3 Best Tax Software for Small Business

Smiling businesswoman with ribbon that says "Top 3 Tax Software Options."

Do you need small business tax software for your company, but aren't sure which service is right for you? There are more options than ever, and it’s important to make sure you pick the best fit for your specific business.

In this comparison guide, you’ll find an overview of 3 of the most popular business tax software options in the industry. They vary in pricing, features, customer feedback, and more, so depending on your preferences you may prefer one of these options over the others.

If you'd like to learn more about any of these programs, simply click on the links below to check out our individual business tax software reviews.

Hiring an accountant can save your company thousands of dollars in taxes each year. Get a free tax consultation with 1-800Accountant.

1. TurboTax Business - 4.7/5 Stars

TurboTax Business has been around since the mid-1980s, and they have significant brand power as a leading business tax software. Let’s see why they’re such a popular option, and also our top pick.

  • TurboTax Business does not have the lowest pricing out there, as their federal returns cost $159.99, and state return filings are available at the rate of $49.99.
  • Your one-time purchase of TurboTax Business allows you to prepare returns for multiple businesses. Even if those businesses are different entity types, TurboTax has you covered. Many competitors make you purchase separate products for each return.
  • TurboTax Business is an Intuit product, which is the same company that makes QuickBooks. Because of this, it’s incredibly easy to transfer your accounting data directly into your tax return. With other business tax software, you’ll have to transfer data via CSV files, which requires time and effort to ensure everything is imported correctly.
  • This product comes with basic audit support, and they’ll help you decide what you need to do if you are audited. For an extra fee of about $45, you can add their Audit Defense feature that provides in-person representation.

Finally, TurboTax Business gets excellent customer reviews that are the best we’ve seen in the industry. We’re big fans of everything TurboTax has to offer for entrepreneurs, except for the price tag. The other options in this guide are both cheaper, so let’s find out if it’s worth it to you to sacrifice some features to save money.

TurboTax Business logo

2. H&R Block Premium & Business - 4.6/5 Stars

H&R Block has been one of the giants of the tax preparation industry since they opened back in 1955, and their Premium & Business tax software is a great option for entrepreneurs.

To be honest, we came very close to putting H&R Block Premium & Business in the top spot in this guide, so let’s discuss how it compares to TurboTax Business.

  • H&R Block Premium & Business roughly cuts the TurboTax Business prices in half. H&R Block will file your federal return for $79.95, while state returns cost just $19.95. They do however charge $39.95 for each additional state beyond your first one.
  • Much like TurboTax Business, H&R Block Premium & Business offers multiple business filings with your purchase. You won’t need to buy this software multiple times for each business you own, which is fairly common.
  • H&R Block Premium & Business allows you to import accounting data in a CSV file, but you’ll need to double-check the data manually. It’s just not nearly as convenient as the way TurboTax Business transfers QuickBooks data.
  • When it comes to audit defense, every H&R Block Premium & Business customer is eligible for in-person audit support. This means that if you do happen to get audited, they’ll stick by your side through the process. This is a major advantage and nearly tipped the scales for us to place them in the top spot in this guide.

Customer reviews, however, are not really a strong point for H&R Block Premium & Business. They do have quite a few satisfied customers, but also plenty of unhappy customers who complain about the software being glitchy or difficult to use.

Overall, H&R Block Premium & Business does a lot of things right and depending on your preferences it's absolutely worth considering.

H&R Block Premium & Business logo

3. TaxAct Business - 4.4/5 Stars

TaxAct Business is a more recent addition to the business tax software industry, as they opened in 1998. They’re known as a budget-friendly option, so let’s see if they live up to their reputation when compared to TurboTax and H&R Block.

  • TaxAct Business is certainly less expensive than either TurboTax Business or H&R Block Premium & Business. Depending on your business entity type, you’ll pay either $39 or $60 for your federal return, and $37 for state filings.
  • With TaxAct Business, you can only file taxes for one business per purchase. If you want to prepare returns for multiple companies, you’ll need to buy multiple copies of this software.
  • Like H&R Block Premium & Business, TaxAct Business does let you transfer accounting info via CSV files, but there’s no automatic import like there is with TurboTax Business.
  • TaxAct Business does not offer audit support, beyond dedicating a page of their website’s FAQ section to audit info.

For the most part, customer reviews are not a strength for TaxAct Business as their feedback is mixed in nature. However, they do offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee that helps restore any confidence you might have lost with their so-so customer reviews.

All told, TaxAct Business is a good option for entrepreneurs looking to save some cash while still getting professional tax assistance.

TaxAct Business logo

Business Tax Software Pros & Cons

Business Tax Software Pros

  • Any of these business tax software products can save you a considerable amount of money over hiring an accountant or tax attorney. If you want to get your taxes done right without breaking the bank, these are good options.
  • On the other end of the spectrum, these software solutions all save you a good amount of time and energy compared to filing your own business taxes. No one wants to spend all those hours filling out tax forms when you could be focusing on continuing to grow your business!

Business Tax Software Cons

  • By no means should you consider these services to be a substitute for an accountant. There’s a big difference between using business tax software and having a licensed professional comb through the details of your company finances.

Which Business Tax Software Should You Use?

These 3 business tax software solutions are all capable of helping you prepare and file your company’s taxes. Our overall preference is TurboTax Business, although both H&R Block Premium & Business and TaxAct Business are great products as well. Just be sure to know what you need and are willing to pay.

Remember that if you would like to review further details of any of these options, simply head on over to our full reviews above for more information.