Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Tax software for a small business or self-employed filer has to do one job well: fill in the CRA’s T2125 form for business or professional income and expenses, then send the return with NETFILE. The CRA says your software must be NETFILE certified, and it keeps a list of certified products. For the 2025 return, self-employed filers had until June 15, 2026 to file, but any balance was due April 30, 2026.
Searching for TurboTax Home & Business usually means you want that kind of package, so we named it as one example. We didn’t confirm its price, features or how it compares with others, and this page makes no claim about it.
What should tax software for a small business handle?
Picture Sam, a lawn-care operator in Winnipeg with a T4 from a winter job and a summer business on the side. Sam needs software that takes both: the slip, and the T2125 for the business. A product that only does slips would leave Sam retyping totals by hand.
Start from your paperwork, and only then look at what the box promises on the front. A self-employed person uses Form T2125 to report business and professional income and expenses. So the first question for any product is whether it includes that form, and whether it carries the totals to your main return without retyping.
Then look at the gaps. Ask whether it covers GST/HST reporting, or whether that’s separate. Ask whether it handles the CPP you owe on self-employed income, and whether it can work out tax instalments. If a vendor can’t answer these in plain words, the answer is probably no.
Incorporated? A corporation files a different return, and personal software isn’t built for it. Check that before you buy anything.
Is the software NETFILE certified?
NETFILE is the CRA’s electronic filing service. It needs certified software, and the CRA points to a page where you can find certified products. Check that page, not the vendor’s own claim, and look for the tax year you’re filing. The CRA also lists returns NETFILE can’t take, such as a deceased taxpayer’s return or a bankruptcy return, plus a long list of complex cases.
Free products may exist on the certified list, but we didn’t find a statement about free options on the NETFILE page, so we won’t say which are free.
Should you do it yourself or pay someone?
If your year is a handful of invoices, a vehicle you drive for work and a home office, software will usually carry you. It starts to strain when you’ve got employees, several income sources, a sale of property or a business that crossed a GST/HST threshold during the year. That’s tax time where a second pair of eyes earns its keep. Do a rough check first: tally your income and expenses on a page, run the figures through the calculators on this site, and see if the software’s answer lands in the same ballpark.
What does a self-employed return cost you in tax?
Software doesn’t change the bill. The bill comes from your income. Take someone in Ontario with $80,000 of net business income and nothing else. Our self-employed tax calculator shows this.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Federal tax | $8,698 |
| Ontario tax | $4,535 |
| CPP, both halves | $8,893 |
| Tax and contributions | $22,126 |
| Left after both | $57,874 |
That’s 27.7% of the income. The tool leaves out EI, GST/HST and business expenses beyond what you enter, so treat it as a first pass. Your software will work from the real figures.
When are the deadlines for a self-employed filer?
The 2025 return was due for filing on June 15, 2026, and the payment of any balance on April 30, 2026. The CRA also lists quarterly instalment dates for 2026: March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. We haven’t seen the 2026 return dates published yet, so check the CRA page before you rely on them.
Notice the trap. The later filing date doesn’t move the payment date. People file in June, forgetting that the money was due in April, and only notice when the balance they owed has gone unpaid for weeks. If you think you’ll owe, use the tax instalments calculator and pay during the year.
What mistakes do people make when they pick software?
- Buying on a discount without checking the forms covered. We can’t confirm any prices or codes.
- Trusting the expense suggestions. The software can’t know what’s a business cost. You do, and you need the receipts.
- Skipping GST/HST. The GST/HST calculator helps with the amounts, but registration and filing rules are the CRA’s.
- Waiting until the last week to learn the program.
If your books are messy or you employ people, an accountant may cost less than the mistakes. For a simple sole proprietor, software is often enough. Use the income tax calculator to check the answer before you file.
Can you switch software next year?
Yes, and many people do. Before you leave, download or print your finished return and your notice of assessment, because you’ll want them if the CRA asks a question later. Some products import last year’s data, but we haven’t tested which ones, so don’t count on it. Keep your receipts in a folder you control rather than inside any one program.
Sources, and how we checked them
The T2125 description, the NETFILE requirements and the self-employed deadlines are from Canada Revenue Agency pages, read in September 2026. The tax example is our calculator’s 2026 federal and Ontario result. Nothing here says anything about a product’s price or performance.
Frequently asked questions
What form does a self-employed person file?
Form T2125, which the CRA says is used to report business or professional income and expenses.
Does the software have to be certified?
To use NETFILE, yes. The CRA points to a list of NETFILE certified tax software on its site.
When do self-employed filers have to file?
For the 2025 return, June 15, 2026, with any balance owing due April 30, 2026. The 2026 dates were not published when we checked.
Can software lower my tax?
It can't change the rules. It helps you record income and expenses correctly, and you need your own receipts.
Do you compare TurboTax with other products?
No. We couldn't confirm prices or features for any product, so this guide only lists what to check.
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