9, "brand": "QuickBooks Solopreneur", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 10, "brand": "QuickBooks Solopreneur/Self-Employed", "label": "mentioned"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://sharper.tax/learn/guides/tax-prep-software-comparison/", "domain": "sharper.tax", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.primewayfcu.com/blog/turbotax-vs-hr-block-vs-taxact-vs-taxslayer-vs-freetaxusa-vs-cash-app-taxes", "domain": "primewayfcu.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://taxo.com/best-tax-software-2026-comparison/", "domain": "taxo.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.smashingapps.com/best-tax-software-for-self-employed-in-2026/", "domain": "smashingapps.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.techradar.com/best/best-tax-software", "domain": "techradar.com", "source_type": "review"}], "answer_text": "## My actual picks, in order\n\n**1. FreeTaxUSA** - What I'd recommend to most freelancers. Schedule C, SE tax, 1099-NEC, home office, and quarterly-estimate worksheets are all in the free federal tier; you only pay per state (roughly $15). It's an authorized IRS e-file provider and the math is the math - a Schedule C filled out correctly here produces the identical return TurboTax would. The interface is plain and the interview is less hand-holding, so it rewards knowing roughly what your deductions are.\n\n**2. H&R Block Self-Employed** - The best balance if you want real guidance without TurboTax pricing. Solid Schedule C interview, good expense-category prompts, imports 1099s, and it's the only one on this list where you can walk into a physical office and hand your mess to a human if the return gets complicated (multi-state, an S-corp election, a sloppy first year).\n\n**3. TurboTax Premium (formerly Self-Employed)** - The most polished Schedule C walkthrough there is, and worth paying for exactly once: your first self-employed year, or a year with something genuinely weird (crypto income, a business sold, big asset depreciation). It asks industry-specific deduction questions others", "answer_truncated": true, "measurement": "One answer from one engine on one date. Not a ranking and not a claim about the world; brands the engine did not name are not recorded.", "limitation": "Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.", "alerts": {"name": "Answer Watch Pro", "price_usd": 79, "period": "month", "gets": "daily change alerts for up to 5 brands in what one AI answer engine says, history, CSV export. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included", "url": "https://bikoosh.com/answers"}}