Better Tax

What Better Tax is
Better Tax is web software for preparing and filing a personal Canadian tax return. It can automatically fill return details, such as a T4 slip, from the CRA, and the maker says it is CRA NETFILE certified for 2025 returns. The software supports most tax situations, including business income and rental properties. It can help families share amounts to find credits and deductions, and the maker says it optimizes more than 100 items, including donations, medical expenses and pension income. Human support is available for questions. Tax data can be kept in the cloud or in a local file, with the ability to move between those options. The privacy policy says cloud tax data is encrypted and users can export or delete their data. For AI features, limited return information may be sent to third parties after personal identifiers are filtered; those providers do not retain it or use it to train models. AI is disabled with Local File Storage. Better Tax has a free “Pay what you want” plan, with $0 allowed and unlimited returns. It is not suited to several situations, including Quebec TP-1 returns, non-residents, deceased taxpayers and users with a NETFILE restriction.
Who it suits
It suits Canadian residents filing their own returns, including people with business or rental income. It is not a fit for users whose circumstances fall among the listed unsupported cases, or anyone seeking professional or commercial tax preparation.
What it does well
- CRA auto-fill can import return information such as T4 slips.
- Supports business income and rental properties.
- Cloud or local-file storage options are available.
- Unlimited returns are allowed with optional payment.
What to know first
- Does not support Quebec TP-1 returns.
- Not suitable for non-residents or emigrants.
- Professional or commercial tax preparation is prohibited.
- Some NETFILE-restricted users cannot file.
Limits
The family-group license permits up to 20 personal returns. The service excludes several situations, including Quebec TP-1 returns, certain foreign-affiliate or multi-jurisdiction filings, and NETFILE-restricted users.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pay what you want | Optional payment; $0 is allowed · No pricing tiers · As many returns as you like | Free |
As bettertax.ca lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the Better Tax website
- Use the web application
- Choose cloud storage or Local File Storage
- Import available return information from the CRA
- Prepare and file your return under the free plan
Verdict
Better Tax offers a free, optional-payment route for many Canadian personal returns, with CRA auto-fill and flexible storage choices. Confirm that your filing situation is supported before relying on it.
Questions
Is Better Tax free?
Yes. Its pay-what-you-want plan allows a $0 payment and as many returns as you like.
Which platforms are supported?
Better Tax is available on the web.
Can it handle self-employment and rental income?
Yes. Both self-employment and rental income are supported.
Can tax data be stored locally?
Yes. Users can store data in the cloud or a local device file and move between those options.
Does Better Tax support CRA autofill?
Yes. It can automatically fill return information, such as a T4 slip, from the CRA.
Who makes Better Tax?
The founders identify themselves as Jonathan, Allison, and Alex, who began building Canadian DIY tax software in 2012.
Facts from Better Tax's own pages
- AI data handling
- For AI features, limited tax-return information may go to third-party providers after personal identifiers are filtered; providers do not retain it or use it to train models, and AI is disabled with Local File Storage. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Audit support
- Yes · bettertax.ca, 20 Sept 2026
- Auto-fill
- It can automatically fill in return information, such as a T4 slip, directly from the CRA. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Company history
- The founders say they began building Canadian DIY tax software in 2012 and identify themselves as Jonathan, Allison, and Alex. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- CRA filing
- The site says Better Tax is CRA NETFILE certified for 2025 returns. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Family return cap
- The terms license allows up to 20 personal returns for a user's family group and prohibits professional or commercial tax preparation use. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Family returns
- It helps users share amounts between family members to find credits and deductions. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · bettertax.ca, 20 Sept 2026
- Notable limits
- It is not a good fit for Quebec residents who need a TP-1 return, non-residents or emigrants, deceased taxpayers, bankrupt users, certain foreign-affiliate or multi-jurisdiction filings, AgriStability or AgriInvest participants, or users with a NETFILE restriction. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Product
- Better Tax is personal tax filing software for preparing and filing your own Canadian tax return. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Refund optimizer
- The maker says it optimizes more than 100 items, including donations, medical expenses, and pension income, to maximize a refund. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Rental income
- Yes · bettertax.ca, 20 Sept 2026
- Security and privacy
- The privacy policy says cloud tax data is encrypted using AES-GCM with unique 256-bit keys and AES-KW key wrapping, and users can export or delete their data. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Self-employment support
- Yes · bettertax.ca, 20 Sept 2026
- State filing
- included · bettertax.ca, 20 Sept 2026
- Storage choices
- Users can store tax data in the cloud or locally in a file on their device, and can move data between those options. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker says human support is available for questions. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
- Supported situations
- The software supports most tax situations, including business income and rental properties. · bettertax.ca, 11 Oct 2026
Where Better Tax stands on Freedom251
- Tax Software#44 of 149
- Personal Tax Software#41 of 123
