What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for tax preparation software (nonprofits) on 2026-10-26

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-10-26

Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

The question asked, verbatim: best tax preparation software for nonprofits

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. TurboTax mentioned
   Nonprofits mostly aren't filing income tax returns - they're filing the Form 990 series, which is a different software market from TurboTax-style products.
2. EIN mentioned
   It's eight fields (EIN, tax year, name/address, principal officer, a receipts attestation) filed directly at IRS.gov/990n with an ID.me login.
3. Tax990 mentioned
   Tax990 - best paid option if you want a modern product.
4. 990-PF mentioned
   Covers the whole series (990-N, 990-EZ, 990, 990-PF, 990-T), plus Form 8868 extensions, 1120-POL, and state filings like California Form 199/109.
5. 990-T mentioned
   Covers the whole series (990-N, 990-EZ, 990, 990-PF, 990-T), plus Form 8868 extensions, 1120-POL, and state filings like California Form 199/109.
6. Excel mentioned
   Has prior-year data import, bulk Excel upload, interview-style or direct form entry, and an audit check that catches IRS rejection triggers before you transmit.
7. ExpressTaxExempt mentioned
   (ExpressTaxExempt is the same company's older brand;
8. File990 mentioned
   File990.org - cheapest commercial route for 990-N/990-EZ filers.
9. File990.org mentioned
   File990.org - cheapest commercial route for 990-N/990-EZ filers.
10. Aplos mentioned
    Aplos - if you want bookkeeping and the 990 in one place.
11. Lacerte mentioned
    Lacerte, Drake, or Thomson Reuters UltraTax / CCH Axcess - only if a CPA is doing the work.
12. Drake mentioned
    Lacerte, Drake, or Thomson Reuters UltraTax / CCH Axcess - only if a CPA is doing the work.

Sources the engine cited

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The answer, as recorded

Nonprofits mostly aren't filing income tax returns - they're filing the **Form 990 series**, which is a different software market from TurboTax-style products. Here's what I'd actually use, roughly in order of who should use what: **1. The IRS's own Form 990-N e-Postcard - free.** If your gross receipts are normally ≤$50,000, you don't need software at all. It's eight fields (EIN, tax year, name/address, principal officer, a receipts attestation) filed directly at IRS.gov/990n with an ID.me login. Anyone paying for this is paying for nothing. **2. Form 990 Online (efile.form990.org) - my top pick for small-to-midsize orgs.** Free for full 990 or 990-EZ if gross receipts are under $100,000, sliding scale starting around $41 above that, and free Form 8868 extensions. It's run by the Civic Leadership Project, a nonprofit itself, and has been an authorized IRS e-file provider since 2004. Interface is dated, but it's the best value in the category by a wide margin. **3. Tax990 - best paid option if you want a modern product.** Covers the whole series (990-N, 990-EZ, 990, 990-PF, 990-T), plus Form 8868 extensions, 1120-POL, and state filings like California Form 199/109. Has prior-year data import, bulk Excel upload, interview-style *or* direct form entry, and an audit check that catches IRS rejection triggers before you transmit. Roughly $199.90 per full 990, dropping to $179.90 if you file more than five - so it's the natural choice for fiscal sponsors and management companies filing for multiple entities. (ExpressTaxExempt is the same company's older brand; TaxBandits is their sibling product if you also need 1099s and W-2s.) **4. File990.org - cheapest commercial route for 990-N/990-EZ filers.** $54.99 for a 990-N and $84.99 for a 990-EZ, free until you actually transmit. Worth it over option 2 only if you specifically want the hand-holding and a cleaner UI; a volunteer treasurer with no accounting background is the real customer here. **5. Aplos - if you want bookkeeping and the 990 in one place.** Fund accounting, donation tracking, and 990 prep together. Pick it for the accounting system, not the tax module; the 990 piece alone isn't better than the above. **6. Lacerte, Drake, or Thomson Reuters UltraTax / CCH Axcess - only if a CPA is doing the work.** Among Intuit's products, Lacerte is the one that actually handles 990 (ProConnect and ProSeries coverage is thinner); Drake supports 990, 990-EZ, 990-N, 990-PF, and 990-T and is the cheaper professional option. These are priced for firms, not for a single organization. One honest caveat: if you have unrelated business income (990-T), you're a private foundation (990-PF), or you have related organizations, foreign activity, or executive compensation disclosures in play, the software is not the hard part - the judgment calls are. Hire a nonprofit-specialist CPA for those and let them pick the tool. Self-filing software is right for straightforward 990-N, 990-EZ, and clean full 990s. Sources: - [IRS - Form 990-N e-Postcard requirements](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/annual-electronic-deadline) - [Form 990 Online (efile.form990.org)](https://efile.form990.org/) - [Tax990 pricing](https://www.tax990.com/pricing/) and [Tax990 990 e-filing cost](https://support.tax990.com/art/17691/what-is-the-cost-to-file-990-series-forms-through-tax990) - [File990.org pricing](https://file990.org/pricing) - [IRS - approved exempt organization MeF providers](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-year-2022-exempt-organizations-modernized-e-file-mef-providers-form-990-pf) - [Drake Software - Form 990-N support](https://drakesoftware.com/Site/Print10425.aspx) - [Intuit Accountants community - 990 software coverage across Lacerte/ProSeries/ProConnect](https://accountants.intuit.com/community/practice-advice-17/form-990-software-recommendation-5906)

Near this answer

The same question, recorded on other dates: 2026-10-23, 2026-10-21, 2026-10-19, 2026-10-18, 2026-10-16, 2026-10-14, 2026-10-11, 2026-10-08, 2026-10-06, 2026-10-03, 2026-10-01.

tax preparation software, asked for other audiences: small businesses (asked 2026-10-26), freelancers (asked 2026-10-26).

Other categories with a recorded answer: accounting software, accounts payable automation, audit management software, bookkeeping services.

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