Best Tax Software for Small Business for 2025

H&R Block’s small business tax software is downloadable desktop software (only available for Windows) and includes five free federal filings and one free state filing (although there is a $19.99 e-file fee for state returns). It also covers your personal tax filing, which makes its $125 cost very competitive. Help and assistance are not as robust as with the online software Block offers, but you still get access to the knowledge base. As with all of H&R Block’s tax software, it includes audit support and accuracy and maximum refund guarantees.

H&R Block also offers tax preparation services with tax pros at its local branches. Depending on your business’s needs, you can work with H&R Block for bookkeeping or payroll services as well.

H&R Block was founded by brothers Henry and Richard Bloch in 1955 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo.

TurboTax’s downloadable desktop software package is reasonably priced and offers support for several small business entities. It includes five federal filings, but you’ll have to pay more for each state return you file. Support options include a dedicated phone line and an in-depth knowledge base. If you use the desktop version of QuickBooks, integration with your desktop TurboTax is straightforward. However, Intuit doesn’t make it easy to find this software, and you have to dig pretty deep on the website to reach the download button.

Meanwhile, TurboTax also offers online software for small business taxes. It includes expert assistance while you’re working on your taxes and year-round to help you as questions arise. Unfortunately, this package is a lot more expensive than the desktop software (the non-promotional price is $739). It also doesn’t cover C Corps.

Sole proprietors and self-employed filers have another online-only option that costs $209. Those filers can also choose an online individual return option that supports self-employment income. Confused yet? We were. This challenging shopping experience is one of our criticisms of Intuit and TurboTax.

But if your accounting is already in QuickBooks, integration between online services is easy to manage, as is the integration between desktop versions of the software.

TurboTax is part of Intuit, which was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif.

TaxAct’s shopping experience is clear and direct. You pick the software package that matches your business entity and start working on your return. Desktop downloads are available (for both Mac and PC) and cost the same as their online counterparts, so there’s no confusion. While there is some upselling—you can bundle your business return with your individual return—it’s not intrusive.

Our researchers gave the software high usability scores for navigation and the clarity of the walkthrough prompts. Help is available via email or telephone, and there’s a knowledge base for finding your own answers. For an additional fee, you can get live expert assistance.

TaxAct was formed in 1998 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

TaxSlayer is a favorite at Investopedia because of its simple pricing and clear, easy-to-use interface. It doesn’t produce returns for small business entities like partnerships and C corps. But it can handle pass-through income from sole proprietorships or LLCs.

All three flavors of the software—Classic, Premium, and Self-Employed—cover the same range of tax situations. The price at each tier gets you additional help and assistance. With Classic, you can take a DIY approach (and you can still get help via phone and email). With the Self-Employed package, you’ll get priority help (including Ask a Pro) that is focused on your situation.

Our researchers noted TaxSlayer’s straightforward navigation and sleek design. There was no pressure or nudges to purchase add-on services, and the shopping experience online was clear and direct.

TaxSlayer has been around since 1998 (its parent company has filed returns for people since 1965) and is headquartered in Augusta, Ga. 

There’s free tax filing that covers limited tax situations, and then there’s free filing with Cash App Taxes.

Cash App Taxes’ simplicity is matched under the hood with a deep collection of tax forms and situations. It may not have as many as other software we reviewed, but it has enough to cover many situations, including income from investments, side gigs, and other business income. And it’s free.

Our researchers like the easy-to-follow interface (on the desktop version) and the walkthrough experience. Customer support and assistance aren’t as varied as the other options we researched, but there’s a knowledge base, in-app contextual help, and email help.

If you choose to have your refund delivered to your Cash App account, you can get it up to five days faster than sending it to a bank account.

Cash App was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in New York.