Discussion:What software are you using this year?
From TaxAlmanac
Discussion Forum Index --> Business Growth Community --> What software are you using this year?
| 4 January 2009 | |
| Just curious if you want to let us know...I'm just curious how many intuit customers use this site as opposed to non intuit posters... | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| CCH ProSystem. I've used it for about 10 years and I'm not interested in learning my way around a new software. | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| Proseries.... since 98
Each program seems to have a deficiency or two... A deficiency or two is a lot better than learning a different program. | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| One more satisfied Intuit user. I changed the Bank association, though, last year. Switched from First Republican to SBBT - the conjunction with Proseries is much better with SBBT and no need to install the additional software. | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| I am thinking of using an abacus and a Big Chief Tablet. BCT v. 2.0 of course. | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| ProSeries for the 16th year. It comes out on time and seems to work fine.
I echo Crow and Shoebox--no way I'm going to start over with something new. Unfortunately, Intuit knows that and knows therefore that it can creep its prices up and tack on annoying little nonoptional add-ons, and, still, I'm not going anywhere. The software does the job well so I just hold my nose and let Intuit be Intuit. | |
Nbrcruncher (talk|edits) said: | 4 January 2009 |
| ProSeries for more years than I am able to remember. Getting old is hell but beats the alternative I reckon. | |
Rgtaxservice (talk|edits) said: | 4 January 2009 |
| ProSeries again. | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| Don't you just love that little Live Community tab that comes with no off-switch? I understand Lacerte users get to love it too. Intuit is just too good to us. | |
Southparkcpa (talk|edits) said: | 4 January 2009 |
| Proseries since 1989 | |
Death&Taxes (talk|edits) said: | 4 January 2009 |
| Proseries since 1993....you have to hit the close button at the bottom of the community box every time from what I see. I keep expecting Beatle Fred to pop up with a question on it. | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| OK, Proseries seems to be the software of choice so far. I just bought Ultratax CS for the first time and am awaiting comments on that software. I picked it because it had the oil & gas module. At the firm I was previously with we had used CCH, but it's too expensive for me now. First reaction - Ultratax is more mouse dependent, with CCH I used a lot of shortcut keys. | |
Death&Taxes (talk|edits) said: | 4 January 2009 |
| Type "Ultratax" into the search box; I believe there are several discussions about it. | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| On the subject of the visibility of the Live Community tab in Lacerte, while it can't be hidden, a minimal amount can be shown by setting "Show Help Me On Startup" in "User Options" to "No." -- Larry Hess, CPA | Albuquerque, NM | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| We (ProSeries) have the same option to not show the Live Community at startup. However, if you unclick that box, the program still starts up with Live Community fully displayed if you shut the program down it displayed. In other words, regardless of how you have the option set, if you shut the program down with Live Community displayed, the next time you start the program, LC will be displayed no matter how the option is set. I'm not sure whether it works differently in Lacerte. It's a minor annoyance, but we get at least one annoyance every year from Intuit, bless their hearts. At least it's not what the folks with QBKS2009 and online banking are going through. | |
| 4 January 2009 | |
| I'm an Ultra Tax person.
Have used it since Microvision(Tax Relief) sold out to CSA. The best thing I like about it is the tech support is excellent. You're talking to reps in Dexter, Michigan - not India - and they will take as much time as you need to get your problem solved. And the calls are toll-free. | |
Donniecastleman (talk|edits) said: | 4 January 2009 |
| Still using Drake, has its problems but works out pretty good, with the biggest feather in their cap for me being USA immediate customer service. | |
| 5 January 2009 | |
| I was sure glad to see that someone finally mentioned Drake. I've used ProSeries since I started my practice 5 years ago and have paid around $3,000 every year. I've inched closer and closer to Drake each year and finally made the plunge this year. The savings of over 50% was a major incentive and considering what's included for what I paid makes it much more cost attractive than purchasing Intuit tax software - ProSeries, Intuit accounting software - QuickBooks, and Intuit payroll, which made it far more than $3,000 per year. I hate the thought of learning something new, but I will considering. But the real 'straw that broke the camel's back' was trying to get information, questions answered and once again not being able to understand what the person was saying. I have nothing against anyone anywhere working and earning a living, but when I buy what I believe is an American product and spend this kind of money, I expect to be able to speak to someone who can understand me and whom I can understand. I had it! I understand that Drake has wonderful customer service and they're right here in the good ole USA, and nearly my neighbors in Franklin, NC. | |
Impuestosfederales (talk|edits) said: | 6 January 2009 |
| After twenty years with Lacerte, last year I switched 90% of my clients to Drake. Lacerte got too expensive for me, a part-time preparer. Drake's customer service is very good and most of the time, they answer on the first ring. It was hard learning a new software program but the savings made up for my troubles. | |
Taxalmancer (talk|edits) said: | 6 January 2009 |
| I've used CCH Prosystem dating back to when they acquired Arthur Andersen's tax software A+.
It is ridiculously expensive and every year I wonder why I continue with it. Having said that it is very powerful,user friendly, I know it and the support is outstanding. | |
| 9 January 2009 | |
| I have used ProSystem for three years and have gotten very familiar with the input, review and administration. I hated to make the switch to Lacerte for the pure programming side. I'm working on issuing organizers and the proforma for the 2008 year (a little behind from the Hurricane extensions in Louisiana) and have found that Lacerte is very user friendly in comparison. It is more flexible as far as the administration and tracking features for the client list. I do feel that ProSystem is a more powerful and technical product if you have the client base to support it. | |
Tonymontana (talk|edits) said: | 9 January 2009 |
| Proseries 1995-1998
ATX 1999-2004 SUCKED!!!! Proseries 2005-Current | |
| 9 January 2009 | |
| oops - forgot to add "Tax software is no substitute for a good tax professional." | |
| January 9, 2009 | |
| Lacerte - I do like the product & think it is technically very good.
But getting a bit tired of the constant price increases and the 'help' features that are being forced down our throats (a pervasive Intuit methodology). Scared to change tho - maybe changing to different software isn't the nightmare it used to be. Unfortunately, Lacerete offers the discount for renewal right after tax season; I'm too exhausted then to do the requisite research; so I take the easy way out and just stay with them. My bad. | |
| 9 January 2009 | |
| Belle, You can shrink the "help" feature by draging it lower. | |
| January 9, 2009 | |
| I'm not having any real issues with the "help" feature.
So far it's been entertaining and my monitor is large enough that the bar at the bottom doesn't upset me as it seems to upset others. It's the force feeding of 'stuff' I find a bit irritating. One of the new diags about 'do you want to incorporate' with a link....all the links that get automatically loaded when you install QB unless you are paying attention.... But then, they did bring us TA, didn't they ! ! ! ! | |
Leonard1701 (talk|edits) said: | 11 January 2009 |
| Have used ProSeries since 1986 (When it was Chipsoft) for individual returns. | |
| 11 January 2009 | |
| Tax Resources Houston - 1985ish to 1992
Taasc Force - 1993 - 2000 Proseries - 2001 - ? If I have to go thru the same crap to renew next year as I did this year, it will be the last year with Proseries. The website does not work then they want to charge extra for talking to them to renew. Nonsense! | |
| 11 January 2009 | |
| ATX...I think the software is greatly improved over the last 2-3 years. The customer service was not good in my opinion last year (which was the first year that CCH took it over), but the software was good. Only complaint aside from the customer service was that there is so many improvements that can be made to the software....but I don't see them being made. Quick example...let ATX figure out if refund of state and local taxes is taxable and by how much automatically. | |
RoyDaleOne (talk|edits) said: | 11 January 2009 |
| ATX...works nicely for me. | |
Crunchynumber (talk|edits) said: | 11 January 2009 |
| ATX works well for me. It's not perfect, you have to do unusual things yourself (ie, Form 2555, etc) but the price is right for a solo artist. | |
| 11 January 2009 | |
| Drake, mainly. For six years I used Lacerte in my day job and Drake for my few private clients. Since I went independent 4? yrs ago (after H&R Blackguards bought the firm I was working for)I really really miss Lacerte but I can't afford it. I keep thinking about switching, but a combination of price, effort of research/migration, Drake's good service, and the fact that each year they improve the product has kept me with it. Starting last year, however, I'm also doing returns for a CFP who uses ProSeries. I only did a few returns so am not proficient yet, but it worked OK. This year I'll be doing about 50 returns on ProSeries -- and 250 on Drake. NOTE: I don't trust Drake as much as I trusted Lacerte -- or maybe I'm just not as good at doing complicated returns in Drake as I was in Lacerte -- so for the first year or two when I had questions I'd duplicate the return in a colleague's Lacerte to see if they matched up. I'm going to try that this year with ProSeries. | |
| 12 January 2009 | |
| ProSystem fx for my second season. A user is getting a forum started at
http://profx.youneed.us/forum.htm We need to get to a critical mass, so come for a visit. Sometimes your questions are as much about how to do that in your software as they are about can I do that. | |
