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Intuit Lacerte Tax

Features
Ease of use
Ease of management
Quality of support
Affordability
Market presence
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Pricing from
Pay-as-you-go
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
User corporate size
Small
Medium
Large
User industry
  1. Real estate and property management
  2. Construction
  3. Retail and wholesale

What is Intuit Lacerte Tax

Intuit Lacerte Tax is a professional tax preparation and compliance application used by accounting firms and tax practitioners to prepare U.S. federal and state returns for individuals, businesses, and fiduciary entities. It supports complex return scenarios through form-based data entry, diagnostics, and integrated e-filing workflows. The product is typically deployed as a desktop application with optional hosted/remote access options and integrates with other Intuit professional products for practice workflows.

pros

Broad form and entity coverage

Lacerte supports a wide range of U.S. return types, including individual, business, and fiduciary filings, with extensive federal and state form libraries. This breadth is useful for firms that handle mixed client portfolios rather than a single tax domain. Built-in diagnostics and review tools help identify missing data and common compliance issues before filing.

Integrated e-file and workflow tools

The product includes integrated electronic filing, status tracking, and error resolution workflows that align with professional tax office processes. It provides preparer/reviewer features, return management, and standardized outputs that support repeatable production during peak season. Integration with related Intuit professional tools can reduce duplicate entry for firms already standardized on that ecosystem.

Handles complex practitioner scenarios

Lacerte is designed for professional preparers who need support for complex calculations, multi-state returns, and detailed schedules. It offers form-based input and interview-style options, allowing experienced users to work efficiently in the mode they prefer. The software’s diagnostics and calculation engine are oriented toward practitioner-level edge cases rather than consumer-only filing.

cons

Desktop-centric deployment model

Lacerte is primarily a desktop product, which can increase IT overhead for installation, updates, and workstation/server management compared with fully browser-based systems. Firms may need additional infrastructure or a hosting arrangement to support remote work at scale. This can complicate standardization across multiple offices or distributed teams.

Learning curve for new staff

The depth of forms, settings, and workflow options can require training for new preparers and seasonal staff. Firms transitioning from simpler tax tools may need time to configure templates, diagnostics preferences, and firm-wide defaults. Productivity gains often depend on consistent internal processes and experienced users.

Not actuarial-focused software

Although it supports tax calculations and compliance, it is not purpose-built for actuarial modeling, reserving, or valuation workflows. Organizations seeking actuarial-specific functionality typically need separate tools for projections, assumptions management, and regulatory actuarial reporting. Lacerte may only cover the tax filing portion of insurance or benefits-related workstreams.

Plan & Pricing

Plan Price Key features & notes
Pay-per-return (single-user license) $499 per year (promotional; MSRP shown $911) Single-user access; pay-per-return billing applies (additional per-return fees via REP); includes forms and e-file where supported; add users for a fee. Source: Intuit Lacerte pricing page.
Lacerte Choice Plus $636 per year Bundles of individual/business returns (200+), unlimited state returns, unlimited 1099/W-2 filing, document management, unlimited client tax advisory reports; request a quote / buy online.
Lacerte Unlimited $636 per year Unlimited individual/business returns, unlimited state returns, unlimited user access included; request a quote / buy online.

Usage-based (pay-as-you-go) — Lacerte REP (Remote Entry Processing) per-return pricing: Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go (in-program/REP billed per return) Free tier/trial: N/A (see trial availability below) Example costs:

  • 1040 federal + 1 state: $102 per return. cite
  • 1040 additional states: $92 per return. cite
  • Business/Trust/Estate (federal + 1 state): $140 per return. cite
  • Business additional states: $92 per return. cite
  • Consolidated Corps (federal + 1 state): $139 per return. cite
  • Gift Tax / Employee Benefit (special federal + 1 state): $94 per return. cite
  • Tax Scan & Import (in-program purchase): $16 per return. cite Discount options: None listed on REP page; volume/contract pricing available for bundles (see subscription packages). cite

Hosting (add-on) — Intuit desktop/cloud hosting for Lacerte (add-on pricing shown on official hosting page): Pricing model: Monthly per-user hosting Example costs:

  • Solo (1 user): $80 per month (max 1 user). cite
  • Business: $128 per month per user (1–3 users); $107 per month per user (4+ users). cite
  • Advanced: $153 per month per user (1–3 users); $133 per month per user (4+ users). cite

Other add-ons (official listed prices):

  • Lacerte Tax Planner & Analyzer add-on: $343 (page lists “$343 — Included with Lacerte Unlimited package*”). cite
  • eSignature envelope packs (examples shown on Lacerte configuration page): 25 envelopes $79.75; 50 envelopes $139.50; 100 envelopes $223.00 (promotional prices shown). cite

Notes & disclaimers (from official site):

  • Trial: Intuit lists a Lacerte trial (download or hosted) for new customers; desktop trial won’t e-file or print; hosted trial won’t save information. (Trial available). cite
  • Pricing, offers, and terms are subject to change and some offers (e.g., 40% off) are time-limited; packages may require contacting sales for quotes. cite

Seller details

Intuit Inc.
Mountain View, CA, USA
1983
Public
https://www.intuit.com/
https://x.com/intuit
https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuit/

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