ProSeries Professional Review: Features, Pricing & Alternatives
Tim is a Certified QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) Pro, QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and CPA with 25 years of experience. He brings his expertise to Fit Small Business’s accounting content.
Danielle is a writer for the Finance division of Fit Small Business. She has owned a bookkeeping and payroll service that specializes in small business, for over twenty years.
This article is part of a larger series on Accounting Software.
What We Recommend ProSeries Professional For
- Firms seeking a desktop software compatible with QuickBooks: Its forms-based interface allows users to import account balances from QuickBooks Desktop, allowing for a seamless transfer of data.
- Firms that need useful client tools: It can create client checklists and provides access to tax planning tools, which enables you to assist your clients with lowering their taxes. You can help with estimating future income, expenses, and withholdings to predict their tax payments.
- Firms that want assistance with input guidance and forms: It transfers data from partnership K-1 forms to individual returns automatically. The Intuit link portal allows clients to upload their documents in a timely and organized fashion. This feature is one of the many reasons that we selected ProSeries Professional as the overall best professional tax software.
ProSeries Professional Alternatives
- Firms with complex returns: While ProSeries Professional can handle most individual and business tax returns, Lacerte is the better option if you need to file more complex returns. With it, you can tackle the most complicated of tax returns, including consolidated returns and oil and gas returns.
- QuickBooks Online Accountant users: ProConnect Tax Online was designed specifically to serve the tax preparation function for firms centered on QuickBooks Online Accountant. It integrates seamlessly with the software and is ideal for QuickBooks Online ProAdvisors.
- Firms seeking unlimited return filing at an affordable price: TaxAct Professional is a great option for accounting firms on a budget, with an inexpensive price for unlimited returns. It also backs its work with a money-back guarantee and access to dedicated technical support.
- Firms preparing Form 5500 returns: ProSeries Professional doesn’t handle Form 5500 returns, which must be filed by businesses with retirement plans. In our evaluation of the best professional tax software, Lacerte is the only solution with that capability.
ProSeries Professional Pros & Cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Integrated billing clock | No upfront pricing for some plans |
| Multiple packages to fit your needs | Multiuser access is an additional fee for most plans |
| Enter data through forms or quick-entry sheets | Pay-per-return pricing charges extra for a state return |
| Desktop-based with option to pay extra to have program hosted in servers | Can’t prepare Form 5500 returns |
| Import financial data from QuickBooks and TXF files | Unable to handle consolidated or oil and gas returns |
ProSeries Professional Pricing
ProSeries Professional offers different pricing options, depending on your needs and the number of tax returns that you’ll be filing.
- Pay-Per-Return: $594 per year, excludes any returns. Each individual federal return (Form 1040) is $53, and each individual state return is $45. Each federal business return (1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041, and 990) is $77, and each state business return is $49.
- Choice 200: Custom pricing, includes any combination of 200 individual and business returns. Additional returns can be purchased for the pay-per-return rates.
- 1040 Complete: $2,868 per year, which includes unlimited federal and state individual tax returns. Business returns can be added for the pay-per-return rates.
- Power Tax Library: Custom pricing, includes unlimited federal and state individual and business returns.
ProSeries Professional Features
- Communication tools: ProSeries Professional offers a client analyzer that allows you to get a better understanding of your client base. It breaks down groups of clients by return type, which you can also print or export to a spreadsheet. The client presentation tool shows a client their bottom line, income and deductions, and comparisons to prior years with easy-to-understand visuals.
- eSignature and electronic filing: Manage all of your digital signatures from within ProSeries Professional so that your clients can sign when and how they want. You’ll also be able to view, track the status of, and manage your clients’ e-filed returns. Missing client data is also filed and tracked, and data must be entered before the return is sent.
- Client resources: ProSeries Professional offers a variety of resources for your clients, including the ability to create checklists for the items clients need for each year’s tax return. Client-specific billing and editable invoice options are available as well, including flat rates, hourly fees, and charges per form.
- Tax planning: You can generate a list of up to 73 tax planning suggestions that’s tailored to each client and will assist them with lowering future taxes. The tax planner estimates income, expenses, withholdings, and tax payments for future tax years, and you can use it to create custom tax plans for clients, from pro forma estimates to projections.
- Integrations: For an additional fee, ProSeries Professional integrates with ProSeries Fixed Asset Manager to import assets into various activities such as Schedule C and Schedule E. SmartVault also integrates seamlessly with ProSeries, providing a secure and reliable document management system with an integrated client portal. Clients in ProSeries can be imported to SmartVault.
Importing ProSeries tax organizer into SmartVault (Source: SmartVault)
- Quick entry sheets: You can enter data quicker with less scrolling on many forms, such as Schedule D and Schedule K-1. Type Ctrl-M and toggle between quick entry mode and form entry mode easily. You can also flag missing data as you work on a client’s return and send them an email, requesting the information you flagged.
ProSeries quick entry sheets (Source: Intuit ProSeries)
ProSeries Professional Customer Support
ProSeries provides you with free US-based tech support (available via toll-free phone with extended hours during peak season), in-product help, and a searchable knowledge base. Regular hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time.
The provider also offers various free training options that make it simple to switch and get the most value from your software. New users can take advantage of Intuit Easy Start onboarding to get up and running quickly.
ProSeries Professional Ease of Use
ProSeries is very user-friendly, and some of its features are designed to catch errors and data omissions. This reduces the rate of form rejections and optimizes each return to improve client relationships. With over 3,700 forms to choose from, the data input provides an easy-to-read display that’s easy to present to clients. Users have access to on-screen help if needed, and your issue will be solved by someone who visually observes what is occurring with the software.
ProSeries Professional User Reviews
Users who left ProSeries tax software reviews said that they like the accessibility of client resources, such as the client analyzer and client presentation tool. The platform received high marks for ease of use and an intuitive dashboard that’s easy to navigate. However, one of the complaints is that if you’re not using it for multiple returns, it’s difficult to justify its cost. Some reviewers also mentioned that dealing with multi-state returns was a challenge.
ProSeries Professional earned the following average scores on popular review sites:
- Capterra: 4.1 out of 5 based on about 145 reviews
- G2: 4.2 out of 5 based on around 85 reviews
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What forms does ProSeries Professional support?
Some of the forms, schedules, and worksheets supported include 1040, 1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041, 990, 706, 709, individual, and forms for states.
Do I need to purchase multiple licenses or a network version for employees who prepare returns?
One ProSeries license is required at each physical location where clients are served. If multiple preparers use ProSeries within a location, then a network license will be required. It’s currently available for a fee of $1,212 and includes toll-free tech support and a network installation user guide.
Can I E-file with ProSeries?
ProSeries allows you to e-file all of your clients’ tax returns—provided you’re approved by the IRS as an electronic return originator (ERO). If you’re trying to e-file your do-it-yourself (DIY) return, check out our list of the best small business tax software.
Bottom Line
ProSeries Professional provides several tools that will suit the needs of small and mid-sized businesses. With the exception of Form 5500 returns, the software offers a variety of packages and access to helpful resources, including tax planning suggestions. It’s a good fit for accounting firms looking for desktop software with a forms-based interface that can import account balances from QuickBooks Desktop. Both affordable and easy to use, it’s also well-suited for accounting firms that process a variety of different returns.
