Editor's Note
Welcome to AccountingWEB’s second annual tax software review. Our crew of tax software reviewers experimented with fourteen programs this year, including installable desktop and SaaS online programs. We’ve tried to provide an overview of how the programs work, what features they include, what kind of tax preparer/practitioner they are geared toward, and how much they cost, so that you can make an informed decision.
If you have yet to make a purchasing decision for this coming tax season, we hope that these reviews will help you sort out your options as you make your choice. And while you might have already made your software selection for 2009 tax software to use during 2010, we know that you will spend the spring analyzing your product, weighing its strengths and weaknesses, and considering where you want to put your software dollars for the following year.
Whether you are a sole practitioner, a member of a CPA firm, the operator of a store-front tax business, or even someone who is just thinking about getting into the tax preparation business, we sincerely hope you find these reviews useful. As always, we appreciate and look forward to your comments and suggestions for how AccountingWEB can provide the information and resources that you need to make your job easier.
Best wishes,
Gail Perry, CPA
Managing Editor
editor@accountingweb.com
On AccountingWEB
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Featured Tax Software
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ATX |
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When talking about what makes the product special, Bowden Brown, product manager at CCH Small Firm Services, summed it up by saying, “ATX provides the best value product in the market for the small professional tax office by providing the greatest number of forms and features at the best price.” More >>
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CrossLink |
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CrossLink is owned by Petz Enterprises, Inc., a family owned business that started in 1964. Petz Enterprises worked with the IRS during its initial consideration of electronic 1040 filing, and in 1987 released CrossLink as an add-on to existing tax software programs that did not support electronic filing or tax related financial products. In 1994 the product evolved into a fully-functional tax preparation application based around electronic tax return filing. More >>
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Drake Software |
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The price is small, but the power of the package is impressive. Screens and helps are available in Spanish, for your Spanish speaking preparers or clients, but printed tax forms are all in English. Auto entry features include a Zip Code database that automatically fills in the city and state after you enter the zip code, and an EIN database that retains and fills in provider's information when the EIN is entered. More >>
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GoSystem Tax RS |
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New features for 2009 include the ability for a single sign-on for access to all of the purchased Thomson Reuter software packages, an improved print system that makes it easier for the large returns to be printed, and improved integration with 3rd party processors such as Intacct and Copanion. More >>
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Great Tax |
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Great Tax has concentrated on making it faster and easier to use their products says Laviolette. "One new feature, the Speed of Refund Wizard, has more intuitive screens and eliminates keystrokes." The professional may use the keyboard without the mouse or in combination. "The goal is to decrease preparation time and increase accuracy." More >>
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Intuit ProLine Lacerte Tax |
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From the moment you enter the program, you notice how many ways there are to access the information you want. There are rows with icons, buttons, and tabs at the top, a tree down the left side, and tabs at the bottom of the work screen. It isn't cluttered, it is clean, and intuitive and makes jumping through forms easy. The bottom of the window is initially reserved for the help methods supported by the program - Live Community, Tax Research Powered by BNA, and Help. It is a simple mouse drag to claim the whole screen for tax preparation. More >>
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Intuit ProLine ProSeries Professional Edition |
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New for tax year 2009, the tools in ProSeries Plus are included at no additional charge for all ProSeries Professional Edition customers. These features will really assist tax preparers serving their clients and helping them to understand their tax situation. More >>
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Intuit ProLine Tax Online Edition |
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Intuit has been running this Beta version since September 1, 2009, to allow tax preparers to test out the system for free while preparing extension returns. Not all forms are currently available, but the initial reviews are positive. The ease of working with the system reduces the learning curve and training needs to virtually nothing to be up and running on the package. The openness of their Beta testing process ensures that the end users, CPA's and other tax preparers, will have their wants and needs included in the end produce. More >>
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Orange Tax Suite Pro |
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Orange Tax Suite Pro provides a sophisticated tax program that is completely hosted, so you can log in and work wherever you have Internet. It works with any operating system, and does not require the assistance of a tech department. Orange Tax Suite Pro gives you the flexibility to grow your firm to any size without complications. The Beta version will be available by mid-December so you can be ready to roll long before tax season begins. More >>
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ProSystem fx Tax |
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Next Generation ProSystem fx Tax is a leap into the future for CCH. Offered only in Software as a Service (SaaS) platform for the 2009 tax year, it is expected to be available as a standard installation in the future. Various licensing types and service packaging will be available to make this an attractively and competitively priced system, but the pricing is still in process and not available at publication date. More >>
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TaxAct and 2nd Story Software |
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TaxACT’s preview edition, available now, gives tax preparers the opportunity to get a head start on tax season, says Jessi Dolmage, Public Relations and Creative Solutions Manager at 2nd Story Software. “They can prepare forecasts for clients based on current tax law.” TaxACT is sold directly from 2nd Story, not through retail outlets, Dolmage says, which helps to make the comprehensive packages affordable. More >>
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TaxWise |
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TaxWise offers different groupings of its tax software so that they are price accessible to the various sized firms that are looking for the services their product offers. TaxWise is targeted for the accounting firm that wants to grow and wants to position itself in an efficient manner with a complete business solution that is fully integrated and streamlined. More >>
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TaxWorks |
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TaxWorks offers Proactive Customer Training with free webinars, training seminars, an online video library, or access to a technical assistant. The split screen and well marked buttons across the top make it easy to find what you are looking for. Review notes are available that include suggestions or direct ‘fix now’ buttons. Designed for tax practitioners, it includes powerful client management resources. More >>
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UltraTax CS |
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UltraTax CS continues to provide flexible data entry, comprehensive diagnostics, a customizable home page, and complete, comprehensive data sharing across applications. Full paperless processing support includes Web client organizers, on-screen review features, document management functionality, client portals, and more. More >>
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