Page 411 - TaxAdviser_2022

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

Overall ratings

All products ATX CCH Axcess Tax CCH ProSystem fx Drake Tax Lacerte ProSeries UltraTax CS

Overall rating 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.2 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.2
How easy was the update/installation process? 4.6 4.6 4.0 4.3 4.8 4.5 4.8 4.4
How easy was the software to use? 4.2 4.4 3.7 3.9 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.1
How well did it handle updates during tax season? 4.3 4.5 3.9 3.9 4.8 4.2 4.3 4.2
How well did it handle transfers of data within returns? 4.2 4.1 3.7 3.9 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.4
How easy was electronic filing? 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.8 4.8 4.7 4.6
How well did it handle multistate business returns?* 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.2
How well did it integrate with your accounting and other software? 3.4 2.9 3.6 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.5 3.6
Rate your software’s conversion package. † 4.1 4.2 3.3 3.7 4.4 4.1 4.5 4.0
How easy was it to import data? 3.5 3.1 3.6 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6
Would you recommend it to someone starting a tax practice?** 80.7% 90.4% 61.7% 70.3% 97.0% 83.0% 88.1% 70.7%
Numeric ratings are the average for each product’s users on a 1–5 scale, with 5 being the best.
* Based on 999 respondents who filed multistate business returns and gave a rating.
† Based on 344 respondents who ran a conversion package and gave a rating.
** Percentage of each product’s users who answered “yes.”

the smaller firms, and, again, small firms other software (2.9), although integration
Most respondents tend to favor certain products over oth- tended to be rated lower across the board
than other such features the survey asked
ers. Nearly 94% of ATX users had made
were the sole the decision to use it, followed closely about. Drake Tax users rated its integra-
person responsible by ProSeries at 93% and Drake Tax at tion with other software also a relatively
for choosing their 92.7%. CCH Axcess Tax users were the low 3.1.
most likely to have not been involved in
Asked if they would recommend
tax software, with the decision at 28.8%. their software to someone starting a tax
another 16.2% having General performance practice, 97% of Drake Tax users said yes.
The lowest percentage of users answer-
some input into the Only Drake Tax users gave the product ing yes to that question was 61.7% of
decision. an average overall rating significantly users of CCH Axcess Tax. CCH Axcess
above the average for all major products Tax scored lower than the other major
(4.6, versus 4.3 for all major products, on products on ease of the update/instal-
of returns prepared by users of other a 1–5 scale, with 5 being the highest — lation process, ability to transfer data
products, with Drake and ProSeries at see the table “Overall Ratings”). Some with returns, ease of e-filing, and ease of
5.3% and 4.8%, respectively. of the highest marks respondents gave use generally.
Most respondents — 74% of the total were for Drake’s ease of updating and
number of users of the seven major prod- installation, how well it handled updates, Likes and dislikes
ucts — were the sole and ease of e-filing, all 4.8. Also scoring Respondents were able to choose up to
person responsible for choosing their 4.8 was Lacerte’s ease of e-filing and three out of 11 attributes they most liked
tax software, with another 16.2% having ProSeries’s ease of updating and instal- and disliked in their tax software and
some input into the decision. Naturally, lation. The lowest average rating was for could write in others (see the tables “Top
the “deciders” were more concentrated in ATX’s integration with accounting and Likes” and “Top Dislikes”).

28 August 2022 The Tax Adviser