{"question": "best tax preparation software for small businesses", "category": "tax-preparation-software", "category_name": "tax preparation software", "audience": "small-businesses", "audience_name": "small businesses", "engine": "Claude (Anthropic) with web search", "model": "claude-opus-5", "asked_at": "2026-10-08T23:38:25Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/tax-preparation-software-small-businesses-2026-10-08", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/tax-preparation-software/small-businesses", "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": "TurboTax Premium", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "QuickBooks", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "Stripe", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "PayPal", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "H&R Block Self-Employed", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 9, "brand": "TaxSlayer Self-Employed", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 10, "brand": "TaxAct", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 11, "brand": "TaxAct Business", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 12, "brand": "TurboTax Business", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 13, "brand": "Taxfyle", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 14, "brand": "Wave", "label": "mentioned"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://www.business.org/finance/taxes/best-tax-filing-software-programs-small-businesses", "domain": "business.org", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-tax-software-for-form-1065", "domain": "fitsmallbusiness.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-business-tax-software", "domain": "fitsmallbusiness.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.techrepublic.com/article/taxact-vs-turbotax/", "domain": "techrepublic.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.taxact.com/business-taxes/online/taxact-business-vs-competitors", "domain": "taxact.com", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://www.business.org/finance/taxes/freetaxusa-review/", "domain": "business.org", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.novo.co/software/tax-prep", "domain": "novo.co", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.lendingtree.com/business/small-business-tax-software/", "domain": "lendingtree.com", "source_type": "other"}], "answer_text": "The honest headline: the right answer depends almost entirely on your entity type, because that's what determines which products can even file your return. Here's who I'd actually name.\n\n## If you're a sole proprietor / single-member LLC (Schedule C)\n\n**1. FreeTaxUSA** - My default recommendation. Federal filing is $0 including Schedule C, home office, depreciation, and self-employment tax; state is ~$15.99. No upsell wall for business income, which is exactly where TurboTax and H&R Block start charging $100+. Interface is plain but competent. Pro Support is $64.99 if you want someone to talk to.\n\n**2. TurboTax Premium (Self-Employed)** - Worth the premium price only for two reasons: the deduction-finding interview is genuinely the best at surfacing write-offs people forget, and the QuickBooks/Stripe/PayPal imports save real hours if your bookkeeping is messy. TurboTax Live adds CPA review at a steep markup.\n\n**3. H&R Block Self-Employed** - The middle ground, and consistently rated best-overall by review sites. Cheaper than TurboTax, nearly as polished, plus the option to hand off to a human at a physical office if you get in over your head.\n\n**4. TaxSlayer Self-Employed** - The b", "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"}}