Drake Tax

1st year user

Comentarios: This is my first year with Drake and it is very functional for the cost. Drake is constantly improving and listens to their clients.

Puntos a favor:

Drake has myriad training avenues and has provided for solid tax planning opportunities.

Contras:

Some of the functionality is clunky. There are fields that could auto-populate from demographics that do not. This requires repeat entries.

Switched to Drake

Comentarios: switched to Drake this tax season and went well, good customer support

Puntos a favor:

Easy to navigate from one form to another

Contras:

old world look and feel, for example software could not handle a business name with a . in it

Wouldn't Use Again

Comentarios: Started off working well but went downhill in the last few years. Too many updates as well.

Puntos a favor:

I had used for 14 years. If you have simple returns to prepare, it might be OK. Otherwise, look elsewhere. Paying more money will save you time in the long run. Too many boxes to check, details to check.

Contras:

Business returns had balance sheet errors, M1 errors, depreciation errors, errors on the sale of an asset.

The Best Software for Tax Preparation/Management

Comentarios: Overall I would Highly recommend Drake Tax and accounting software.

Puntos a favor:

The many functions and features provided to service your clients and provide them the best value for their money.

Contras:

Billing section. Also every year we get the full package from Drake. I would love to see them maybe include a few free Continuing Education Credit with the purchase.

Powerful Professional Tax Prep Software!

Comentarios: There is a reason DrakeTax is the #1 Professional tax software in the US. It does an amazing job.

Puntos a favor:

I really love the worksheets feature, it is integrated so nicely and really helps me keep track of my work. The integration with the TaxBook is also very helpful!

Contras:

DrakeTax has a learning curve as it is not set up interview style, you have to know what you are doing and where to go. It also is outdated visually, it reminds me of a windows program from the 90's or early 00's.I wish the pay-per-return feature was available for corporate returns.

Great value for smaller firms

Comentarios: Overall we have been happy with Drake for several years now. We looked at some alternatives this summer in response to the issues our clients had with the esignature process but ultimately determined Drake was still the right fit and we found another solution for the esignatures.

Puntos a favor:

Drake is a very affordable tax preparation software that doesn't nickel and dime you for every feature. Most other software charges you extra for additional states. Drake runs quickly and covers our needs for tax preparation.

Contras:

The biggest drawback for Drake is the esignature process through Drake Portals. The system is not user friendly and many of our clients had difficulty completing the process or didn't receive clear communication once they did complete it that they were done.

Drake is OK for the price but has flaws and the product support doesn't live up to prior reputation

Comentarios: I tried Drake tax because I received sales calls at least 4 days a week for over a year....so I figured I'd try the PPR version. I also tried it because Drake had a superior reputation for product/customer support (i.e., when something may not appear to report correctly, they respond and address it if so). That may have been true at some point, but I haven't found it so. As a new user, over the course of about 18 months, I contacted Drake maybe 5 times about an issue with either Drake Tax or Drake Portals. In most cases, the first point of contact didn't really understand the issue (which is OK). But, I hardly ever received any callback response from anyone who could respond to the issue (after being told I would). So, as far as I am concerned, Drake has no more support or concern about potential reporting issues than any other competitor (which is generally none). As long as that's the case, it seems better to go with a tax prep software that gets reporting right more often than not, such as Prosystem, Proconnect, or Ultratax if you can afford it.

Puntos a favor:

For the money, Drake Tax offers more value compared to competitors. It's certainly not the worst. If you can't afford a more robust solution like Ultratax, Prosystem, or Lacerte, and you don't do terribly complex returns, Drake is a reasonable choice, and the Drake portal integration is pretty serviceable. The asset manager in Drake Tax is one of the best I've used, and handles group/bulk sales quite nicely. The built in integration with a document manager which automatically creates client folder structures when a new client is added is also handy.

Contras:

Allocating things between states in Drake can be cumbersome, making you create a separate tab for each state rather than allocating in a grid, etc. Certain things do not flow correctly to the return without substantial preparer oversight or adjustment. State specific codes or items, vacation home loss carryovers, QBI reporting, PY basis losses reporting on Sch E among others. Product/Customer support has historically had a good reputation, but I've certainly found the opposite to be true. I've found no more concern for product support and customer inquiries than any other platform, which takes away a big reason for considering Drake in the first place.

Drake is a best in class tax preparation software.

Comentarios: Overall, very good. I'll be very sad if I need to leave them to find a better cloud-based tax software.

Puntos a favor:

I've been using Drake for over 10 years for tax prep. The pay-per-return was a fabulous price for when my practice was very small. Now that I have nearly 200 tax returns, I use the unlimited version and it's priced much better than comparable tax prep software. And their customer service over the years has been amazing. I've used several other tax software programs over the years and so far, this is the best.

Contras:

The ONLY thing I find frustrating with Drake is the inability to work in the cloud without paying $100/mo per user for their hosting service (on top of the cost of the software). I have a remote accountant that would love to help enter tax data but I'd have to pay for all of the users in my office just to have the one remote accountant have access as well so it's not cost effective. They really need a cloud-based accounting option.

Great Tax Software

Puntos a favor:

Drake Tax is easy to use and is generally very accurate. I like that it pulls information from one year to the next, which saves time on data entry. It is also very easy to speak with someone from Drake on the phone.

Contras:

Sometimes navigating to a different screen can be difficult. There can also be difficulty with determining how taxes are being calculated in the program.

GREAT VALUE.

Comentarios: It takes some time to dive it. It would be the best value product once you get used to it.

Puntos a favor:

Its price is unbeatable. At this pricing point, it's impossible to find a comparable product.

Contras:

UI is not particularly user-friendly. It appears to be a product from 1990.

I really like Drake Tax

Comentarios: Drake has been great to use so far

Puntos a favor:

It is very affordable and the customer service has been really great

Contras:

It is sometimes hard to figure out where to input some items

Tax Preparation

Puntos a favor:

The customer service and ease of use of software. The customer service department is awesome and you do not have to wait more than 2 minutes to speak with an agent.

Contras:

Secure File Pro-had an oversight with payment. When I did pay, it created a new portal that wrote over my existing portal. I lost 7 years of tax docs for client who uploaded directly in the portal.It would have been helpful if there was astern that this could occur before submitting payment.

The Worst Drake Ever

Comentarios: In general, Drake has been great. 2021 had a few issues, but 2022 is a nightmare to use. I'm literally afraid to transmit returns EVERY SINGLE DAY, because EVERY SINGLE DAY I catch something that the software has broken.

Puntos a favor:

Drake continues to have an easy to use interface and low system stress, allowing for computers that don't break budgets.

Contras:

This is the buggiest mess ever. Forms disappear, constant calculation loops, and entire missing tax returns. I have never considered switching away from Drake until now. If this is the future, I'm going somewhere else.

Drake Tax

Puntos a favor:

The software is inexpensive and a great value for the price.

Contras:

Limitation on some business type returns and complex features. Depreciation/Fixed Assets side could be better.

We are more profitable with Drake Tax

Comentarios: We have been able to be much more efficient with Drake Tax and have been happy to get our profits up by reducing all of the costs of our other software.

Puntos a favor:

Drake Tax is easy to implement, user friendly, and very cost effective. We were using another tax software and the base cost was much higher and then we were always spending more money every month on special authorizations and e-file fees. Our costs were out of control. With Drake there is one annual fee and nothing else all year. And that fee covers all of our installations, every type of return, and all e-file fees, there are no hidden costs and no extras.

Contras:

There have been just a few times over the years where there was a statement or a form that I needed to include that the software did not produce. In those few cases though I just prepared the statement and attached it as a PDF to the return before e-filing, so, it was not a big deal.

This product is terrible - DO NOT BUY

Comentarios: This is a terrible product. Preparing returns takes a lot longer with Drake than it did with Pro Series.

Puntos a favor:

The customer service people speak english.

Contras:

I think I could do returns more effectively with an excel workbook. This software is very difficult to use and unable to handle complex business returns. In pro-series when you receive an error message Pro Series provide a link to the issue. Drake simply says "error on schedule..." Drake does not explain the error and at times Drake references a form that is not even available on the Drake software. Additionally, when you convert Pro Series accounts to Drake, Drake does not transfer all of the information so you have to review the forms to determine if the correct data was transferred. You might as well reenter all of the data if you have to go in and fix it. The sales person pulled a bait and switch telling me that payroll products were included for a flat fee and then charged me for the payroll product and told me she made a mistake. When I make a mistake I acknowledge it and take care of the issue on my dime. Not Drake, they put it on the client. Drake also has a no refund policy after December 31. I do not know any tax preparers that would be using their 2019 tax preparation software before 12/31/2019. I suppose if I made such a poor product I would also limit the ability for customers to return it. Honestly if I wasn't so busy I would file suit for the refund of the price just because it infuriates me to be scammed like this. Maybe this summer my schedule will open up and I will do so.

Great with Admin and Support

Comentarios: We have used Drake for years. Would love to be able to take a full-view webinar of everything the program offers. With the exception of one tax season, they have been reliable and foremost - easy to administer.

Puntos a favor:

Drake's people answer the phone within a few rings and speak Americanized English. Their admin function is best we have seen; fast and easy

Contras:

This appears to be a DOS-based program modified for Windows use. We have used other tax software that allows you to input the info directly into the tax form, instead of hunting through a bunch of Dos-looking screens to find the place to input info. Also - amazingly, Drake does not offer Refund or Owed updates as you input info. The learning curve due to the various Dos screens add to the length of time to implement with a new user

Software for Small Company

Comentarios: Drake has outstanding customer service -always has. I like that when you call you get a live person and not voice prompts. If someone is thinking about purchasing a tax software program, you need to seriously consider Drake.

Puntos a favor:

I have used this software for over 12 years. A few years ago, I opened my own practice and Drake was by far the least expensive program out there. Since I had already been using the software, the transition to my own company was easy. I didn't have to worry about the learning curve of knowing the software and it was easy to setup and start by business.

Contras:

I opted to include Drake Accounting in my package, but feel that the Accounting program isn't as easy to accommodate as the tax program is. But I have still used it for the w-2 and 1099 and it seems to get what I need done.

Ease of use with Drake Tax

Comentarios: Excellent. We have gone through several companies and it is by far the most user friendly.

Puntos a favor:

I love how easy forms are to find use and fill out. Easily checking for errors and tracking past years returns.

Contras:

Some help features could use more instructions.

Drake Tax

Comentarios: Good experience. Not great, but not too bad after all.

Puntos a favor:

The software isn't hard to use, the user-interface looks fancy, and the customer support is great and responsive.

Contras:

The lack of support for external gadgets like scanners. in addition to that , it lacks remote access possibilities like remote-signatures, and mobile apps that taxpayers can use to submit their data to the tax-preparers without sending them any physical copies. The user interface isn't hard, however it needs to be simplified a little.

Drake is for beginners

Comentarios: Drake's ultimate appeal is the price. I would not use Drake if it was free. I use a more professional level software product that anticipates my needs as a tax professional.

Puntos a favor:

Drake has the best customer service in the tax business, and is the most affordable professional tax software on the market.

Contras:

It lacks a tremendous amount of features available in other tax software products. It lacks ease of use in every feature. The diagnostics are not user friendly, and are only designed to fix the most basic problems. Drake is not designed to help you along the process. It is best for a tax professional that knows exactly what result is expected. When it is wrong, you have to know exactly what to do. There is little guidance, which can lead the user to a wrong result. The printed forms do not look like a professional product.

Great Software for the Money

Puntos a favor:

I left my company to start my own tax practice and decided on Drake because of the what it could do for the cost. I was previously using UltraTax which is a great software but compared to price this made sense. It does everything I need it to but at a fraction of the cost. It's super easy to set up. UltraTax was better hands down with the exception of the tax projection in Drake. Drake's tax projection is better than UltraTax for individuals. Also, Drake's customer support is better in that I could get through to someone during tax season very quickly. I don't plan on switching tax software anytime in the near future.

Contras:

If filing a business in multiple states and then making sure the income on the personal is correctly allocated to each state was a pain. It's not to bad with a couple states but 5+ states plan on spending extra time just getting the software to do what you need it to do.

Good product and great customer service

Comentarios: Overall is a good product and have a great customer service.

Puntos a favor:

I like the notes explaining the legislation. It is easy to use.

Contras:

Sometimes to find the error is not that easy and for no reason the software close down.

Drake

Puntos a favor:

The features stay consistent from year to year so it is easy to transaction between years.

Contras:

When updates happen they are automatically done in the software. If you didn't have a physical copy printed out, it would be hard to answer why the IRS did an adjustment to a client's taxes due to a tax law change.

Best Tax Software

Comentarios: Being an Accounting service, this software helps during tax season and all year tax filings for our small business owners as well as individuals.

Puntos a favor:

Ease of use. Customer support team is awesome year after year. Affordable cost.

Contras:

If you enter a social security number incorrectly, you cannot change it. You have to buy another return which 100% sucks.