How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- TurboTax Business is the most recognizable DIY option for multi-member LLCs, with partnership pricing at $639 for Expert Assist and $1,549 for full-service filing, according to Intuit's own pricing page.
- TaxAct Business is the value pick for filers who prepare the 1065 themselves: $159.99 for partnerships, all 50 states included, with the option to start for free.
- If your return involves multi-state K-1s, complex allocations, or special allocations of profit and loss, professional tools like Lacerte and Drake Tax are the safer choice, and most CPAs already run one of them.
- ez1099 does not file a 1065, but at $79 it fills a common gap for LLCs that pay contractors and need to issue 1099-NEC forms.
- Every option on this list exists and is sold today, and every price below comes from the vendor's own page or is marked "See website" where the vendor does not publish it.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 TurboTax Business | DIY owners who want expert help on call | From $639 (partnership, Expert Assist) | See website |
 H&R Block Business | retail-priced DIY 1065 filing | See website | Free trial |
 TaxAct Business | budget-conscious self-filers | $159.99 (partnership, all states included) | Free trial (start for free) |
 Drake Tax | CPAs and preparers filing 1065s for clients | See website | See website |
 TaxSlayer Pro | preparers who want cloud or desktop 1065 filing | See website | Free trial |
 Lacerte | firms with complex multi-state K-1s | See website | Free trial |
 ez1099 | LLCs that pay contractors and file 1099s | $79 | Free trial |
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We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best tax software for multi-member LLCs
Starting priceFrom $639 (partnership, Expert Assist)
Free planSee website
When a multi-member LLC owner decides to handle the 1065 without hiring a CPA, TurboTax Business is usually the first name that comes up. Intuit has rebuilt the business product around the entity return: you walk through an interview-style questionnaire, the software builds the partnership return behind the scenes, and it generates a Schedule K-1 for each member. For owners who understand their books but do not speak tax form fluently, that interview format removes a lot of guesswork.
The pricing is the honest tradeoff. Intuit's current business tax page prices partnership returns at $639 with Expert Assist and $1,549 for full-service preparation, which reflects the fact that a 1065 is genuinely harder than a personal return. The Expert Assist tier gives you access to a tax expert who can review the return before you file, and that is the tier most first-time 1065 filers should weigh seriously. If the LLC has multiple states, guaranteed payments, or anything beyond a simple profit split, the full-service option exists precisely for that situation. The online version works in a browser with no software to install, which suits owners who file from more than one machine.
What we like- Guided 1065 interview built for non-accountants
- Every partnership return generates K-1s and supports e-file
- Expert help is available on the same platform
Watch out for- Partnership pricing is steep compared with TaxAct
- Complex special allocations may still need an accountant's review
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
H&R Block's Premium Small Business edition covers the 2025 and 2026 tax years and explicitly lists partnerships and multi-member LLCs among the entities it supports. The company positions it as the retail alternative to TurboTax Business: similar guided preparation, similar K-1 generation, sold at a store-friendly price point. For owners who already use H&R Block for their personal returns, keeping the business return in the same ecosystem has a practical benefit, because member-level data and business data stay in one account.
The clearest advantage over the competition is the safety net. H&R Block sells the software online and also operates thousands of offices, so a filer who starts the 1065 at home and hits a wall can bring it to a tax professional for review instead of starting over in a different product. The product page offers a free trial, which means you can walk through the partnership interview and see exactly what it asks for before committing. The downside is transparency: the current product page does not publish a price, so you will need to check the site or a retailer to see what the 2026 edition costs.
What we like- Covers partnerships, S corps, C corps, and multi-member LLCs in one product
- A free trial lets you test the interview before paying
- H&R Block offices provide in-person backup if you get stuck
Watch out for- Pricing is not published on the product page
- Interface feels dated next to TurboTax and TaxAct
Starting price$159.99 (partnership, all states included)
Free planFree trial (start for free)
TaxAct has quietly become the price leader for self-prepared business returns. Its business page lists the partnership return, Form 1065, at $159.99, with all 50 states included in that price and the option to start the return for free. Compared with TurboTax's $639 starting point for partnerships, that gap is large enough to matter for a small LLC watching its professional-services budget. The product still covers K-1 generation and e-filing, which are the two non-negotiable features for a multi-member entity.
Where TaxAct earns its place is the middle tier. For $248.99 you can add Xpert Assist, which gives you access to a tax professional to review the return, and a full-service option exists for filers who want to hand the whole thing off. That structure mirrors TurboTax's tiers at a fraction of the price, and for a straightforward two-member LLC with a clean set of books, the DIY tier at $159.99 is difficult to beat on value. The honest caveat is that the interview flow is thinner: owners with special allocations, Section 179 decisions, or debt-basis questions may find themselves searching the help center more than they would in a more hand-holding product.
What we like- Partnership pricing far below TurboTax
- All 50 states included at the listed price
- Xpert Assist adds professional review without the full-service price
Watch out for- The interface is functional rather than polished
- Guidance depth is lighter than TurboTax for unusual situations
Starting priceSee website
Free planSee website
Drake Tax sits on the other side of the counter from the first three entries. It is professional tax preparation software, built for CPAs, enrolled agents, and tax firms that prepare returns for clients. If your multi-member LLC hires a preparer, there is a good chance the 1065 is being prepared in Drake, Lacerte, or one of the other professional platforms on this list. Drake offers both a locally installed desktop version and a cloud-based online version, plus add-ons for portals, e-signatures, and payments that let a firm run the whole client workflow in one system.
For the LLC owner reading this guide, Drake matters in two ways. First, it sets the bar for what a complete 1065 platform looks like: diagnostics, multi-state support, and e-filing for the partnership return and every K-1. Second, it explains why some firms charge what they charge. Drake's pricing is structured per preparer and per return volume, which is why the company asks firms to talk to sales rather than publishing a single price. If you are an owner choosing software for yourself, skip Drake. If you are a firm choosing software to file 1065s for clients, it belongs on your shortlist.
What we like- Built specifically for professional preparers, with desktop and cloud versions
- Strong reputation for support among small firms
- Handles the full range of business entity returns
Watch out for- Not designed for DIY business owners
- Pricing is quote-based and aimed at firms, not single returns
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
TaxSlayer Pro is the professional sibling of the consumer TaxSlayer brand, and it is a different product entirely. It is built for tax preparers and firms, offered in both cloud-based and desktop versions, with packages that include federal and state e-filing and the company's support. The current demo page offers a free trial of the software and walks firms through a package comparison, including a web-based tier for preparers who want to work from anywhere.
The positioning is straightforward: a firm that prepares 1065s for multi-member LLC clients can run them through TaxSlayer Pro alongside 1120S, 1120, and 1040 returns, with bank products and a client-facing mobile app as part of the package. Like Drake, it is not the right choice for an owner filing a single return, and its pricing is discussed with sales rather than listed on a page. For a small firm that finds Drake's pricing hard to justify or wants a cloud-first workflow, TaxSlayer Pro is a credible alternative worth a trial run before committing to a season.
What we like- Cloud and desktop versions of the same professional product
- Free trial lets firms evaluate before tax season
- Unlimited e-filing is included in packages
Watch out for- Aimed at firms, so a DIY owner will find the pricing model confusing
- The demo page pushes hard toward a sales conversation
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Lacerte is Intuit's professional-grade tax software, and it has been the default choice of large CPA firms for decades. Where TurboTax Business guides an owner through an interview, Lacerte gives a professional a worksheet-based interface, thousands of automated calculations, and over 5,700 supported forms. For a multi-member LLC with members in several states, tiered entities, or complicated profit-and-loss allocations, that depth is the point. The diagnostics engine runs tens of thousands of checks against the return, which is how firms catch the K-1 errors that trigger notices.
Intuit also sells hosting for Lacerte, so firms can run the desktop software in the cloud and give staff remote access without managing their own servers. The tradeoff is cost and complexity: Lacerte is priced for firms, not for a single return, and nobody should buy it to file one 1065. But if you are interviewing CPAs for your LLC and want to know what "the good software" looks like on their side of the desk, Lacerte is the reference standard. The product page offers a no-risk trial, which is how firms typically evaluate it before a season.
What we like- More than 5,700 forms and 25,000 diagnostics for accuracy
- Built for the most complex returns, including multi-state K-1s
- Cloud hosting available for the desktop product
Watch out for- The priciest ecosystem on this list
- Overkill for a simple two-member LLC
Starting price$79
Free planFree trial
ez1099 earns its spot as the companion every multi-member LLC actually needs alongside its 1065 software. Most LLCs pay contractors, and contractor payments mean 1099-NEC forms at year end. ez1099 from Halfpricesoft prepares, prints, and e-files 1099s, 1098s, 5498s, and W-2s at a flat $79 with unlimited company accounts, recipients, and forms. The current 2025 edition even supports the newer 1099-DA form and ships with a limited-time offer of 10 free e-files. The company offers a free trial with no credit card required, and all data stays on your own machine.
Be clear about what it is not: ez1099 does not prepare a partnership return, does not generate K-1s, and does not replace any of the six tools above. Think of it as the January paperwork tool that sits next to your March tax software. For a small LLC that pays a handful of freelancers, it is one of the cheapest ways to stay compliant on information returns without paying a payroll service for the privilege.
What we like- One flat $79 price with unlimited forms and company accounts
- Prints, PDFs, and e-files 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, and W-2s
- Free trial requires no credit card
Watch out for- It does not prepare or file Form 1065
- Windows-first software with limited Mac support
How we chose
We built this list from vendor pricing pages, product documentation, and public discussion on sites like G2, Capterra, and Reddit, focusing on one question: can this product actually prepare and file Form 1065 for a multi-member LLC? We checked each vendor's current site on October 14, 2026, to confirm the product still exists and to capture pricing only where the vendor publishes it. We did not install or test any of these products, and nothing in this guide is based on hands-on use. Where a vendor does not publish pricing, we say "See website" instead of guessing.
How to pick the right option for your LLC
Start with who will prepare the return. If you are doing it yourself and your books are clean, the DIY tier of TaxAct Business or TurboTax Business is the natural starting point. The price difference between them is large, so weigh how much hand-holding you need. TurboTax's interview is deeper, and its Expert Assist tier puts a professional review between you and the IRS. TaxAct covers the same forms for much less, which suits owners who are comfortable reading instructions.
If your situation has any of these features, get a professional involved: members in more than one state, special allocations of income or loss, guaranteed payments, debt-financed distributions, or a prior-year return with errors. A CPA running Lacerte or Drake Tax will handle those cases faster and more safely than any interview software, and the fee is usually deductible as a business expense. The software list above doubles as a way to evaluate the firms you interview. Ask what they file 1065s in. A firm running current professional software is a good sign.
Then handle the January work separately. Contractor payments, 1099-NEC forms, and W-2s for any employees are a different workflow from the partnership return, and a dedicated tool like ez1099 keeps that paperwork cheap and organized. Whatever you choose, confirm two features before you pay: e-filing for both the 1065 and the K-1s, and support for every state where your members live. A product that files the federal return but leaves you to hand-file five state K-1s is not a bargain at any price.
The partnership return is due March 15 for calendar-year LLCs, with an automatic extension available to September 15. That extension covers the filing, not the tax: members still owe their individual tax on time, based on the K-1 income the LLC reports to them. This is the single most misunderstood part of LLC taxation. The LLC itself generally pays no income tax. The profit flows through to the members, who report it on their personal returns.
Each member's Schedule K-1 shows their share of income, deductions, and credits. Members need those K-1s before they can finish their own returns, which is why the LLC's March deadline matters to everyone involved. Late filing triggers penalties assessed against the partnership per member per month, so an LLC with four members pays four times the penalty of a solo filer. Keep your books reconciled monthly, issue K-1s as soon as the return is done, and do not wait until March to discover your software cannot handle your situation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I file a multi-member LLC return with regular TurboTax?
No. The consumer TurboTax products handle individual returns, and a multi-member LLC files a partnership return on Form 1065. You need TurboTax Business, which is a separate product built for entity returns, or another business tax product from this list.
What is a Schedule K-1?
A Schedule K-1 is the form a partnership sends to each member showing that member's share of the LLC's income, deductions, and credits for the year. The LLC files one K-1 per member along with its Form 1065, and each member uses their K-1 to complete their personal tax return.
Do all members have to agree on the tax software?
No, but the LLC files a single partnership return, so whoever prepares it chooses the software. Members receive their K-1s from that return. It is good practice to tell members which product you are using and when to expect their K-1s, since they cannot finish their own returns without them.
Is there free software that files Form 1065?
Not really. The free tax products are built for individual 1040 returns. Every 1065-capable product we found charges for the partnership return, although several offer free trials so you can test the interview before paying. TaxAct's $159.99 partnership return is the lowest published price on this list.
When is Form 1065 due?
March 15 for calendar-year partnerships, with an automatic extension to September 15. The extension gives you more time to file, but members still owe their individual tax on the normal schedule. File the extension if you need it, and get K-1s to members as early as possible.
Should I just hire a CPA instead of buying software?
If your LLC has multi-state members, special allocations, or anything beyond a simple profit split, a CPA is usually worth the fee. Many CPAs use Lacerte or Drake Tax, both covered above. For a simple two-member LLC with clean books, DIY software like TaxAct Business or TurboTax Business is a reasonable choice.
Sources we checked (7)
- https://turbotax.intuit.com/small-business-taxes/
- https://www.hrblock.com/tax-software/premium-small-business-tax-software/
- http://taxact.com/business-returns
- https://drakesoftware.com/
- https://www.taxslayerpro.com/
- https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/lacerte/for-accountants/
- https://www.halfpricesoft.com/1099_software.asp
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.