ProSeries Pricing

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@jcflint wrote:

Drake Tax Software 1/3 the price. Setup a demo. Everything transfers very easy and their user interface is better than Pro Series. Drakesoftware.com

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Caveat: Maybe they've gotten better since I converted...

Yes, everything transfers very easy but not always correctly.  When I converted I had a 3-page list of issues/questions about stuff that didn't transfer correctly and required some sort of manual entry/correction in Drake.  I looked around but can't find the list (it's been nearly a decade) but I was able to dig up an email I sent to TaxGuyBill detailing the experience.

Rental depreciation was an issue.  Pick a few returns and compare what was calculated and filed in PS vs. what Drake calculated after the conversion.  I think the issue might have been related to depreciation via MACRS tables vs. depreciation via MACRS formulas.  It was probably a universal problem (i.e. not limited to Sch E) but most of my Sch C folks de minimis/S179/bonus everything in the first year so it wasn't noticeable.  But throw $600K of real estate on a depreciation schedule and you'll see a difference.

State returns didn't convert at all and, in general, are hit-or-miss.  I'm in VA where we mostly follow federal with only a few adjustments so it works pretty well but don't expect the software to help you out much with states.  Sometimes the data flows automatically from the federal input.  Sometimes you enter data in a federal screen but code it "0" for federal (meaning ignore) and tag it to a specific state.  Sometimes there's an entry box in the state module.  Sometimes you just have to put in an override on the state return.  Some of the override boxes are "+/-" what was already calculated, others are "=" overrides that ignore what the software calculated entirely and instead use the number you entered in the box.  On the old Drake software user forum the term "consistently inconsistent" was frequently used to describe software behavior, particularly when it comes to state modules.

Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is MUCH easier in ProSeries.  Drake was a mess and I ended up disengaging from my FEIE clients when I dumped PS.  I think it's gotten better, and it does a pretty good job at merging the data entry if you have FBAR and 8938 filings.

Sch D/8949 is basically just like the forms.  PS used to help out a lot with tons of worksheets for employee stock options, inherited property, gifted property, splits, spin-offs, really any situation imaginable was in there somewhere.  In Drake you just type in the data that goes in the 8949 columns.  But the huge win with Drake is that it imports Sch D very easily from an .xls file.  So I have spreadsheet templates for my folks with stock options, crypto, etc. that arrange the data in the format that Drake imports.

There's nothing even remotely close to an education credit optimizer.  Figure out what numbers go on what forms for what credits/deductions/exclusions and enter that into the software.  Right or wrong, that's what gets sent with the return.

Overrides in Drake are usually super-easy.  File this as a Pro or a Con as you see fit.  The work-around for a lot of PS issues is "turn off error checking and efile anyway".  In Drake, just plop in the override number and move on with your day.

Medical expenses?  Yeah, that's one box on Sch A.  I still use the PS Medical Wks for some clients to organize their data.

Drake does try to help with Due Diligence (above and beyond what's required directly on the 8867) but I thought PS did a much better job so I still use old PS questions instead of the Drake DD helper forms.

If you're geeky, you'll like Drake.  One word: Macros.  Also files like the engagement letter, cover letter, organizer questionnaire, etc. are text files using RTF tags so you're not forced to use the awful built-in editor for customizing communications.

If you're scaling back your practice, Drake was a good step-down from the expense of ProSeries.  But if you're trying to expand your practice, I'm not sure that's a step in the right direction.

Rick

I went thru that.... "oh my goodnes, why are you leaving us.... please talk to our customer retention department" when I dropped DirectTV.     They couldn't understand why I didn't love them anymore 😉

@jcflint -  I tried Drake; I have several colleague who also tried it (all Lacertian users...).  The biggest complaint was how states (esp California) were handled.  Or more accurately, NOT handled.   The extra time double checking things that are automatic in Lacerte didn't justify the cost difference.  And now that Drake has been acquired by venture capitalist, it will be interesting to see how that famed customer support is impacted as well as future price increases. 

Let us know how it goes with all those states that you do.