What is the best business tax software in 2026?
Your bookkeeping app closes the year. The corporate return is a different job, and most apps don't do it.
A C corporation files Form 1120. An S corporation files Form 1120-S. QuickBooks and Xero keep your books, but neither prepares those returns. So every spring, owners who want to file on their own end up shopping for a second program, often in a hurry.
The short answer: pick TaxAct Business if you want the lowest federal price for a 1120 or 1120-S ($169.99) and an online workflow. Pick TurboTax Business if you run Windows and want a guided interview ($190, five federal e-files included). If you prepare returns for several companies, Drake Tax is built for preparers, at $379.99 for its pay-per-return package. TaxAct Professional and ProSeries complete the ranking for firms that already file dozens of returns.
One honest note on "tax optimization": none of these programs finds savings on its own. They compute the return correctly and flag missing entries. Deciding which elections and credits fit your company is a CPA's job, and for a first corporate return it is often money well spent.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link ever changes a score.
The best business tax software for your company
5 programs that prepare a corporate return
Every program here handles business returns for corporations and publishes its price. What separates them is who they are built for, how state filing is billed, and which computer you need.
| Best for | What it covers | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TaxAct Business | Best overall | Form 1120 and 1120-S online, expert help add-ons | 4.1/5 | $169.99 federal, state extra | — | Small C corp or S corp filing on its own | Visit → |
| 2 | TurboTax Business | Best guided interview | C corps, trusts and estates, 5 federal e-files | 4.0/5 | $190, state sold separately | — | Owner on a Windows PC | Visit → |
| 3 | Drake Tax | Best for preparers | Individual and business returns in one package | 3.9/5 | $379.99 pay-per-return | — | Bookkeeper or preparer with several clients | Visit → |
| 4 | TaxAct Professional | Best per-return price for firms | 1120 and 1120-S at $49.99 per business return | 3.8/5 | $279.99 a year + per return | — | Small firm, a few dozen returns | Visit → |
| 5 | ProSeries Professional | Best for established firms | 1120, 1120-S, 1065, 1041 and 990 | 3.7/5 | $2,605 a year | — | Accounting firm with volume | Visit → |
Prices read in 2026 on each vendor's official pricing page, in US dollars, before sales tax. State returns are billed on top at TaxAct, TaxAct Professional and TurboTax.
How we compared and scored
We started from the requirement most listicles skip: does the program actually prepare a corporate return (Form 1120 for a C corp, 1120-S for an S corp), and does the vendor publish what it costs? A tool that only keeps books, or that hides its price behind a sales call, is not ranked. For each program we read the official pricing page, the vendor's own support answers, and owner feedback, especially the complaints.
Return coverage weighs most, because that is why you buy. Price comes next, because the sticker price rarely includes the state return. Ease of use matters for an owner filing alone, and state filing and platform close the grid: TurboTax's business edition, for example, runs on Windows only.
Three well-known names are not ranked. UltraTax CS from Thomson Reuters is quote-only and aimed at accounting firms. H&R Block Premium & Business covers the 1120 and 1120-S, but we could only find its price at resellers, not on an official page. QuickBooks Online and Xero keep the books that feed these returns but don't prepare them.
- Corporate return coverageForm 1120 and 1120-S, other entity returns, federal e-file.35 %
- Price and transparencyPublic price, what state filing adds, cost of a full year.25 %
- Ease for a non-preparerGuided interview, help options for an owner filing alone.25 %
- State filing and platformsState returns, online or desktop, Windows or Mac.15 %
No affiliate link changes a score or a rank.
TaxAct Business
TaxAct is the most affordable way we found to prepare a corporate return with a public price. Form 1120 and Form 1120-S each cost $169.99 for the federal return, online, with no software to install. That makes it the easy starting point for a single-owner S corp or a small C corp with clean books.
On the 1120-S, the help ladder is clear. Xpert Assist ($258.99) adds access to a tax pro while you prepare. Xpert Full Service ($299, plus $69 for all states) hands the work to an expert. Owner feedback describes it as simpler than its rivals for a first 1120-S, though that comes from a handful of user comments, not a survey.
Its limit: the state return is extra, and TaxAct doesn't display that amount on the business page. Budget for it before you compare the $169.99 sticker with anything else.
Tip: if you only need one review of your numbers, Xpert Assist costs $89 more than the base price, which is usually less than a CPA's hourly rate.
- Form 1120 and 1120-S online
- Lowest public federal price
- Expert help add-ons
- ✓$169.99 for either corporate return
- ✓Nothing to install
- ✓Clear upgrade path to full service
- ✗State return billed separately
- ✗State price not shown upfront
- ✗Light on multi-company work
The best pick for a small corporation filing its own return online. If you prepare returns for several companies, Drake's per-return model makes more sense.
TurboTax Business
TurboTax Desktop Business covers C corporations, trusts and estates for $190, with five federal e-files included. If you run more than one small entity, that bundle matters: five filings for one price.
The interview style is what people pick TurboTax for. It asks questions in plain English and fills the forms behind the scenes, which suits an owner who has never seen a 1120.
Its limits are practical. The business edition is Windows only, as Intuit confirms in its own community answers, and there is no do-it-yourself online version for C corps. The state download is sold separately. Online, Intuit sells a Full Service option for S corps and partnerships at $639, where an expert does the return.
Tip: on a Mac, don't buy the desktop edition hoping it will run. Either use a Windows machine or look at TaxAct's online version.
- 5 federal e-files included
- Guided interview
- C corps, trusts and estates
- ✓Easiest for a first corporate return
- ✓Several entities for one price
- ✓Full Service option online
- ✗Windows only
- ✗No online DIY version for C corps
- ✗State return sold separately
The right choice on a Windows PC if you want to be walked through the return. On a Mac, or if you want to work online, TaxAct is the simpler path.
Drake Tax
Drake Tax is professional software, built for people who prepare returns for others. Its entry package, Pay-Per-Return, costs $379.99 and includes ten individual returns. Each business return after that costs $74.99, and each extra individual return $49.99.
For a preparer with a few corporate clients, that math is easy to run: the package plus four business returns comes to $679.95. You get forms-based entry, which is faster once you know the returns, and slower if you don't.
Its limit: this is not software for an owner filing one return. The interface assumes you know where each number goes, and at $379.99 before your first business return, TaxAct is far cheaper for a single company. Drake also sells a browser version, Drake Tax Online, at $299.99 with the same $74.99 per business return, and an unlimited package priced above $3,000 a year.
Tip: count last year's business returns before you choose. Under a handful, the pay-per-return package usually beats an unlimited plan.
- Individual and business returns
- Pay-per-return pricing
- Built for preparers
- ✓Predictable cost per client
- ✓Fast forms-based entry
- ✓One tool for owners' personal and business returns
- ✗Overkill for a single company
- ✗Steep for a non-preparer
- ✗Unlimited package above $3,000
The best pick if you prepare returns for a living or for a group of companies. If you file one 1120-S a year, TaxAct or a CPA will cost you less.
TaxAct Professional
TaxAct Professional is the preparer edition of the program ranked first. Its Business Pay-Per-Return edition costs $279.99 a year, then $49.99 per business return and $49 per state edition. That is $25 less per business return than Drake.
Above that, the Business Forty Bundle covers 40 returns in any mix of 1040, 1041, 1065, 1120, 1120-S and 990 for $1,095. The Complete Bundle starts at $2,095 a year for a single user, with every federal product and all states.
Its limit: it is software for people who already know the returns. An owner with a single company pays more here than with TaxAct Business, and gets no guided interview.
Tip: count your business returns. At around twenty, the Forty Bundle and pay-per-return cost about the same, so pick the bundle only if your client list is growing.
- 1120 and 1120-S included
- $49.99 per business return
- 40-return bundle
- ✓Cheapest public per-return price here
- ✓Bundles in any mix of returns
- ✓State editions at a fixed price
- ✗Not for a single company
- ✗Forms-based, no guided interview
- ✗State billed per edition
The value pick for a small firm. If you file only your own company's return, TaxAct Business is simpler and cheaper.
ProSeries Professional
ProSeries is Intuit's desktop software for tax professionals. The Professional edition starts at $2,605 a year and includes Forms 1120 and 1120-S, along with 1065, 1041, 990, 706 and 709.
A pay-per-return option starts at $539 a year and covers individual and business returns, but Intuit doesn't publish the price per business return: you get it from sales.
Its limit: it is the most expensive entry ticket in this ranking, and it makes sense only at volume. For a handful of business returns, Drake or TaxAct Professional cost far less.
Tip: ask sales for the per-return price before choosing pay-per-return, then compare it with TaxAct Professional's $49.99.
- 1120, 1120-S, 1065, 1041, 990
- Intuit desktop software
- Pay-per-return option
- ✓Broad business form coverage
- ✓Familiar to many firms
- ✓Unlimited 1040s in Professional
- ✗Highest entry price here
- ✗Per-return price not public
- ✗Too much for a single company
A solid choice for an established firm with volume. A small business owner should look at TaxAct Business instead.
What makes a corporate return cost more than planned
The sticker price of business tax software rarely matches what you end up paying. These six traps come up again and again in owner feedback and vendor fine print.
The state return on top
The Windows-only edition
Books that aren't ready
Paying for full service twice
Professional software for one return
The word "optimization"
- Confirm your entity type: C corp (1120) or S corp (1120-S).
- Close your books in QuickBooks or Xero before you open the tax software.
- Add the state return to the price before comparing.
- Check that the program runs on your computer.
- Count how many returns you'll file this year.
- Book a CPA review for your first corporate return or any credit claim.
Six tips to file your corporate return calmly
These tips come from vendor documentation and owner feedback. They apply whichever program you pick.
Check your entity before you buy
Before buyingA C corp files Form 1120, an S corp files Form 1120-S. TurboTax's desktop edition is aimed at C corps, trusts and estates; its S corp offer online is Full Service. Buying the wrong edition is the most common early mistake.
- C corp
- Form 1120
- S corp
- Form 1120-S
Close the books first
Before the returnReconcile your bank accounts and close the year in your bookkeeping app before opening tax software. Every program here takes numbers from your books, so a wrong balance becomes a wrong return.
- Books apps
- QuickBooks, Xero
Price the state return upfront
To pay lessAt TaxAct and TurboTax, the state return is an extra charge. Ask for it, or go to checkout, before comparing programs. TaxAct's Full Service lists $69 for all states, which helps if you file in several.
- TaxAct all states (Full Service)
- $69
Use the included e-files
Several entitiesTurboTax Desktop Business includes five federal e-files. If you run a holding company and an operating company, both returns fit in one purchase.
- Federal e-files included
- 5
Buy help only where you need it
First returnTaxAct's Xpert Assist adds a tax pro while you prepare, for $89 more than the base price. For a first 1120-S with clean books, that one review often covers what you'd ask a CPA.
- Xpert Assist
- $258.99
Know when to hand it to a CPA
Complex casesMulti-state operations, R&D credits, or a change of entity status are where software stops helping. A CPA decides which elections fit your company; software only files what you decide.
- Software role
- Compute and file
Books not ready yet? Start here
A tax return is only as good as the books behind it. These pages help you choose the software that keeps them.
Bookkeeping, bank reconciliation, year-end close.
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You run a growing companyBest accounting software for SMBsMultiple users, reporting, closing.
You are leaving QuickBooksQuickBooks alternativesWhere to move your books, and how.
You also run payrollThe best small business payroll softwarePayroll that feeds clean numbers into your return.
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Business tax software · FAQ
Can I file my own corporate tax return?
Yes. Nothing requires a C corp or S corp to use a CPA. TaxAct Business and TurboTax Business are built for owners filing on their own. The real risk is wrong books, so have them reviewed at least for your first year.What is the cheapest software for Form 1120-S?
Among programs with a public official price, TaxAct Business at $169.99 for the federal return. Add the state return, which TaxAct bills separately. TurboTax's S corp offer online is Full Service at $639.Does TurboTax Business work on a Mac?
No. Intuit confirms the business edition is Windows only, and there is no DIY online version for C corps. On a Mac, TaxAct's online version is the simplest option.Can QuickBooks file my business tax return?
No. QuickBooks and Xero keep the books but don't prepare Form 1120 or 1120-S. You export your year-end numbers and enter or import them into tax software, or hand them to a CPA.Can tax software lower my corporate taxes?
Not on its own. It computes the return and flags missing entries. Choosing elections and credits is advice, and that's a CPA's job. Be wary of any program that promises automatic savings.Is Drake Tax good for a small business owner?
Not really. Drake is built for preparers: $379.99 before your first business return, then $74.99 per business return. For a single company, TaxAct costs less than half.When is Form 1120 or 1120-S due?
Per the IRS instructions, an S corp files Form 1120-S by the 15th day of the 3rd month after its tax year ends, so mid-March for a calendar year. A C corp files Form 1120 by the 15th day of the 4th month, so mid-April; a C corp with a June 30 year-end files by the 15th day of the 3rd month. Form 7004 gives an automatic extension to file, not to pay.How much does the state return cost?
It depends on the program. TaxAct Business lists the state return as an add-on to its $169.99 federal price, and its Xpert Full Service for S corps adds $69 for all states. TurboTax Business sells the state download separately. TaxAct Professional charges $49 per state edition. Drake Tax states that all states are included.