# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for tax preparation software (freelancers) on 2026-10-14

## In short

On 2026-10-14, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best tax preparation software for freelancers". It named 10 brands; the first six, in order, were FreeTaxUSA, TurboTax, Cash, Cash App Taxes, TaxAct and TurboTax Premium.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best tax preparation software for freelancers |
| Asked on | 2026-10-14 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 10 |
| Sources cited | 7 |
| Audience | freelancers |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-10-14 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/tax-preparation-software-freelancers-2026-10-14
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-10-14 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> ## My actual recommendations, in order
> 
> **1. FreeTaxUSA - the default I'd point most freelancers to.** Federal filing is free even with Schedule C, self-employment tax, 1099-NEC/1099-K income, home office, vehicle deductions, and depreciation. State is ~$16. It handles essentially everything TurboTax's $159 Premium tier does, with a plainer interface. If you want a human to look over it, their Pro Support add-on is cheap compared to the competition. ([TechRepublic comparison](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/freetaxusa-vs-turbotax/), [Business.org review](https://www.business.org/finance/taxes/freetaxusa-review/))
> 
> **2. Cash App Taxes - if you want it genuinely free, federal *and* state.** Supports Schedule C, 1099-NEC/1099-K, no income cap, $0 for both returns. Caveats: it's mobile-first and clunkier on desktop, requires a Cash App account, and it doesn't handle multi-state or part-year/nonresident state returns - so if you moved states or work across states, skip it. ([TaxAct explainer](https://blog.taxact.com/cash-app-taxes-irs-reporting/), [free filing guide](https://walletgrower.com/blog/file-taxes-free-2026))
> 
> **3. TurboTax Premium - worth it only for the imports and hand

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FreeTaxUSA | mentioned |
| 2 | TurboTax | mentioned |
| 3 | Cash | mentioned |
| 4 | Cash App Taxes | mentioned |
| 5 | TaxAct | mentioned |
| 6 | TurboTax Premium | mentioned |
| 7 | H&R Block | mentioned |
| 8 | H&R Block Self-Employed | mentioned |
| 9 | Keeper | mentioned |
| 10 | TaxSlayer Self-Employed | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.techrepublic.com/article/freetaxusa-vs-turbotax/ (other)
- https://www.business.org/finance/taxes/freetaxusa-review/ (other)
- https://blog.taxact.com/cash-app-taxes-irs-reporting/ (vendor)
- https://walletgrower.com/blog/file-taxes-free-2026 (other)
- https://investormint.com/small-business/best-tax-software-self-employed-2026 (other)
- https://www.capterra.com/p/206851/Keeper-Tax/reviews/ (review)
- https://www.keepertax.com/switch-from/turbotax (other)

The question page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/tax-preparation-software/freelancers

Alerts and membership: Answer Watch Pro, 79 USD per month: https://bikoosh.com/answers. Bikoosh is monitoring assistance, not complete protection.

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.