| | ATX Max
| Drake
Software |
GoSystem Tax
RS |
Lacerte Tax |
ProSeries Professional
| ProSystem
fx
Tax |
TaxACT Preparers Edition
| TaxWise
Power Package |
TaxWorks |
UltraTax CS |
| Product prices
| |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| 1040 | $1,085 |
$995$1,395 | Beginning at
$2,500 | $2,250 |
$999 | $3,125 | $99
| $2,295 | $1,095
| $2,000 |
| 1040 renewal | Early
renewal: 10% off | Same |
Same | $1,913 |
Early renewal: Unlimited e-filing |
Call for details | $79
| $1,836 | $1,095
| $1,750 |
| State package | Included
| Included | Included
| $340 | $999 |
$335$795 | $12.95/each;
$51.80/all | Included |
$200 | $225$525 |
| State renewal |
Early renewal: 10% off |
Included | Included |
$289 | Early renewal:
Unlimited e-filing | Call for
details | $12.95/each;
$51.80/all | Included |
$200 | $225$525 |
| Additional fee for laser
package | No | No
| No | No |
No | No | N/A |
No | No | No
|
| Per-return
pricing | $165 per 10 returns
| $10 per return | No
| $30 per federal and one state
| $15 per federal |
$28 per federal 1040; $33 per all others
| N/A | $15 per
individual federal, state and e-filing;
$30 per business federal, state and
e-filing | $17 per state |
$17 per state; $10 per federal |
| Additional cost for
electronic filing software | No
| No | No |
No | No | $100:
federal 1040 Package; $100:
1120/1120S/1065 Package; $100:
1041/5500/990 Package; $50/per state. All
states: $500/per package | N/A
| No | No |
No |
| Additional
cost per electronic filed return |
No | No | $5
per federal; $3 per state | $2
per federal and state; $950: Unlimited
| $3 per federal; $2 per state;
$150: Unlimited for individual or business
| $3/return; $1,000/unlimited
| 125: $7.95 federal, $3.50
state; 26-50: $4.95 federal, $2.50state;
51100: $1.95 federal, $1.95 state; 101+:
Free federal and state; Unlimited federal
EF: $350; Unlimited state EF: $150 |
No | $1.50$3 per return
| $2 per federal; $1 per state
|
| Conversion
package available | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
No | Yes | Yes
| Yes |
|
Cost of conversion package |
Free | Free | Call
for details | Free |
Free | Free | N/A
| Free | Free |
Free |
|
| | |
| | |
| | |
| |
|
| ATX Max
| Drake Software
| GoSystem
Tax RS
|
Lacerte Tax |
ProSeries Professional
| ProSystem
fx
Tax |
TaxACT Preparers Edition
| TaxWise
Power Package |
TaxWorks |
UltraTax CS |
| Filing
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Do you provide direct filing
(DF), service bureau (SB) or both? |
Both | SB | DF
| Both | SB |
Both | SB |
Both | SB | SB |
| Can you electronically
file state returns? | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes |
|
Do you allow for electronic signature?
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Market
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Number of individual users of
2005 package | 50,000 |
N/A | 75,000 |
N/A | 70,000 | N/A
| N/A | 75,000 |
N/A | 80,000 |
| Number of firms using product
| N/A |
20,204 | N/A
| 42,000 |
N/A | 20,000
| N/A |
12,000 |
6,000 | 20,000
|
|
Percentage of renewals from 2004 package
| 90% | 95% |
95.9% | 95% |
N/A | 95% | N/A
| 95% | 90% |
95% |
|
Number of years in business |
14 | 29 | 41 |
26 | 20 | 40
| 9 | 20 |
34 | 25 |
| Support |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Toll-free number for support
| Yes | No |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | No |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Hours (Eastern
time) support available during tax season
| MF 8-10;
Sat 95 |
MF 810; Sat 86 | MF
98; Sat 106; Sun 115 | Jan
9Apr 18: MF 99; Sat 105; Sun 125;
week before Mar 15 and April 15: Sat 108;
Sun 128 | MF 811; Sat 116;
Sun 125 Key dates during the last week of
tax season: 24 hours | M-F
8:309;Sat. 98; Sun 106 (24 hours
support April 11April 15) |
MF 910; Sat 96; Sun 16 |
MF 7:30midnight; Sat 8:306;Sun 14
| MF 910; Sat 96 |
MF 910; Sat 96; selected Sundays |
| Hours support available
during off-season | MF 810;
Sat 95 | MF 89; Sat
95 | MF 98 | MF
98 | MF 98 | MF
98 | M-F 96 | MF
8:306 | MF 107 |
MF 98 |
| Number
of support staff during tax-season |
125 | 200 | 138
| 170 | 450 |
450 | 75 | 350
| 30 | 150 |
| Online support |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| No | Yes |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| |
ATX Max |
Drake Software |
GoSystem Tax
RS |
Lacerte Tax |
ProSeries Professional
| ProSystem
fx
Tax |
TaxACT Preparers Edition
| TaxWise
Power Package |
TaxWorks |
UltraTax CS |
| Technology
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| What operating system(s) does
product run on? | Windows 98
and above | Windows 98and up
and NT (4.0 or higher) |
Windows XP | XP Professional or
Home, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 98
(pending for 2006 tax product) and Windows
ME | Windows XP Professional or
Home and Windows 2000 | Windows
Millennium and up | Windows 95
and up | Windows XP, 2000
Professional (with Service Pack 2) and
Windows NT Workstation (with Service Pack
6a) | Windows 2000 and XP |
Windows 2000 and XP |
| Recommended operating system
| Windows XP and above |
Windows 98and up and NT (4.0 or
higher) | Windows XP
Professional | Windows XP
| Windows XP Professional or Home
| Windows XP | Windows
95 and up | Windows XP
Professional | Windows XP |
Windows 2000 and XP |
| Program size | 350
Mb | 87 Mb without states
installed; 233 Mb with all states
installed | 9.52 Mb |
1040 and one state: 40 Mb50 Mb |
512 Mb | 100 Mb (includes
laser forms) | 27 Mb |
1 Gb | 800 Mb |
20 Mb |
| Minimum
RAM recommended | 128 Mb |
64 Mb for Windows 95, 98, 2000, or
NT; 128 Mb for WindowsME or XP |
256 Mb minimum; 512 Mb recommended
| 256 Mb | 256 Mb
| 256 Mb | 16 Mb |
128 Mb | 128 Mb |
512 Mb |
|
| | |
| | |
| | |
| |
|
| ATX Max
| Drake Software
| GoSystem
Tax RS
|
Lacerte Tax |
ProSeries Professional
| ProSystem
fx
Tax |
TaxACT Preparers Edition
| TaxWise
Power Package |
TaxWorks |
UltraTax CS |
|
Display and data |
| | |
| | |
|
| IRS
data displayed on-screen | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes |
| Vendor data displayed on-screen
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Batch processing
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | No |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Heads-down data
entry | No | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | No
| No | Yes |
Yes |
| Program management
tools | |
| | |
| | |
| Does
your program produce: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Reports | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes |
|
Organizers | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes |
|
Labels | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
No |
| Client
letters | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes |
|
Scheduling program | No |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
No | Yes | Yes
| Yes (integrated with Practice
CS) |
| Other packages
available | |
| | |
| | |
| Online tax-preparation
option | No | Yes
| Yes | No |
No | Yes | No
| Yes | No |
Yes |
| State
packages | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes |
|
Multistate package | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes |
| Does your product
include the following: |
| | |
| | |
|
| 1120
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Included in
price of 1040 | Yes |
Yes | Yes | No
| No | No |
No | Yes | No |
No |
| 1120S
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Included in
price of 1040 | Yes |
Yes | Yes | No
| No | No |
No | Yes | No |
No |
| 1065
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Included in
price of 1040 | Yes |
Yes | Yes | No
| No | No |
No | Yes | No |
No |
| 1041
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | No |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Included in
price of 1040 | Yes |
Yes | Yes | No
| No | No |
N/A | Yes | No |
No |
| 990
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | No |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Included in
price of 1040 | Yes |
Yes | Yes | No
| No | No |
N/A | Yes | No |
No |
| 706
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | No |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Included in
price of 1040 | Yes |
Yes | Yes | No
| No | No |
N/A | Yes | No |
No |
| 709
| Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes
| Yes | No |
Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Included in
price of 1040 | Yes |
Yes | Yes | No
| No | No |
N/A | Yes | No |
No |
| State
support | All | All
| All | All |
All | All |
All except Tenn., Utah | All
| All | All |
Product
Details 
A new line of business to consider
Maximizing the higher education tax credits