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6 best tax software options for the self-employed

Nicolas StrautBy Nicolas StrautPublished 10 min read

Affiliate disclosure: Solvent may earn a commission through a link here; that doesn't change any figure shown.1

Key takeaways

  • Paying your filing fee out of your refund adds $40 at TurboTax and $42 at H&R Block, current as of publish.2
  • When choosing self-employed tax software, look for a free tier that actually covers Schedule C, since most don't, and price the state return separately, since it swings from $0 to $64.99 and decides most close comparisons.
  • The best tax software options for the self-employed are FreeTaxUSA, Cash App Taxes, and TurboTax Premium, since FreeTaxUSA and Cash App Taxes file a Schedule C for the least money and TurboTax Premium leads on brokerage and crypto imports.
In this article

For a Schedule C filer with one state return, FreeTaxUSA costs $15.99 and Cash App Taxes costs nothing. TaxSlayer Self-Employed runs $122.98, TaxAct $174.98, and H&R Block Self-Employed $179, and TurboTax Premium starts at $139 federal with no published state price. All six file a Schedule C, all prices read at publish.

Best tax software for the self-employed at a glance

The fastest way to compare the best tax software for freelancers.

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SoftwareBest suited toFederal priceState priceTotal, one stateFree Schedule C
Cash App TaxesA single-state Schedule C with no unusual forms$0$0$0Yes
FreeTaxUSAMost 1099 filers, including multi-state$0$15.99$15.99Yes
TaxSlayer Self-EmployedFilers who want a paid product without top-tier pricing$74.99$47.99$122.98No
TaxAct Self-EmployedFilers who also need business-entity support$109.99$64.99$174.98No
H&R Block Self-EmployedFilers who may want an in-person handoff$130$49$179No
TurboTax PremiumHeavy brokerage or crypto import needs$139 to $149Not publishedNot computableNo

Prices are current as of publish and subject to change during the filing season.

What each option costs with one state return

Every price above was read from the vendor's own pricing page, not a test return.3 The single most useful fact here: every paid product's free tier excludes a Schedule C. TurboTax won't show a state price, and since sources disagree, we aren't borrowing one.

Best tax software for the self-employed

Six products, ranked above, each judged on federal price, state price, total with one state, free-tier Schedule C support, and who it fits.

Best overall: FreeTaxUSA

Ideal for

A 1099 contractor or sole proprietor who wants a correctly filed Schedule C for the least money, with no interview-style hand-holding, including multi-state filers at $15.99 per state.

Our take

FreeTaxUSA charges $15.99 per state and $0 federal, the lowest non-zero price here, over $100 below every paid competitor, buying you the same result as products that charge more for guidance and support. FreeTaxUSA is also a Free File partner, though its own offer caps at $51,000 of AGI against the $89,000 ceiling.

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SpecFreeTaxUSA
CategoryBest overall
Federal price$0
State price$15.99
Total, one state$15.99
Free Schedule CYes
Best suited toMost 1099 filers, including multi-state

Pros

  • Files a federal Schedule C at no cost, with no form-based upgrade trigger.
  • Two state returns still cost about $32 at $15.99 each.
  • $15.99 total with one state is more than $100 below every paid product here.

Cons

  • The state return isn't free, so a single-state filer pays less at Cash App Taxes.
  • Its own Free File offer caps at $51,000 of AGI, below the $89,000 ceiling.
  • Doesn't match TurboTax's brokerage and crypto import pipelines.

Best free option: Cash App Taxes

Ideal for

A freelancer with a single state return, one or two 1099s, and no unusual forms, who wants filing to cost nothing.

Our take

Cash App Taxes is $0 federal and $0 state, the only product here that files a Schedule C for nothing. The constraint is coverage, not capability: it has historically supported one state only, and its unsupported-situations list couldn't be confirmed at two dead help URLs.

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SpecCash App Taxes
CategoryBest free option
Federal price$0
State price$0
Total, one state$0
Free Schedule CYes
Best suited toA single-state Schedule C with no unusual forms

Pros

  • Total cost of $0, federal and state, for a Schedule C filer.
  • The only product here with a free state return.
  • No filing fee means no refund-processing charge, $39.99 to $54 elsewhere.

Cons

  • Historically one state only, ruling out multi-state filers.
  • The unsupported-situations list couldn't be verified; two help URLs returned 404.
  • No paid tier to escalate to if the return turns out complicated.

Best mid-priced: TaxSlayer Self-Employed

Ideal for

A filer who wants a paid, guided product with support access, without top-tier pricing, and who reads the tier structure carefully.

Our take

TaxSlayer Self-Employed is $74.99 federal plus $47.99 per state, or $122.98 with one state, the cheapest total among the paid products here, though a $39.99 refund-transfer fee adds roughly a third more. The nuance nobody else covers: self-employment income moves you to Classic at $44.99, not Self-Employed at $74.99, and the top tier buys support, not the Schedule C.

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SpecTaxSlayer Self-Employed
CategoryBest mid-priced
Federal price$74.99
State price$47.99
Total, one state$122.98
Free Schedule CNo
Best suited toFilers who want a paid product without top-tier pricing

Pros

  • Cheapest of the paid products at $122.98 with one state.
  • Classic at $44.99 already handles a Schedule C, so the $74.99 tier is optional.
  • The $47.99 state return beats TaxAct's $64.99 and H&R Block's $49.

Cons

  • The free tier doesn't cover self-employment income.
  • At $122.98, nearly eight times FreeTaxUSA's $15.99 for the same forms.
  • Refund transfer fee is $39.99.

Best for business entities: TaxAct Self-Employed

Ideal for

A sole proprietor who has made an S corp election, or who files as a partnership, and wants pass-through support at the consumer tier, the only product here that offers it.

Our take

TaxAct Self-Employed is $109.99 federal plus $64.99 per state, or $174.98 with one state, and the state fee is the highest here. The reason to pay it is entity support, which nothing else offers at the consumer tier, though TaxAct Free excludes "business and farm income" and the refund transfer fee is $54, the highest here.

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SpecTaxAct Self-Employed
CategoryBest for business entities
Federal price$109.99
State price$64.99
Total, one state$174.98
Free Schedule CNo
Best suited toFilers who also need business-entity support

Pros

  • The only product here with business-entity support at the consumer tier.
  • Federal price of $109.99 sits below H&R Block's $130 and TurboTax's $139.
  • Publishes both prices, so the $174.98 total is verifiable up front.

Cons

  • Highest per-state fee here at $64.99, so two states pass $239.
  • The free tier excludes "business and farm income," forcing an upgrade.
  • Refund transfer fee is $54, the highest here.

Best for in-person help: H&R Block Self-Employed

Ideal for

A filer who wants to start online but keep the option of handing the return to a person in an office, usually because last year's return raised a question they couldn't answer alone.

Our take

H&R Block Self-Employed is $130 federal plus $49 per state, or $179 with one state, the highest computable total here at over eleven times FreeTaxUSA's $15.99. What the money buys is the handoff: no other product here puts a physical office behind the software. Free Online excludes "income from self-employment or freelance work reported on Schedule C," and paying from your refund adds $42.

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SpecH&R Block Self-Employed
CategoryBest for in-person help
Federal price$130
State price$49
Total, one state$179
Free Schedule CNo
Best suited toFilers who may want an in-person handoff

Pros

  • An in-person handoff to an office, which no other product here offers.
  • The $49 state return beats TaxAct's $64.99.
  • Publishes both prices, so the $179 total is verifiable up front.

Cons

  • At $179, the highest computable total here.
  • Free Online excludes self-employment income reported on Schedule C.
  • Refund transfer fee is $42, plus $25 for a paper check.

Best for investment and crypto imports: TurboTax Premium

Ideal for

A self-employed filer whose return also carries heavy brokerage or crypto activity, where the alternative to an import pipeline is keying in transactions by hand.

Our take

TurboTax Premium starts at $139 federal and rises to $149 in Intuit's late-season window, and no state price is shown anywhere, so the total isn't computable; we won't borrow a conflicting third-party number. The honest reason to pay is import: its brokerage and crypto pipelines are the strongest here, and it calculates next year's estimated payments and prepares 1040-ES vouchers.

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SpecTurboTax Premium
CategoryBest for investment and crypto imports
Federal price$139 to $149
State priceNot published
Total, one stateNot computable
Free Schedule CNo
Best suited toHeavy brokerage or crypto import needs

Pros

  • The strongest brokerage and crypto import pipelines here.
  • Calculates next year's estimated payments and prepares 1040-ES vouchers.
  • Discloses its late-season pricing window, so $149 is at least predictable.

Cons

  • No published state price, so the real total can't be computed.
  • The $40 refund-processing fee can't be removed once the return is pending.
  • Free Edition excludes "business or 1099-NEC income," price rises to $149 from April 1.

See TurboTax Premium reviewed in full for its FTC history.

How we compared these tax software options

Every price came from each vendor's own pricing page on a stated date, not a test return we filed. Totals are federal plus one state, paid by card, judged on the five fields used above.

Which forms force you off the free tier?

Free tiers are gated by form, not income. Schedule C, the IRS form for a sole proprietor's profit or loss, upgrades nearly every self-employed filer.4 H&R Block Free Online excludes self-employment income, TurboTax Free Edition excludes "business or 1099-NEC income," and TaxAct Free excludes "business and farm income."

Check your forms against Schedule C, Schedule SE, Form 8829, Form 4562, 1099-K income, and crypto, since any one can force a paid tier.

Which fees are not in the advertised price?

This is the section that reorders the rankings above once you actually pay.

The refund processing fee

Deferring your fee adds $40 at TurboTax, $42 at H&R Block, $54 at TaxAct, $39.99 at TaxSlayer, not removable at TurboTax once pending.

Why tax software costs more in April than in February

Intuit's compare page says it plainly: "strikethrough prices reflect anticipated late-season pricing (4/1-10/31; for S-corps & partnerships, 5/1-10/31)." That's why Premium runs $139 early and $149 later. All three vendors carry "prices determined at the time of print or e-file" language, and Intuit's own pages currently disagree.

What a second state return costs

The largest hidden variable runs $0 at Cash App Taxes to $64.99 at TaxAct, where two states pass $239 against $32 at FreeTaxUSA.

Can you file a Schedule C for free?

Yes, you can file a Schedule C for free, in two ways. FreeTaxUSA files a federal Schedule C at no cost with $15.99 per state, and Cash App Taxes files both federal and state for nothing.

IRS Free File and the AGI thresholds that actually apply

The IRS Free File program's ceiling for 2025 income is $89,000, across eight partners.5 Individual partners set their own, lower thresholds: FreeTaxUSA's own is $51,000, so quoting only the top figure can tell a reader they qualify when they don't.

Why IRS Direct File is not an option this year

Direct File isn't available this filing season, and even when it operated it never supported Schedule C income. We aren't linking the old directfile.irs.gov URL, which still serves a stale "now open" page.

How to choose tax software as a freelancer

All six above file a Schedule C, so choosing the best tax software for freelancers comes down to three checks.

Step 1: Count your state returns before comparing federal prices

The per-state fee has the widest spread of any figure here, $0 to $64.99, and decides most two-state comparisons alone.

Step 2: Check your forms against the free-tier exclusions above

The upgrade is triggered by a form, not income, so the exclusion list above is the real price gate.

Step 3: Decide whether you're buying capability or guidance

Every product here files a Schedule C correctly. Paid tiers buy interface and support, so the real question is what that's worth to you, not whether the cheap option can handle the return.

Should you use an AI-native tool instead?

An AI-native tool is worth considering, since every roundup on this topic tests the same seven legacy vendors and skips this category, where a freelancer's real alternative now sits. These tools scan linked accounts for deductions and bill annually. Keeper reviewed in full is the main one, $199 a year, and it must find $700 to $1,200 in missed deductions to beat FreeTaxUSA.

Run your numbers before you file

Whichever software you pick, it won't tell you what to send the IRS next quarter. Run your numbers through the Solvent quarterly tax estimator.

Frequently asked questions about tax software for the self-employed

What is the best tax app for self-employed individuals?

The cheapest capable options are FreeTaxUSA at $15.99 with one state and Cash App Taxes at nothing. Both file a full Schedule C. What the paid apps sell above that is interface, import automation, and support access, not a different tax result.

Is TurboTax good if you're self-employed?

TurboTax handles self-employment well and has the strongest import pipelines for brokerage and crypto activity. It's also the most expensive option here and won't display its state fee. Whether it's worth the gap depends on how much data you'd otherwise key in manually.

What tax software does Dave Ramsey recommend?

Ramsey Solutions promotes its own affiliated tax service rather than reviewing the market, so the recommendation is a commercial one. We compare products on published price and form coverage instead, which is a different exercise from asking who a commentator endorses.

About the author

Nicolas Straut

Nicolas Straut

Personal and business finance writer, former Forbes contributor

Nicolas Straut writes about self-employment and quarterly tax, LLC formation and costs, and tax software for Solvent. He has spent eight years writing about money and building content for fintech companies.

More articles by Nicolas Straut →
Pricing is current as of publish and subject to change. Solvent may earn a commission from some links above. Solvent provides educational estimates, not tax advice. Confirm your specific situation with a qualified tax professional.

Sources

  1. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking
  2. Intuit and H&R Block support documentation
  3. Vendor pricing pages: TurboTax, H&R Block, FreeTaxUSA, TaxSlayer, TaxAct, Cash App Taxes
  4. https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-schedule-c-form-1040
  5. https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-taxes-for-free