What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for tax preparation software (small businesses) on 2026-09-16

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-09-16

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

The question asked, verbatim: best tax preparation software for small businesses

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. FreeTaxUSA recommended
   FreeTaxUSA - my default recommendation.
2. TaxSlayer Self-Employed mentioned
   TaxSlayer Self-Employed - the middle ground, roughly $68-75 federal plus state.
3. TurboTax mentioned
   Better self-employed guidance than FreeTaxUSA and includes access to a tax pro by phone/chat, at about half TurboTax's price.
4. TurboTax Premium mentioned
   TurboTax Premium - ~$139 federal + ~$64/state.
5. QuickBooks mentioned
   Genuinely the most polished interview, and it imports from QuickBooks, Square, Uber, and most 1099 platforms.
6. Square mentioned
   Genuinely the most polished interview, and it imports from QuickBooks, Square, Uber, and most 1099 platforms.
7. S-corp mentioned
   If you're an S-corp, partnership, or C-corp (1120-S, 1065, 1120):
8. TaxAct mentioned
   TaxAct Business - best value for DIY entity returns.
9. TaxAct Business mentioned
   TaxAct Business - best value for DIY entity returns.
10. TurboTax Business mentioned
    TurboTax Business / Experts for Business - ~$190 desktop DIY, or ~$639 for expert-assisted.
11. TurboTax Business / Experts mentioned
    TurboTax Business / Experts for Business - ~$190 desktop DIY, or ~$639 for expert-assisted.
12. H&R Block mentioned
    H&R Block - the one to pick if you want a real human fallback.
13. 1-800Accountant compared
    1-800Accountant - flat-rate bundled bookkeeping + business tax prep with a dedicated accountant, cheaper than a local CPA firm.

Sources the engine cited

The answer, as recorded

Short version: the right pick depends almost entirely on your entity type, because most cheap software only handles Schedule C (sole prop / single-member LLC), not a separate business return. **If you're a sole proprietor or single-member LLC (Schedule C on your 1040):** 1. **FreeTaxUSA** - my default recommendation. Federal is $0 including Schedule C, home office, depreciation, and SE tax; state is about $15. It's plain and form-driven rather than hand-holding, so you need to roughly know what your deductions are. For most one-person businesses this saves $100-150 for the same return. 2. **TaxSlayer Self-Employed** - the middle ground, roughly $68-75 federal plus state. Better self-employed guidance than FreeTaxUSA and includes access to a tax pro by phone/chat, at about half TurboTax's price. 3. **TurboTax Premium** - ~$139 federal + ~$64/state. Genuinely the most polished interview, and it imports from QuickBooks, Square, Uber, and most 1099 platforms. Worth it if your books are messy, it's your first year, or you value not thinking about it. Otherwise you're paying for UX. **If you're an S-corp, partnership, or C-corp (1120-S, 1065, 1120):** 4. **TaxAct Business** - best value for DIY entity returns. Roughly $110 sole prop / $160 partnership / $170 S-corp or C-corp federal, plus ~$70 per state, and it runs fully online rather than requiring Windows desktop software. It also carries a $100,000 accuracy guarantee. 5. **TurboTax Business / Experts for Business** - ~$190 desktop DIY, or ~$639 for expert-assisted. The K-1 handling and shareholder-basis walkthrough are the best in the DIY tier, and the expert-assisted tier is still cheaper than most CPAs. This is where I'd go if you have multiple owners, basis questions, or an S-corp election you're not confident you set up right. 6. **H&R Block** - the one to pick if you want a real human fallback. Its Premium & Business desktop product files 1065/1120-S, and you can hand the return to a person in a physical office if it goes sideways. Paid plans include AI Tax Assist and unlimited live chat. **If you'd rather not file it yourself at all:** 7. **1-800Accountant** - flat-rate bundled bookkeeping + business tax prep with a dedicated accountant, cheaper than a local CPA firm. Two real caveats: every plan bills annually, and the refund window is only 30 days, so you're committed for the year. CPA matching quality is the most common complaint. 8. **A local CPA or EA** - genuinely the right answer once you have inventory, multiple states, meaningful payroll, R&D credits, or an ownership change. Software doesn't do tax planning, and at that complexity the planning is worth more than the filing. Two things worth flagging: **FreeTaxUSA does not file 1120-S or 1065** - it's individual returns only, so if you elected S-corp status it's off the table for the business return. And prices move during filing season (they typically rise in late Feb/March), so the figures above are current-season list prices, not locks. Sources: - [CNBC Select - Best tax software for small businesses in 2026](https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-tax-software-for-small-businesses/) - [Fit Small Business - Best Tax Software for Small Businesses in 2026](https://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-business-tax-software/) - [TaxAct - Business Returns pricing](https://www.taxact.com/business-returns) - [TurboTax - S Corporation tax filing](https://turbotax.intuit.com/small-business-taxes/s-corporation-tax/) - [H&R Block - Partnerships, S Corporations, and C Corporation taxes](https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/small-business/s-corporations-partnerships/) - [iFeeltech - TurboTax vs H&R Block vs FreeTaxUSA](https://ifeeltech.com/blog/tax-software-small-business-turbotax-hrblock-freetaxusa) - [Unlike.net - Best tax software for self-employed in 2026](https://unlike.net/best-tax-software-self-employed-2026/) - [1-800Accountant - Business tax prep](https://1800accountant.com/services/business-tax-prep) - [Cocountant - 1-800Accountant review](https://cocountant.com/blog/bookkeeping/1-800accountant-review-small-businesses-2026/)

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