Software that Meets the Core Needs of Tax-Focused Firms

In firms with a "traditional workflow," nearly all of a tax engagement is handled by a single preparer, although there may be an administrative person at the front end (scanning, handling primary basic data entry, etc) and a manager/partner reviewing the return at the end of the engagement. Firms with an "advanced workflow" often have clients that require several staff to work on a series of federal and state returns. The Traditional Workflow tax preparation systems reviewed meet the needs of a wide range of different preparers, from recently trained volunteers at an IRS VITA site all the way to large firms who do not need the overhead or complexity associated with the more advanced products. These applications are designed to meet the everyday needs of the practitioner without being designed to address every niche practice area at lower price point. The following traditional workflow packages are reviewed: 1. TaxWise by CCH Small Firm Services, 2. Drake Tax by Drake Software, 3. Intuit ProSeries Professional, 4. Intuit Tax Online, 5. AgileTax by Thomson Reuters, and 6. TaxSlayer Pro Premium.