Freelancers and contractors
Track recurring 1099-related expenses throughout the year and carry reviewed deductions into a personal return.
Independent tool overview
Keeper at a glance
Keeper Tax combines transaction-based deduction tracking, tax software, an AI tax assistant, and human tax-professional review for US individual and selected business returns.
Visit the official Keeper site ↗
- Best for
- Freelancers and US small-business taxpayers
- Core service
- Deductions plus tax preparation and filing
- Review
- Keeper says every filed return is reviewed by a tax pro
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, and Android
- Trial
- 14 days; auto-renews unless canceled
Overview
What Keeper is
Keeper is a US tax platform built around year-round expense tracking and annual filing. Users can connect financial accounts, review transactions that Keeper identifies as possible business deductions, add receipts and notes, upload tax forms, and prepare a federal and state return through the web or mobile app.
The service is not simply an AI tax chatbot. Keeper says filed returns are reviewed and signed by a tax professional, and the user reviews the estimated refund or amount due and authorizes filing. Higher plans add a dedicated accountant, quarterly support, amendment help, prior-year or complex-return support, and selected S-corporation or partnership services.
Keeper is most relevant to freelancers, sole proprietors, and small-business owners with many potentially deductible transactions. Tax treatment is fact-specific, and the IRS says taxpayers remain ultimately accountable for every item on a return, so users should verify income, deductions, account numbers, preparer details, and the completed return before authorizing submission.
Use cases
Who Keeper is best for
The strongest fit depends on the job you need the product to complete, not the size of its feature list.
Sole proprietors
Combine Schedule C expense organization with individual federal and state tax filing.
Complex individual filers
Premium covers situations such as K-1s, rental property, foreign income, AMT, and estate-tax questions, subject to scope and add-ons.
S-corps and partnerships
The Business plan bundles selected business-return, quarterly payroll-tax, and year-end close support with Premium individual filing.
Capabilities
Core Keeper features
Deduction tracking
Connect eligible financial accounts so Keeper can surface transactions that may qualify as business expenses for user review.
Receipts and categories
Attach receipt photos, notes, and categories to maintain support for claimed expenses.
Federal and state e-filing
Annual filing plans include preparation and electronic filing for supported US individual returns.
AI tax assistant
Ask tax questions inside the service, with human support available when a question or return requires professional judgment.
Tax-professional review
Keeper says a tax professional reviews and signs the return before the user gives final filing authorization.
Premium and business support
Higher tiers add an assigned accountant, quarterly tax help, audit resolution, amendments, and selected business-return services.
Process
How the Keeper workflow works
Step 1
Confirm the scope
Check that Keeper supports every state, entity, foreign account, income type, credit, and form in your situation before paying.
Step 2
Connect and classify
Link only the accounts needed, review every suggested deduction, and add a business purpose, category, and receipt where appropriate.
Step 3
Upload complete records
Provide all income forms, estimated payments, prior returns, entity documents, and other records instead of relying only on scanned transactions.
Step 4
Resolve questions with a tax pro
Escalate unclear deductions, entity elections, foreign reporting, multi-state work, and other consequential issues to a qualified professional.
Step 5
Review before filing
Check names, Social Security numbers, income, deductions, credits, bank details, preparer signature and PTIN, then save a complete copy before authorization.
Cost
Keeper pricing and free plan
Keeper offers a 14-day trial and several recurring plans. The trial automatically charges the selected plan unless canceled before it ends, and some complex forms or services can carry additional fees.
Only Deductions
$20/month
Expense tracking and deduction export without Keeper tax filing.
- Monthly billing
- Deduction tracking
- Tax filing not included
Standard
$199/year
Individual filing plus business-deduction tracking for W-2 employees, contractors, and sole proprietors with supported complexity.
- Federal and state e-filing
- Link up to 10 financial accounts
- Audit protection listed
Premium
$399/year
Adds support for more complex individual situations and access to a dedicated accountant.
- Quarterly tax support
- One amendment included
- Audit resolution support
Business
$1,199/year
For supported S-corporation or partnership returns alongside the Premium individual service.
- S-corp or partnership filing
- Quarterly Form 941 support
- Year-end book review and close
Pricing checked . Check current pricing at the source ↗
Assessment
Keeper strengths and limitations
Where it stands out
- Year-round transaction review can reduce the last-minute work of reconstructing business expenses
- Combines software and AI assistance with tax-professional review before filing
- Flat annual pricing can be easier to estimate than per-form preparation for supported returns
- Premium and Business provide escalation paths for more complex individual and entity needs
- Web and mobile access support ongoing receipt and expense capture
What to consider
- A suggested transaction is not automatically a valid deduction; eligibility and documentation still depend on facts and tax law
- Users remain legally responsible for the accuracy of the return even when software and a paid preparer are involved
- Some entity, foreign, payroll, amendment, and specialized forms require add-on fees or may fall outside standard scope
- The free trial automatically converts to a paid subscription unless canceled on time
- Linking financial accounts and uploading tax records involves highly sensitive personal and financial data
- Anyone needing in-person representation, extensive bookkeeping, or unusual multi-jurisdiction work should compare credentialed local professionals
Compare
Keeper alternatives
The right alternative depends on the specific output, workflow, controls and budget your project requires.
Finance
Decode Tax
A tax-analysis tool for explaining and exploring tax questions, though it is not a substitute for filing and professional review.
Explore Decode Tax →Business Operations
ChatGPT
Can help explain general tax terminology, but should not be trusted to determine deductions or prepare a return without authoritative verification.
Explore ChatGPT →Data Analysis
Perplexity
Useful for source-based preliminary research when every answer is checked against current IRS and state guidance.
Explore Perplexity →Questions
Keeper FAQs
How much does Keeper Tax cost?
Keeper currently lists Only Deductions at $20 per month, Standard at $199 per year, Premium at $399 per year, and Business at $1,199 per year. Add-on services may cost extra.
Does Keeper file taxes or only find deductions?
The monthly Only Deductions plan does not include filing. Standard, Premium, and Business include filing services within their stated scope.
Does a human review the return?
Keeper says each return is reviewed and signed by a tax professional before the user receives the refund or tax-due estimate and authorizes filing.
Is Keeper only for freelancers?
No. Standard covers supported W-2, contractor, and sole-proprietor situations; Premium adds complex individual scenarios, and Business supports selected S-corp and partnership needs.
Is the Keeper trial free?
Keeper offers a 14-day trial. It automatically charges the selected subscription unless canceled before the trial ends, and filing or exporting deductions requires a paid plan.
Am I still responsible for the tax return?
Yes. The IRS states that taxpayers are ultimately accountable for every item reported, even when a paid preparer completes the return. Review the full return before signing or authorizing e-file.
Bottom line
Our Keeper verdict
Keeper is compelling for US freelancers and small-business owners who want deduction tracking and tax filing in one guided service with human review. Its value depends on carefully reviewing every suggested write-off and confirming that the chosen plan covers the full return; unusual or high-stakes situations may still warrant a separately vetted CPA, enrolled agent, or tax attorney.
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