CPA Field Guide / US tax & accounting
Independent · editorial · no pay-to-list

Tax Preparation

7 tools

Professional tax preparation software lets accountants, CPAs, and enrolled agents prepare, review, and electronically file federal and state returns on behalf of individual and business clients. Unlike consumer products, professional packages handle the full range of entity returns (1040, 1120, 1120-S, 1065, 1041, 990), multi-state filings, and K-1s; run on a preparer-and-reviewer workflow; and carry client data forward year to year. It is the engine a US tax practice is built around — and usually the firm's single largest software decision.

How we define this category

To qualify for inclusion in Tax Preparation, a product must:

  • Prepare and calculate US federal and state income tax returns for multiple entity types
  • Support IRS Modernized e-File (MeF) and the corresponding state e-filing
  • Carry client and return data forward between tax years
  • Provide distinct preparer and reviewer steps for in-firm review
  • Maintain a roster of clients with their entity and return types
Drake Tax
Solo

Dominant among sole practitioners. No API; file export.

From $2,145/yr
File exportdrakesoftware.com
Lacerte
Small · mid

High-end desktop engine. Local SDK/ODBC can read on-prem.

Custom · per-return
Local SDKintuit.com
ProConnect
Solo · small

Intuit's cloud prep. No public API yet — "under review."

Pay-per-return
No API yetintuit.com
ProSeries
Small

Desktop for 1040 volume. No API or SDK; file import.

From $419/yr
File exportintuit.com
UltraTax CS
Mid · large

Thomson Reuters engine for larger firms. Exports a client list to CSV.

Custom quote
File exportthomsonreuters.com
CCH Axcess
Mid · enterprise

The one exception: a real cloud API and marketplace, via a partner program.

From $2,299/yr
API · partnerwolterskluwer.com
ATX
Solo · small

Budget forms-based desktop. CSV export only.

From $939/yr
File exportwolterskluwer.com

Other categories

How this guide works

Most software directories rank by who pays. This one doesn't. It's a plain editorial reference, written to be useful to a working firm rather than to any vendor — including the one that maintains it.

No pay-to-list

No vendor pays for inclusion, placement, or ranking. There is no "sponsored" sort and no paid badges. Every product that meets a category's criteria can appear.

Only shipped capabilities

Each tool is described only by features it has actually released, sourced from the vendor's own product and developer documentation (reviewed July 2026). Roadmap items are not counted.

Categories a firm recognizes

Categories follow how US practices actually evaluate software, each with a stated definition and inclusion criteria. Deadline tracking is treated as a capability of practice management, with a small specialist list called out.

Who maintains it

CPA Field Guide is written and maintained by the team behind DueDateHQ, a deadline-monitoring tool listed in the guide. We describe every product — ours included — by the same standard, and never rank ours above its peers.