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Drake Tax

Features
Ease of use
Ease of management
Quality of support
Affordability
Market presence
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Pricing from
$299.99 per tax year
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
User corporate size
Small
Medium
Large
User industry
  1. Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
  2. Construction
  3. Accommodation and food services

What is Drake Tax

Drake Tax is a professional tax preparation software suite used by accounting firms and tax preparers to prepare and e-file U.S. federal and state returns for individuals and businesses. It supports common workflows such as client data entry, diagnostics, document management, and electronic filing management. The product is typically sold as an annual package and is positioned for small to mid-sized tax practices that want an integrated preparation and e-file workflow.

pros

Broad return and e-file coverage

Drake Tax supports preparation and electronic filing for a wide range of U.S. federal and state forms across individual and business return types. It includes built-in checks/diagnostics to help identify missing fields and common errors before filing. This breadth aligns with the needs of firms that handle mixed client portfolios rather than a single tax niche.

Integrated tax practice workflow

The suite combines preparation, e-file management, and supporting tools (for example, client organizers and document-related features) in one environment. This reduces reliance on separate point solutions for core tax-season tasks. For smaller firms, an integrated approach can simplify onboarding and day-to-day operations compared with assembling multiple specialized tools.

Desktop-first performance and control

Drake Tax is commonly deployed as desktop software, which can provide responsive data entry and local control over installation and updates. Firms with established on-premise IT practices can manage permissions, backups, and network setups according to internal policies. This model can be preferable where consistent local performance is prioritized during peak filing periods.

cons

Less cloud-native architecture

Compared with cloud-first tax platforms, a desktop-centric deployment can require more local IT administration for installs, updates, and workstation/server maintenance. Remote access and multi-location collaboration may depend on additional infrastructure (for example, VPN/remote desktop) rather than being inherent to the product. This can increase operational overhead for distributed teams.

Limited modern API ecosystem

Tax practices increasingly expect prebuilt integrations and APIs to connect bookkeeping, document capture, e-signature, and workflow systems. Drake Tax’s integration breadth may be narrower than platforms designed around extensive app marketplaces and developer ecosystems. As a result, firms may need more manual import/export steps or custom processes to connect adjacent systems.

UI and workflow learning curve

Professional tax software often uses form-driven interfaces and dense configuration options, which can take time for new preparers to learn. Firms transitioning from other tax suites may need training to adapt to Drake’s data entry conventions and review workflow. During peak season, this learning curve can affect standardization across staff.

Plan & Pricing

Plan Price Key features & notes
Drake Tax Pro (Multi-User) $2,695 per tax year (2025) Unlimited users; unlimited individual and business returns; buy now via Drake sales.
Drake Tax Pro (Single User) $2,345 per tax year (2025) Single preparer license; unlimited individual and business returns.
Drake Tax 1040 (Multi-User) $2,145 per tax year (2025) Unlimited users; unlimited individual (1040) returns; business returns available as in-app purchases ($64.99 each).
Drake Tax 1040 (Single User) $1,945 per tax year (2025) Single preparer license; unlimited individual (1040) returns; business returns available as in-app purchases ($64.99 each).
Pay-Per-Return (Multi-User) $359.99 per tax year (2025) Includes 10 individual returns; additional individual returns $42.99 each; business returns $64.99 each.
Drake Tax Online (Pay-Per-User) $299.99 per tax year (2025) First user included; additional users $99 each; individual returns $43 each (bulk discounts available: 25+, 50+, 100+ tiers); business returns $64.50 each (bulk discounts available).

Seller details

Drake Software, LLC
Franklin, NC, USA
1977
Private
https://www.drakesoftware.com/
https://x.com/drakesoftware
https://www.linkedin.com/company/drake-software/

Tools by Drake Software, LLC

Drake Tax

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