Tax Software
TurboTax: features, pricing and who it fits
Intuit's US filing product, sold as online Do It Yourself editions with expert-assisted and full-service tiers. Self-employed filers need Premium, since the $0 Free Edition excludes business and 1099-NEC income. The expert business products cover 1120-S and 1065 but not Form 1120 for C corporations.
Who TurboTax is for
Best for
- Self-employed filers with Schedule C income who want a guided interview and optional CPA or EA review
- Sole proprietors, S corps and partnerships that prefer to hand the return to an expert (Expert Assist or Full Service Business)
Look elsewhere if
- Price-sensitive filers with simple returns who can use a lower-priced or free alternative
- C corporations that need Form 1120 through the expert business products (not supported there)
TurboTax features
- Tax market
- US federal and state returns
- Self-employed return support
- Yes: Do It Yourself Premium and Expert Assist Premium (both formerly Self-Employed) cover self-employment income reported on Schedule C; Free Edition does not
- Business entity returns
- Yes via experts: Expert Assist Business and Expert Full Service Business file 1120-S and 1065 with Schedule K-1s; Form 1120 (C corp) is not supported in those two products
- E-filing to IRS or ELSTER
- Federal and state e-file; pay only when you e-file or print
- Data import
- Account sync feature, limited to a single Schedule C; other import options not confirmed by the vendor
- Expert or Steuerberater help
- Expert Assist (live expert review) and Expert Full Service tiers for individuals and businesses; Expert 365 Business monthly service
- Pricing model
- Per return: free tier, then federal price by tier plus state add-on; expert business products priced per entity type
- Target company size
- Individuals, sole proprietors, freelancers; S corps and partnerships through expert-assisted products
TurboTax pricing
| Plan | Price | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Edition | $0 federal + $0 state + $0 to file | per return | Simple Form 1040 returns only; does not cover business or 1099-NEC income |
| Do It Yourself Premium (formerly Self-Employed) | $139 federal | per return | Covers self-employment (Schedule C), rental, stocks and crypto. A separate 'Starting at $79 Federal' figure also appears on the page. State price is not shown on the page; add-on per state. |
| Expert Assist Business, sole proprietor | $229 | per return | Price shown with 'File by 3/31 to save' |
| Expert Assist Business, S corp or partnership | $639 | per return | 1120-S or 1065 with Schedule K-1s; 'File by 4/30 to save' |
| Expert Full Service Business, S corp or partnership | $1549 | per return | Sole proprietor Full Service shows 'Starting at' without an amount |
| Expert 365 Business | $61 per month | month | The page also lists QuickBooks Simple Start at $38 per month alongside it |
Prices are for the tax year 2025 season (filed in 2026), federal and state priced separately, and the page says prices are subject to change without notice and depend on the date you print or e-file. none is used here.
Prices as published by TurboTax on the date above. Quotes for larger teams often differ, which is what a request on SaaSBid surfaces.
Integrations, security and hosting
Worth knowing before you buy
- Self-employed filers need Premium: the $0 Free Edition excludes business and 1099-NEC income, and Premium was previously sold as TurboTax Self-Employed.
- The expert business products cover 1120-S and 1065 but not Form 1120 for C corporations.
- Expert Assist Business costs $229 for a sole proprietor versus $639 for an S corp or partnership return; Full Service Business is $1549 for the latter two.
- Intuit left the IRS Free File Alliance after the 2021 season and settled FTC claims over 'free' advertising for $141 million in 2022.
- The Premium page shows both a $139 federal price and a 'Starting at $79' figure without explaining the difference, so check the final price before e-filing.
TurboTax alternatives
Vendor dossier
Fit by company size
| Category | 1-10 people | 11-50 people | 51-500 people | 500+ people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Software | Strong fit | Workable | No data | No data |
Strong fitWorkablePoor fitNo data from the vendor
How buying TurboTax works
- How you buy
- Buy online
- Free plan
- Yes
- Contract
- Pay per return when you e-file or print; no subscription for personal filing
About the company
- Founded
- 1984
- Headquarters
- Mountain View, US (Intuit; Consumer Tax Group in San Diego)
- Ownership
- part of Intuit
- 1993
- TurboTax sold to Intuit (developed by Chipsoft)
- 2021
- Intuit announced exit from IRS Free File Alliance
- 2022
- Intuit agreed to a $141 million settlement over misleading 'free' ads
- 2024
- FTC ordered Intuit to fix misleading 'free' tax preparation advertising
Support and integrations
- Support
- Expert review and full-service tiers sold as paid upgrades; customer support plan details not confirmed by the vendor
- Notable integrations
- QuickBooks
What vendors in this category ask before quoting
Answer these once in a SaaSBid request and TurboTax and its alternatives quote against the same facts.
- Which country will the return be filed in, and are you also filing in a second one?Tax software serves one market, so a two-country setup usually needs two products.
- Are you a sole proprietor, freelancer, LLC, partnership or corporation?Entity type decides which edition and which forms are required.
- Is your VAT or Umsatzsteuer status small-business exempt or regular?Some German products cover only exempt or simple cases and treat VAT-liable users separately.
- How many returns and how many states or businesses do you need to file?Per-state fees and limits on returns per license change the total price.
- Do you want a person to review or prepare the return, or only software?Expert tiers cost more and can be priced per entity or as a share of a refund.
- If you run a tax firm: how many clients and staff do you have, and do you keep DATEV?Client bands, included users and the DATEV interface decide which plan and which add-ons are needed.