2013 tax software survey: Individual product survey responses

In this year’s survey by the JofA and The Tax Adviser, more than 5,000 CPAs assessed the software they used to prepare 2012 tax returns. The survey was conducted in May 2013. Overall, respondents rated their software an average of 4.1 out of 5. Users of three products, Lacerte, ProSystem fx, and UltraTax CS, formed a majority of respondents. Their share of respondents, in total and by firm size, are shown below, along with those of all 16 of the products the survey asked about. Detailed responses are also available below for each of the seven products for which users were more than 1% of respondents, not including TaxWorks, which was acquired by Thomson Reuters from RedGear Technologies and is being discontinued.

Additional survey analysis, including charts of major likes and dislikes of users of each of the seven products, are available in the August 2013 issue of The Tax Adviser.

What tax preparation software did you predominantly use to prepare 2012 tax returns for clients?

Market Share Among Firms With Six or More Preparers

Market Share Among Firms With Five or Fewer Preparers

Individual Product Survey Responses
Detailed survey responses for each product may be obtained by clicking on the product headings below. Contact information, basic packages and their features are shown below for products that received at least 1% of total responses in the survey. More detailed product information is available at the software vendors’ websites at the addresses shown.

ATX

• CCH Small Firm Services, a Wolters Kluwer business, Kennesaw, Ga., atxinc.com.
• Packages: 1040 (individual returns, includes three states, 100 efiled returns); 1040 Office (preceding features, plus all states, efiling included, tax research) MAX (preceding features, plus federal and state business returns, sales and use forms, payroll compliance reporting); Total Tax Office (preceding features, plus integrated workflow products); Total Tax & Accounting (preceding features plus integrated accounting products).
• Per-return pricing available: Yes
• Integrated tax research available: Yes
• Integrated accounting software available: Yes

Drake

• Drake Software, Franklin, N.C., DrakeSoftware.com
• Packages: Drake Unlimited, Drake Pay Per Return
• Per-return pricing available: Yes
• Integrated tax research available: Yes
• Integrated accounting software available: Yes

GoSystem Tax RS

• Thomson Reuters, Dexter, Mich., cs.thomsonreuters.com/GoSystem
• Packages: No
• Per-return pricing available: No
• Integrated tax research available: Yes
• Integrated accounting software available: Yes

Lacerte

• Intuit, Inc., Mountain View, Calif., accountants.intuit.com/tax/lacerte
• Packages: Lacerte Unlimited, Lacerte 200, Lacerte REP
• Per-return pricing available: Yes
• Integrated tax research available: Yes
• Integrated accounting software available: Yes

ProSeries

• Intuit Inc., Mountain View, Calif., accountants.intuit.com/tax/proseries
• Packages: ProSeries Basic (50 returns + two states; unlimited returns + four states; or Basic + Business); ProSeries Professional: Pay Per Return, 1040 Complete, PowerTax Lite, PowerTax Library
• Per-return pricing available: Yes
• Integrated tax research available: Yes
• Integrated accounting software available: Yes

ProSystem fx Tax

• CCH, a part of Wolters Kluwer business, Riverwoods, Ill., CCHgroup.com
• Packages: Individual, partnership, corporation, employee benefit plan, fiduciary, estate and gift, exempt organizations modules, individually or bundled
• Per-return pricing available: No
• Integrated tax research available:  Yes
• Integrated accounting software available: Yes

UltraTax CS

• Thomson Reuters, Dexter, Mich., cs.thomsonreuters.com/UltraTaxCS
• Packages: No
• Per-return pricing available: Yes
• Integrated tax research available: Yes
• Integrated accounting software available: Yes