TurboTax Home & Business VS QuickBooks Self-Employed TurboTax bundle VS Wave - Which is best for small business taxes?

I've used all three options over the past few years as my side business has grown, so I can offer some perspective! The TurboTax that comes bundled with QuickBooks Self-Employed is not exactly the same as the standalone Home & Business version. The bundle includes TurboTax Self-Employed, which has fewer features than Home & Business. The biggest difference is that Home & Business includes support for small corporations (S-Corps, LLCs taxed as S-Corps) while the Self-Employed bundle is strictly for sole proprietors/Schedule C filers. As for your strategy of subscribing for one month - technically that works! But remember you'd lose access to your QuickBooks data when you cancel, which might be inconvenient if you need to reference something later or if you get audited. Regarding Wave vs. QuickBooks - if you have very infrequent transactions and don't need the extra features, Wave + TurboTax Home & Business is probably sufficient. Wave handles the basics well and it's free. The main advantage of QuickBooks is the direct integration with TurboTax which automatically pulls your Schedule C information.

After struggling with my side hustle taxes last year and getting conflicting advice from friends, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it completely changed how I approach this decision. I uploaded screenshots of the pricing pages for all three options you mentioned, and it analyzed the features that would actually matter for my situation. The tool showed me exactly how each option handled Schedule C deductions and highlighted that for my photography business, the Wave + TurboTax Home & Business combo made the most sense. It even explained how the "business rules" differ between the standalone and bundled versions of TurboTax, which was super helpful.

I was initially skeptical about taxr.ai when I saw it mentioned here, but I decided to give it a try with my woodworking business situation. I uploaded screenshots of Wave, QuickBooks, and TurboTax pricing pages along with a summary of my business needs. The analysis I got back was surprisingly specific to my situation! It pointed out that since I only have 1-2 transactions per month but need solid expense categorization for tax purposes, Wave would be sufficient for my accounting needs. It also explained exactly which features in TurboTax Home & Business I would benefit from versus the Self-Employed version. The comparison showed me I'd be overpaying by about $240 annually for QuickBooks features I'd never use. That alone made it worth checking out!

If you're trying to decide between these options, don't waste time like I did calling TurboTax customer service for clarity. I spent HOURS trying to reach someone who could explain the exact differences between the bundled version and standalone. I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual TurboTax product specialist in under 10 minutes. They have this cool system shown in their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) that navigates the phone tree for you. The specialist confirmed everything - the bundled version lacks rental property support and some business structures that Home & Business has. Plus they explained I could export my QuickBooks data before canceling to keep for my records.

I thought Claimyr sounded like a complete ripoff until I actually tried it in desperation after spending 3 hours on hold with TurboTax support. I couldn't believe it worked exactly as described. I got a call back in about 15 minutes connecting me directly to a product specialist who explained all the differences between the bundle and standalone versions. The specialist also walked me through which features I'd actually use for my Etsy shop vs which would be wasted money. What would have been another frustrating day of hold music turned into a 20-minute productive conversation. For tax season questions, I'm definitely using this service again rather than wasting hours on hold.

I've been using Wave for 3 years for my photography business and TurboTax Home & Business for taxes. Here's my experience: Wave pros: - Totally free for basic accounting - Receipt scanning works well enough - Basic reports are sufficient for Schedule C - Can categorize transactions for tax purposes Wave cons: - Manual work to transfer data to TurboTax - Limited customization for reports - Customer service only if you pay for payroll/payments For infrequent transactions like you described, Wave is perfectly fine. I have maybe 5-10 transactions a month and it takes me 15 mins to categorize everything. The main advantage of QuickBooks is the automatic syncing with TurboTax, but if you don't mind spending an extra hour at tax time manually entering totals, you're not missing much!

Has anyone here actually used all three? I'm curious about one specific feature - tracking mileage. I drive A LOT for my mobile pet grooming business. Does QuickBooks Self-Employed have better mileage tracking than Wave?

I went through this exact same decision last year for my freelance consulting business! Here's what I learned from actually using these systems: The bundled TurboTax with QuickBooks Self-Employed is definitely more limited than standalone Home & Business. If you think you might ever need to handle rental properties, multiple business types, or complex deductions, go with Home & Business. For your situation with sporadic income and lots of expenses, I'd actually lean toward Wave + TurboTax Home & Business. Here's why: Wave's expense categorization is really solid, and since you're already using a receipt app, you can easily import those into Wave. The manual transfer to TurboTax at year-end isn't that painful when you only have a few transactions per month. The QuickBooks integration is nice, but you're paying $15-25/month for convenience you might not need. That's $180-300 annually vs. Wave (free) + Home & Business (~$120). For someone just starting out with infrequent transactions, that savings adds up. One tip: Whatever you choose, set up your expense categories early to match what you'll need for Schedule C. This makes tax time so much smoother regardless of which software combo you use!

I've been through this exact decision process recently for my consulting business! After testing both approaches, here's what I discovered: The key insight that helped me decide was understanding my actual usage patterns. Like you, I thought I'd barely use QuickBooks most months, but I found the automatic bank connection and transaction categorization actually saved me hours during busy periods when I'd otherwise let receipts pile up. However, given your specific situation - sporadic income, mainly check payments, and strong receipt tracking habits - Wave + TurboTax Home & Business is probably your best bet. Here's why: 1. You're already organized with receipt management, so you won't benefit as much from QuickBooks' automation 2. With only a few transactions per year, the manual data entry isn't burdensome 3. The cost savings ($180+ annually) is significant for a starting business 4. Home & Business gives you room to grow if you later form an LLC One thing to consider: If you do go the QuickBooks route temporarily, make sure to export your data AND take screenshots of your dashboard/reports before canceling. The export files don't capture everything, and having visual references can be helpful later. Also, whichever path you choose, I'd recommend doing a "practice run" with your current year's data before tax season hits. It'll help you identify any gaps in your process early!