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

## In short

On 2026-09-16, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best tax preparation software for small businesses". It named 13 brands; the first six, in order, were FreeTaxUSA, TaxSlayer Self-Employed, TurboTax, TurboTax Premium, QuickBooks and Square.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best tax preparation software for small businesses |
| Asked on | 2026-09-16 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 13 |
| Sources cited | 9 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-16 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/tax-preparation-software-small-businesses-2026-09-16
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-09-16 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> 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 va

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FreeTaxUSA | recommended |
| 2 | TaxSlayer Self-Employed | mentioned |
| 3 | TurboTax | mentioned |
| 4 | TurboTax Premium | mentioned |
| 5 | QuickBooks | mentioned |
| 6 | Square | mentioned |
| 7 | S-corp | mentioned |
| 8 | TaxAct | mentioned |
| 9 | TaxAct Business | mentioned |
| 10 | TurboTax Business | mentioned |
| 11 | TurboTax Business / Experts | mentioned |
| 12 | H&R Block | mentioned |
| 13 | 1-800Accountant | compared |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-tax-software-for-small-businesses/ (other)
- https://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-business-tax-software/ (other)
- https://www.taxact.com/business-returns (vendor)
- https://turbotax.intuit.com/small-business-taxes/s-corporation-tax/ (other)
- https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/small-business/s-corporations-partnerships/ (other)
- https://ifeeltech.com/blog/tax-software-small-business-turbotax-hrblock-freetaxusa (other)
- https://unlike.net/best-tax-software-self-employed-2026/ (other)
- https://1800accountant.com/services/business-tax-prep (other)
- https://cocountant.com/blog/bookkeeping/1-800accountant-review-small-businesses-2026/ (other)

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

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.