It's fairly basic and an old-school interface, but I know a lot of accountants that use it and are happy. If quality of program/aide in preparing is stronger, maybe you want to go with a higher caliber program that costs more, but at 15-20 returns, you probably aren't making much money and likely isn't worth the liability side of things.ĭrake is one of the most affordable options. If cost is your main concern, Drake is a no brainer. This would leave you ~$1,200 to buy a laptop, which is beyond plenty for what you'd need it for. Beyond that it's like $15 or $20 per return. In your situation I would consider doing their pay per return model, which I believe is $300 starting, but also includes 15 returns. You can get an early bird special in May for just under $1,100 (for next year's consideration). Pretty high figure if you aren't preparing high dollar tax returns and can eat up profits quickly at this volume.ĭrake unlimited costs that at full price. Lacerte small package is something like $400 for the program plus ~$70 per return - that's ~$1,500 or so for 15 clients. You really have to have a strong tax knowledge to ensure you're getting the returns done correctly. That said, it's not as easy to use as a Lacerte or Prosystems might be. I use Drake and it is a great for an inexpensive program. Cost-wise, it probably makes sense to buy a laptop just to do work on it via Drake (plus you can deduct it against the income you make).
