In this year’s tax software survey by the JofA and The Tax Adviser, 2,154 CPAs assessed the software they used to prepare 2020 tax returns for a fee. The survey was conducted June 1–15, 2021. The shares of respondents using each of 13 software products identified in the survey’s questions, in total and in smaller and larger firms, along with information about basic packages and features of seven of the most-used products, are shown below. More information and analysis of the survey results is available in articles in the September 2021 issues of The Tax Adviser and the JofA.
Products used by respondents
Shares of all respondents
Shares of respondents in firms of five or fewer preparers
Shares of respondents firms of six or more preparers
Basic information about the seven most-used products
- Company: Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting
- Packages: 1040 (individual returns, includes three states, 75 e-filed returns); MAX (all federal and state business returns, sales and use forms, payroll compliance reporting, unlimited e-filing); Total Tax Office (preceding features plus integrated document management and expanded research capabilities); ATX Advantage (preceding features plus enhanced asset management, practice management integration)
- Per-return pricing available: Yes
- Integrated tax research available: Yes
- Integrated accounting software available: Yes
- Company: Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting
- Packages: Multiple bundles, with cloud-based suite modules including practice management, document management, project management, and client portal
- Per-return pricing available: Yes
- Integrated tax research available: Yes
- Integrated accounting software available: Yes
- Company: Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting
- Packages: Multiple bundles based on firm needs
- Per-return pricing available: Yes
- Integrated tax research available: Yes
- Integrated accounting software available: Yes
- Company: Drake Software
- Packages: Pay-Per-Return, Unlimited, Power Bundle (includes Drake Accounting Pro)
- Per-return pricing available: Yes
- Integrated tax research available: Yes
- Integrated accounting software available: Yes
- Company: Intuit Inc.
- Packages: Lacerte Unlimited, Lacerte 200, Lacerte Pay-Per-Return (Fast Path)
- Per-return pricing available: Yes
- Integrated tax research available: No
- Integrated accounting software available: Yes
- Company: Intuit Inc.
- Packages: Basic (20, 50, or unlimited 1040 returns + 2–4 states); Professional (Pay-Per-Return, Choice 200, 1040 Complete, Power Tax Library)
- Per-return pricing available: Yes
- Integrated tax research available: No
- Integrates with accounting software: Yes
- Company: Thomson Reuters
- Packages: UltraTax CS Express 100 (basic) UltraTax CS (comprehensive)
- Per-return pricing available: Yes
- Integrated tax research available: Yes
- Integrated accounting software available: Yes
