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Tax Software for Small Businesses

Technology & TelecommunicationsLegacy

There are a number of software products on the market that are designed to handle your tax-related needs, including payroll taxes, sales taxes, and tax planning. While in the market for tax software products, you should:

  • Compare prices;
  • Make sure the program meets your system requirements;
  • Carefully evaluate the various features;
  • Make sure the program interfaces with software programs that you may currently be using and that can import tax data;
  • Look for a program that's user-friendly for your staff and that offers a demo.

    Tax software programs are typically updated annually to include new tax laws and changes on tax forms. Be careful that you're not using a system that has become outdated.

    Among the many popular software programs you’ll find are:


    • TurboTax Business: One among several popular business software programs from Intuit, TurboTax is designed to help various types of businesses prepare tax documents. Included are tax saving tips, deduction-finding capabilities, IRS-approved forms, and a tax reference library. It's also designed to interface smoothly with Intuit’s QuickBooks bookkeeping software programs.

    TaxPro: Designed to make tax filing easier, separate versions of TaxPro are geared for either small businesses or large corporations. You can preview on-screen reports and enter data directly onto graphic representations of IRS forms. Preprinted forms are then easy to prepare, print, and file on paper or electronically. Single-user and multiuser versions are available, enabling you to enter up to 5,000 transactions.

    After-the-Fact Payroll (AFP): This program, from AccountantsOffice.com, allows you to generate W-2, W-3, 1099, 1096, and other payroll tax forms. The program can also produce vendor reports, earnings reports, and unemployment reports, and allows for easy entry of payroll checks into the payroll register. Also available from AccountantsOffice.com is the Tax Relief program.

    MasterTax: Four versions of the MasterTax software programs are available to assist you in filing payroll taxes. You can import payroll data or enter it manually. A wide range of features is offered to produce reports and file federal, state, and local payroll taxes.

    Web sites, such as Taxsites.com and popular retail sites including Amazon.com or PCMall.com, provide listings of the various tax-related software programs. In some cases, you can try a program's demo version to see if it fits your comfort level.