Compare Professional Tax Software
By taking a quick minute to compare the best professional tax software, tax professionals only stand to benefit. The health of a tax office is ultimately and quite obviously in its ability to maintain and grow its client base. Tax pros know the importance of constantly building a strong book of business by providing the best possible services and solutions to their clients. Going through tax season with the best professional tax preparation software that supports your services and offers the right solutions can make all the difference in that aspect. With our professional tax preparer software comparison chart and best tax software for professionals reviews, we will help you compare professional tax software to be able to find the right features, tools, integrations, capabilities, and solutions; which will ultimately help you push your tax business forward and attract more customers.
The best software for tax professionals varies depending on office characteristics:
number of office locations, services offered, number of employees, years in the business, e-filing vs. paper filing, and the list goes on. Depending on a tax office’s unique characteristics, the best professional tax preparer software may vary from office to office. Software comparisons should take relevant factors into account. For example, some professional tax preparers may be more inclined to time-saving technological features while other professionals may find comfort in the ‘simplicity’ of fewer gadgets, applications, etc. Taking tax office preferences and needs into account, our website is here to help tax pros find the most compatible professional tax software for their office.
Below is a feature-ranked professional tax software comparison chart to compare the best rated professional tax software. The popularity and overall features of these pro tax software are what brought them onto our list of professional tax preparer software. Tax pros should take their time in reading through our professional tax software reviews, and should definitely download a demo of the software of their choosing before making any final decision. We simplified things further by organizing the software according to the valuable features they provide including our professional tax preparation software reviews.
After a thorough professional tax preparation software comparison, researching the different avenues to purchase is the final step. It’s a great idea to research several different ways to get access to a software; purchasing directly from the software developer, purchasing from a software reseller, or signing a seasonal contract with a service bureau that provides professional tax preparation software with bank products, etc…
What’s the best professional tax software for you?
Features  |    |    |  |    |  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop | Web | Desktop | Web | Desktop | Web | Desktop | Web | Desktop | Web | ||
| Document Manager: Forms Integration, Bilingual Forms |   | |   | |   |   | |  | | ||
Return Review: Calculations, Error Messages | | | | | | | | | | | |
Software Updates | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Taxpayer Mobile App | | | | ||||||||
| ERO Mobile App | | ||||||||||
Signature Pad Integration | | | | | |||||||
Handheld Scanner Integration | | | | ||||||||
Multi Office Management (Multi-Tier/Feeders) | | | | | |||||||
Business Tax Return Solutions | | | | | | ||||||
Bank Product Integration | | | | | | | | | | | |
Software Conversion Options | | | | | | | |||||
Off-site Stored Backups | | | | | | | | ||||
Co-Branding Option | | | | | | | |||||
| Paper cut **** | | ||||||||||
| Carrying over | | | | | | | | | |||
| Transferring returns from Desktop version to online version | | | | | |||||||
| Customer portal | | | | ||||||||
| Unlimited users | | | | | | | | ||||
| Customize Hyperlinks | | ||||||||||
| Chats with clients | | | |||||||||
| Text messages | | | | ||||||||
| Starting tax return on mobile app | | | | | |||||||
| Sending emails | | | | | | ||||||
| Client Retention* | | ||||||||||
| State tax info** | | ||||||||||
| Knowledge base** | | ||||||||||
* Client retention: Client Retention can be used to generate two lists: If you used TaxSlayer Pro last year, the Prior Year Client List lists all clients that have not returned this year. The Call/Thank You list shows a list of clients who have had their returns completed for the current year.
**State tax info: Within each state program is a State Tax Info icon. The icon links to our knowledgebase with information relevant to the state you are working in, including contact information, the state’s “Where’s My Refund” link, forms and instructions, general filing and e-file information, and mailing addresses.
***Knowledge base: Select the KB Search icon to open your web browser to the TaxSlayer Pro knowledgebase consisting of numerous helpful articles. For most menus in the program, selecting KB Search links to an article contextualized for where you are in the program. Another shortcut to the knowledgebase is to press the F1 key on your keyboard anywhere in the program.
****The PaperCut icon is visible for TaxSlayer Pro Premium users. Paper Cut stores PDF copies of all tax returns, management reports, and e-File reports that have been printed to PDF. PaperCut is the place to go to e-mail returns to clients as well as to access the Customer Portal.
Editor’s Note – Professional Tax Software Comparison Chart
There is quite a large variety of professional tax preparation software available on the market. With all the individual features, integrations, and contrasts between desktop/web versions, finding the best rated professional tax software can be quite a daunting task. Due to the need for thorough explanation and guidance, the editor has researched the most widely used software on the market including each software’s individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as professional tax preparation software ratings. It is the editor’s aim that the above chart breaks down all the details a tax pro needs to compare tax software.
Through first-hand experience and exhaustive analysis, the editor has recognized the list of tax software listed above as the best software products for tax pros. Our chart shows detailed information that professional preparers need. It is important to note that the editor has solely focused on features, technology, and useful integrations as benchmarks for ratings. After you compare professional tax software, pricing is next. There is no set-in-stone price for each software. More specifically, the editor urges tax pros to first select the most fitting software based on the chart details above. Upon selection, it is the responsibility of each tax pro to find the best pricing plans. Tax pros should reach out to either service bureaus, software resellers, or software developers to find the right price/pricing plan for their office.
Each has its own pros and cons, depending on tax business needs, characteristics, etc… For example, if you purchase your professional tax preparation software from a service bureau, the professional tax software package price could be lower, but it would come with higher bank product fees. On the other hand, buying it from the main provider could cost you more upfront but less in bank product fees to your clients. Also, some providers charge extra for additional services that everyone might not want to use. This is why we suggest you read professional tax return software reviews of each provider you’re considering, then decide which one would work best for your business. It is also important to note that reading tax software for professionals reviews isn’t the final step you should take; we suggest you also try to request and download a demo of the software you’re considering as mentioned at the beginning of our best professional tax software review. You can download a demo of your desired software easily from our website. Also, make sure to read professional tax software reviews related to the bank product you’re considering, if you’re willing to use bank products with your software. Good luck!
Each has its own pros and cons, depending on tax business needs, characteristics, etc… For example, if you purchase your professional tax preparation software from a service bureau, the professional tax software package price could be lower, but it would come with higher bank product fees. On the other hand, buying it from the main provider could cost you more upfront but less in bank product fees to your clients. Also, some providers charge extra for additional services that everyone might not want to use. This is why we suggest you read professional tax software reviews of each provider you’re considering, then decide which one would work best for your business.