BoomTax vs TaxFormHero (2026): Features, Pricing and Which Is Better

Short answer: BoomTax is the ACA specialist in this comparison. It has filed 1095-B and 1095-C returns since 2015, handles the state ACA mandates as well as the federal filing, imports from payroll systems, offers a REST API on request and corrects returns for free. If ACA reporting is the hard part of your year, or you want to feed it from payroll or your own software, BoomTax wins. TaxFormHero publishes its prices from a single form at $1.99 where BoomTax starts at $49 for up to 20 forms and quotes above that, charges $0.19 for e-delivery against $0.50 and $1.69 for mail against $1.99, collects W-9s with the TIN match included where BoomTax has no W-9 tool, and files 1099s direct with 41+ states. For a small business, bookkeeper or CPA firm filing 1099s, W-2s and a handful of 1095s, TaxFormHero is the better overall value; for an employer whose 1095-C filing is the main event, BoomTax is.

This comparison is published by TaxFormHero, so read it as an interested party making a checkable case. Every BoomTax fact below comes from its own site, read on 13 November 2026 and linked at the foot of the page, and we say plainly where it beats us. Both companies change prices before filing season; confirm at checkout.

Key takeaways

• Price transparency: BoomTax publishes a $49 starting price covering up to 20 forms and says volume pricing goes “as low as $0.65”; the tiers in between are quoted. TaxFormHero publishes every band: $1.99, $0.99, $0.60, $0.45.
• Small orders: one form is $1.99 at TaxFormHero; at BoomTax the minimum spend is $49. Ten forms is $19.90 against $49.
• Delivery: e-delivery is $0.50 per form at BoomTax and $0.19 at TaxFormHero; mail is $1.99 against $1.69.
• Before you file: TaxFormHero collects W-9s for $0.69 with a TIN match included and checks TINs for $0.49 instant or $0.25 bulk. BoomTax has no W-9 collection and its TIN check is sold as credits without a published price.
• ACA: BoomTax files 1095-B and 1095-C federally and for the state mandates (California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, D.C.), imports from payroll and benefits systems, and corrects for free. TaxFormHero files 1095-B and 1095-C federally through AIR.
• API: BoomTax offers a REST API on request and payroll imports; TaxFormHero has no public API.

If you would rather not do this on paper, e-file Form 1095-C online with TaxFormHero instead.

BoomTax vs TaxFormHero at a glance

Which forms can each service file?

BoomTax began as an ACA filing service and that is still its centre of gravity. It files 1095-B and 1095-C with the IRS through AIR, handles the separate state ACA filings that California, New Jersey, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia require, and tracks the deadlines and extensions for each. It has since added the 1099 series, W-2 and 1042-S. TaxFormHero files 1095-B and 1095-C federally and does not file the state ACA mandates; on the other side it files a wider spread of information returns, including the 1098 and 5498 families, W-2C, W-2G, the newer 1099-DA and the 8809 extension. TaxFormHero’s forms list is the place to check a specific one. If ACA is your main filing, BoomTax wins this section; if 1099s and W-2s are, TaxFormHero does.

Getting your data in

BoomTax imports from payroll and benefits systems, which matters for ACA because the monthly coverage codes on a 1095-C come from the HRIS, not from a spreadsheet someone keyed. It also offers a REST API on request, so a payroll provider or benefits platform can file for its clients. TaxFormHero imports from Excel and CSV templates, connects to Xero and Zoho Books, and converts old FIRE files with a free converter. It has no public API. For anyone integrating filing into software, BoomTax is the choice here.

Both support teams: BoomTax with users and roles, TaxFormHero with free individual logins and every payer under one account.

Before you file: W-9s and TIN matching

This is the section TaxFormHero wins outright. Its W-9 portal collects a signed W-9 from each payee and runs the IRS TIN match on it for $0.69 per request, and TIN Matching on its own is $0.49 for an answer in seconds or $0.25 in bulk, with a verified payee carried for three years. BoomTax has no W-9 collection, so you gather the forms elsewhere and type the TINs in, and its TIN verification is sold as credits whose price is not on the public site. For a 1099 filer, a mismatched TIN means a CP2100 notice and backup-withholding duties, so catching it before filing is worth more than a few cents on the form.

Delivering recipient copies

Both let you download PDFs free and both mail recipient copies. TaxFormHero’s e-delivery is $0.19 per form with IRS-compliant consent; BoomTax’s is $0.50. Print and mail is $1.69 at TaxFormHero and $1.99 at BoomTax. On 200 recipients, e-delivery is $38.00 against $100.00 and mail is $338.00 against $398.00. Neither publishes a peak-season surcharge.

State filing

For 1099s, TaxFormHero files direct with 41+ states and D.C. at $0.99 per form and forwards CF/SF states free; our state filing guide covers which states need a direct filing. BoomTax charges $0.95 per state form. For ACA, BoomTax files the California, New Jersey, Rhode Island and D.C. mandates, which TaxFormHero does not. If you are an employer with staff in those states, that is a reason to choose BoomTax on its own.

Pricing: published bands against a starting price

TaxFormHero publishes graduated bands with no subscription: $1.99 for the first 150 forms, $0.99 to 500, $0.60 to 1,000 and $0.45 beyond, so one form is $1.99 and the pricing page tells you the total before you sign up. BoomTax publishes a starting price of $49 that covers up to 20 forms and a floor of $0.65 per form at volume, with the tiers in between available from its sales team. A quote is not a flaw in itself, and for a 2,000-employee ACA filing it may land well below our $0.45, but a bookkeeper comparing options in January cannot do the sum without a call.

What we can compare

Add-ons

Two orders we can price. Ten 1099-NECs with mailed copies: $49.00 plus $19.90 is $68.90 at BoomTax; $19.90 plus $16.90 is $36.80 at TaxFormHero. Twenty forms with e-delivery: $49.00 plus $10.00 is $59.00 at BoomTax; $39.80 plus $3.80 is $43.60 at TaxFormHero. Above 20 forms BoomTax’s federal line is quoted, so we show its add-ons only; at the $0.65 floor a thousand forms would be $650.00 against TaxFormHero’s $945.00, so a large employer should ask for the quote.

Where BoomTax is the better choice

• ACA depth. A decade of 1095 filing, the state mandates, payroll and benefits imports, deadline tracking and free corrections. TaxFormHero files 1095s federally and stops there.
• The API and payroll imports, for a provider filing on behalf of clients.
• Free corrections on anything it filed.
• Live chat and phone support in season.
• Form 1042-S for foreign payees.
• Potentially lower volume pricing, if your quote lands near its $0.65 floor and your order is large.

Where TaxFormHero is the better choice

• A published price for every order, from one form at $1.99 to thousands at $0.45, with an estimator instead of a sales call.
• Small orders: $19.90 against $49.00 for ten forms, $39.80 against $49.00 for twenty.
• Delivery at a third of the price for e-delivery and 30 cents less per mailed copy.
• W-9 collection with the TIN match included, and a published TIN-matching price with instant results. BoomTax offers neither.
• Breadth of information returns: 1098s, 5498s, W-2C, W-2G, 1099-DA and 8809 extensions.
• Direct 1099 filing with 41+ states and D.C.

Our verdict by type of filer

Small business with contractors. TaxFormHero. Cheaper from the first form, W-9 collection built in, cheaper delivery.

Bookkeeper or CPA firm filing for many clients. TaxFormHero, for the published pricing and the breadth of forms; BoomTax if several of your clients are applicable large employers with state ACA mandates.

Employer of 50 or more filing 1095-Cs. BoomTax, for the payroll imports, the state mandates and free corrections.

Payroll or benefits platform filing for clients. BoomTax, for the API.

High-volume 1099 filer above 1,000 forms. Get both numbers: TaxFormHero’s is published at $0.45 with an enterprise service; BoomTax’s is quoted with a $0.65 floor.

What we could not verify

BoomTax does not publish its volume tiers between 20 forms and its $0.65 floor, its TIN-verification credit price, its full list of direct-filing states for 1099s, or its data-retention period, so those lines are marked as quoted or not published. We have not tested its software or measured its support. Its claimed customer count and founding year are from its own site.

Frequently asked questions

Is TaxFormHero better than BoomTax?

For 1099s, W-2s and small ACA filings, TaxFormHero is cheaper from the first form, publishes every price, collects W-9s and delivers copies for less. BoomTax is better for employers whose 1095-C filing is the main job, especially with state ACA mandates, for payroll imports and the API, and for free corrections.

Is TaxFormHero cheaper than BoomTax?

On the orders both publish, yes: $19.90 against $49.00 for ten forms and $39.80 against $49.00 for twenty, with e-delivery at $0.19 against $0.50 and mail at $1.69 against $1.99. Above 20 forms BoomTax quotes, with a floor of $0.65 per form, so a very large order may come out cheaper there.

Does BoomTax collect W-9s?

No. BoomTax does not offer W-9 collection. TaxFormHero’s W-9 portal is $0.69 per request with a TIN match included.

Does BoomTax have an API?

Yes, a REST API available on request, alongside payroll and benefits system imports. TaxFormHero does not offer a public API.

Which one files state ACA forms?

BoomTax files the California, New Jersey, Rhode Island and District of Columbia ACA mandates. TaxFormHero files 1095-B and 1095-C with the IRS only.

Sources

• BoomTax pricing (read 13 November 2026)
• BoomTax ACA reporting
• BoomTax 1099 filing
• BoomTax about
• TaxFormHero pricing
• IRS, Combined Federal/State Filing Program

Prices and features were read on each company’s published pages on 13 November 2026 and are before tax. Both companies change prices, particularly before filing season; confirm at checkout. This article is general information, not tax advice.