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How to get ready to file small business taxes

Getting ready for taxes means having complete, categorized books, the receipts behind your expenses, payroll records if you have staff, and a clear list of the returns and payments that apply to your business. Accounting software keeps the books and produces the reports you or your tax preparer need, and payroll software can calculate payroll taxes for employees, though what it files for you depends on the plan. The filing itself is done by a tax professional or with tax preparation software, and the rules depend on where you operate.

By Bill Belcamino · Page updated September 23, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team

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Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare

Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: What software does a small business need to be ready for tax season?

Accounting software your preparer can work in, because nothing on this page files a return: the books come from accounting software, and the filing goes to a tax professional or tax preparation software.

The tracked options are QuickBooks from $38/mo (Simple Start, 1 login included), Xero from $27/mo with no per-user fees, and FreshBooks at $23/mo on Lite, capped at 5 billable clients. Tax readiness is a monthly habit more than a feature. Reconcile every bank and card account to its statement each month, because a gap you find in spring from last summer can take hours to trace, and keep business spending out of personal accounts so nobody has to untangle it later. Once your accountant files, have them lock that year in the books, so a stray edit can't change figures that already match your return. Start by asking which of these three your accountant already works in.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 23, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

How to get ready for taxes, step by step

Ask your accountant, or read your tax authority's guidance, to learn which returns and payments apply to you and when they are due.
Bring your books up to date, with every transaction categorized and every account reconciled.
Gather the receipts and records for the expenses you plan to claim.
Pull the reports your preparer asks for, such as profit and loss and balance sheet, from your accounting software.
Set money aside for tax as income comes in, in a separate account if that helps.
Put every tax due date on a shared calendar with a reminder well ahead of it.

Why it matters

NSBA's 2024 taxation survey press page says 'the vast majority pay an external tax practitioner'. Source

The software this job takes

Which categories a job needs is Editorial assessment; the tools, prices and dates are Verified data.

Prices are each vendor’s published entry plan, recorded from its own pricing page and dated. The example column prices a team of 10: only per-user prices are multiplied; flat and per-account prices are shown as published. Change the team size in the finder.

You need this

Small Business Accounting Software

Accounting software sends invoices, records payments and expenses, and keeps the books your accountant needs.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
QuickBooks	From $38/mo	Per account per month (Simple Start)	$38/moFlat per account per month (Simple Start); includes 1 login, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	YesYes — 1 user, 2 invoices/month, 1 bank connection	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Xero	From $27/mo	Per account per month, no per-user fees	$27/moFlat per account per month, no per-user fees	NoNo permanent free plan — free trial available	Oct 1, 2026Vendor pricing
FreshBooks	$23/mo (Lite, 5 billable clients)	Per account per month; extra team members $11/month each	$23/moFlat per account per month; extra team members $11/month each	NoNo free plan — 30-day free trial, no card required	Sep 18, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Accounting Software pricing →Head to head:Xero vs FreshBooks QuickBooks vs Xero QuickBooks vs FreshBooks6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

Payroll & HR Software

Payroll software pays people, files payroll taxes and keeps employee records.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Gusto	From $49/mo + $6/person	Per person	$109/mo$49 + $6 × 10 people	NoNo — free account setup, no contracts	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing
Rippling	Custom quote only	Quote only	Price not publishedQuote only	NoNo	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing
OnPay	$49 base + $6/worker/mo	Per worker per month, plus a $49 flat base fee	$49 base + $6/worker/moSee the tool page for the billing unit	NoNo — "Get Your First Month Free" trial offer, not a permanent free tier	Sep 23, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Payroll & HR pricing →Head to head:OnPay vs Rippling OnPay vs Gusto Gusto vs Rippling6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Not covered on HelpCompare yet

This job usually also needs tax preparation software. We don’t track that category yet, so we have no verified prices to show for it. We would rather say so than guess. The guidance on this page still covers what to look for.

What to look for

Editorial assessment

Reports your preparer needs Ask your accountant which reports they want at year end and check the accounting plan you choose includes them.
Year-end adjustments by your preparer Check that your accountant can log in and post year-end adjustments directly, so the books you keep match the return they prepare.
Categories that match your return Expense categories set up with your accountant make it easier to map your spending to the lines on your return.
Payroll tax handling If you have employees, check what the payroll tool files and pays for you and what stays your job. The rules vary by location.
Records you can keep and export Check that receipts and records stay attached to transactions and that you can export everything if you ever change tools.

Common mistakes to avoid

Doing a year of books in a week Catching up on months of transactions right before a deadline leads to guesses and missed expenses. Keep the books current all year.
Expecting software to make tax decisions Accounting software records what you tell it. Whether an expense can be claimed is a question for your accountant.
Forgetting payments due during the year Some taxes may be due before your annual return. Ask your accountant which apply to you so they do not arrive as a surprise.
No records for large purchases Equipment and other large purchases may be treated differently from everyday expenses. Keep the invoices and ask your accountant how to record them.

What to settle before you buy

Who prepares and files your returns: you, someone in-house or an outside accountant?
Which accounting system does your accountant want to work in or receive files from?
Do you pay employees, contractors or both?
Who tracks tax due dates and makes the payments?
Where are receipts and records kept, and who can reach them?

Ready to take it to whoever signs off?Turn your shortlist into a one-page decision brief with verified prices, or price the whole job for your team size.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I file small business taxes?

Get your books complete and reconciled, pull the reports your return needs, then file with a tax professional or tax preparation software. Which returns you file, and when, depends on your business structure and where you operate, so confirm with an accountant.

How do I pay small business taxes quarterly?

Whether you owe quarterly or other periodic payments depends on your business and where you operate, so check with your accountant or tax authority first. Once you know the dates, set money aside as income comes in and put each date on a calendar.

What small business tax deductions can I claim?

That depends on your country, your business structure and what you spent, so ask your accountant. What software can do is make sure every expense is recorded, categorized and backed by a receipt, so nothing you could claim gets lost.

What tax software fits a small business?

Tax software and accounting software do different jobs. Accounting software keeps the books all year, and tax preparation software or an accountant turns them into a return, so pick accounting software your preparer can work with. The table above shows each tool's verified entry price and billing unit.

How we built this page

We start from the job, not the product. The phrasings people search for this job (for example “how to file small business taxes”) come from our research into how small and mid-size teams describe it. Which software categories the job takes is our editorial judgment. Every tool, entry price, billing unit and date comes from HelpCompare’s open dataset, recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page; nothing is estimated, and where a vendor publishes no price we say so. We take no affiliate commissions and publish no scores of our own. See our methodology or download the data from Open Data.

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How to get ready to file small business taxes

Bottom line up front: What software does a small business need to be ready for tax season?

How to get ready for taxes, step by step

The software this job takes

Small Business Accounting Software

Payroll & HR Software

Not covered on HelpCompare yet

What to look for

Common mistakes to avoid

What to settle before you buy

Frequently asked questions

How do I file small business taxes?

How do I pay small business taxes quarterly?

What small business tax deductions can I claim?

What tax software fits a small business?

How we built this page

More jobs in Money

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Bill Belcamino