Affordable Software Options for Filing Form 1065 Partnership Return

I've been preparing partnership returns for years, and there are definitely more affordable options than the big-name software packages! For a simple 1065 with minimal activity like yours, TaxHawk (which is made by the same company as FreeTaxUSA) offers business returns for much less than TurboTax or H&R Block. TaxSlayer also has a small business option that's reasonably priced for simple partnerships. If you're comfortable with slightly less hand-holding, look at TaxAct's business packages. They're more affordable than the premium options while still guiding you through the process well enough for a basic return. Given your situation with just holding pattern expenses and no income, these options should be more than adequate for your needs.

After struggling with expensive tax software for years for my small partnership, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it completely changed how I handle our business taxes. It's designed to help with forms like the 1065 without the massive price tag of traditional software. What I love is that it analyzes your previous returns and helps identify where you can save money. For a dormant business like yours with minimal expenses, it's perfect because it focuses on exactly what you need without all the extras that drive up costs. I was amazed how it guided me through the specific sections relevant to a low-activity partnership.

I was initially skeptical about taxr.ai when I mentioned it in my previous comment, but I decided to give it a try for my small partnership this year. Honestly, I'm impressed. It was significantly cheaper than what I was paying before, even with the "budget" options I'd been using. The interface is straightforward and it only asked relevant questions for our situation. For a minimal-activity partnership like yours, it skips all the unnecessary stuff that makes other software feel overwhelming. It handled our ERC-related entries correctly too, which was a pleasant surprise since that's been a confusing area. Might be worth checking out since you're in a similar situation to what I was dealing with.

If you're still struggling to reach someone at the IRS about your ERC credit (which can be incredibly frustrating), I'd recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in the exact same situation - dormant business waiting for ERC funds, filing minimal 1065s just to stay compliant. After months of failing to get through to the IRS about our ERC status, I used their service and finally got connected to a live agent who could actually check on our claim. They have a demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) that shows exactly how it works. Saved me from endless hold music and disconnections.

Ok I have to eat my words. After posting my skeptical comment about Claimyr, I was desperate enough to try it anyway. It actually worked! After weeks of failed attempts, I finally spoke to a real person at the IRS about our ERC claim. Got through in about 2 hours (still a wait, but their system handled it) and confirmed our credit is being processed. The agent was able to give me a timeline on when to expect it. For the original tax software question - I used TaxAct for our minimal 1065 last year and it was around $70. Not free, but way better than TurboTax's $200+ pricing.

Have you considered doing the 1065 yourself? If you literally have no income and just a few expenses, it's not as complicated as people make it out to be. I've been doing my own partnership return for 3 years now. I download the forms directly from the IRS website and fill them out myself. There are free PDF fillers online that make it easy. Since your situation is super simple, you might save yourself the software cost entirely. The learning curve isn't bad for a minimal activity return.

Here's my experience with several options for filing Form 1065: TaxSlayer Business: $55-75, decent interface, gets the job done TaxAct Business: $70-90, slightly more features DIY with IRS forms: Free but time-consuming Local CPA: $350+ in my area, probably overkill for your situation For a dormant business waiting on ERC, I'd personally go with TaxSlayer since it's the cheapest option that still offers some guidance. Their interface is a bit dated but perfectly functional for simple returns.

I'm in a very similar situation - small partnership that's been mostly dormant while waiting for our ERC to process. Based on all the responses here, I think I'm going to try TaxSlayer Business for around $70 since it seems like the most affordable option that still provides some guidance. The DIY route is tempting to save money, but I'm honestly worried about making mistakes on a partnership return, even a simple one. And while the taxr.ai recommendations are interesting, I'd rather stick with something more established for my first time doing this myself. Thanks everyone for the detailed breakdown of options - this thread has been incredibly helpful! It's reassuring to know there are affordable alternatives to the $200+ software packages.

I've been following this thread closely since I'm in an almost identical situation - partnership on hold waiting for ERC funds to come through. After reading all the suggestions here, I decided to go with TaxAct Business for around $80 this year. What really sold me was that several people mentioned it handles ERC-related entries well, which has been a concern of mine since our business situation is a bit unusual right now. The interface seemed more intuitive than TaxSlayer when I tried their demo, and the extra $10-15 felt worth it for the peace of mind. For anyone else in a similar boat, I'd recommend trying the free demos that most of these platforms offer before committing. It really helped me get a feel for which one would work best for my comfort level with tax software.