- Individual and business returns: Supports thousands of federal and state forms for 1040, partnership, corporation, fiduciary, nonprofit, estate, and gift work.
- Diagnostics and calculation review: Runs hundreds of checks and shows errors, fees, e-file eligibility, and full return calculations.
- Data import and conversion: Imports supported W-2s, assets, investment transactions, K-1s, balances, and data from many prior tax products.
- Multi-state and tax planning: Builds state returns without separate state modules and compares filing and planning scenarios.
- Source tracing and output control: Uses LookBack and LinkBacks to trace numbers and lets firms customize print sets, PDFs, notes, and client output.
- Professional practice support: Includes onboarding, learning resources, tax-season support, reporting, role controls, and client billing tools.
Drake Tax
Windows tax-preparation software for professional individual and business returns
Updated August 12, 2026
Drake Tax Overview
Drake Tax is professional tax-preparation software for firms that prepare individual and business returns. The desktop program runs on Windows and combines data entry, calculations, diagnostics, federal and state forms, e-file, planning, and office controls in one return workflow.
Preparers can import supported tax documents and prior-client data, trace calculated amounts back to their sources, compare filing choices, and organize print sets. Drake also provides onboarding, learning resources, and tax-season support. Firms that need native browser access use the separate Drake Tax Online product, which does not have every desktop feature.
Key Features
Pricing
| Plan or service | Current price | Billing and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Drake Tax Pro unlimited, multi-user | $3,145 for tax year 2026 | Unlimited individual and business returns. The page also shows a $3,295 retail price. |
| Drake Tax Pro 250, single-user | $2,375 for tax year 2026 | Up to 250 total individual and business returns. Additional returns cost $49.99 individual and $74.99 business. The page also shows a $2,495 retail price. |
| Drake Tax 1040 unlimited, multi-user | $2,325 for tax year 2026 | Unlimited individual returns. Business returns are $74.99 each. The page also shows a $2,445 retail price. |
| Drake Tax 1040 150, single-user | $1,895 for tax year 2026 | Up to 150 individual returns. Extra individual returns are $49.99 and business returns are $74.99. The page also shows a $1,995 retail price. |
| Pay-Per-Return | $379.99 for tax year 2026 | Desktop entry for multiple users with 10 individual returns included. Additional PPR filings use those same individual and business return rates. |
| Drake Tax Online | $299.99 for the first user | Separate browser product. Additional users are $99, individual returns start at $49.99, and business returns start at $74.99. |
| Free trial | Available, duration not published | The desktop trial can create and print watermarked test returns and convert supported data, but it cannot e-file live returns. Drake Tax Online also has a free trial. |
Pay-Per-Return is the normal low-volume desktop entry. Buyers should compare expected return counts, user needs, and desktop versus browser workflow before choosing a package.
Free trial: available for the desktop and online products, but Drake does not publish a duration. The desktop trial uses test returns and blocks live e-file.
Pricing source: Drake Software official pricing. Trial details: Drake Tax official trial article.
Pros
| Compared with | Why this product may fit better |
|---|---|
| CrossLink | Drake offers more starting choices than CrossLink, including a small pay-per-return bundle, 1040-only licenses, full Pro packages, and a separate browser product. A firm can choose around return count, entity work, staff size, and preferred setup instead of beginning with one full 1040 license. |
| TaxSlayer Pro | Drake Tax Pro includes individual and business returns in one package. A mixed practice does not need a separate TaxSlayer Pro edition or add-on just to prepare partnership, corporation, fiduciary, or nonprofit returns. |
| ProConnect | Unlimited desktop plans avoid per-return charges for firms with enough volume to justify the annual license. At sufficient volume, an unlimited desktop license can be easier to budget than paying for each ProConnect return, provided the firm is comfortable with Windows deployment. |
| GoSystem Tax RS | Drake publishes its $379.99 pay-per-return entry and the rest of its package prices. A small firm can estimate its starting cost before calling sales, while GoSystem Tax RS normally requires a custom quote. |
Cons
| Compared with | Where this product may fall short |
|---|---|
| CrossLink | Drake’s unlimited packages now need a larger annual budget, and recent reviews repeatedly mention price increases. CrossLink may cost less for a 1040-only office, so a Drake buyer needs enough return volume or business work to justify the higher fixed cost. |
| TaxSlayer Pro | Drake Tax’s Windows program has many settings and can take longer to learn than a simpler 1040-focused TaxSlayer Pro edition. A small or new office should test setup, staff training, and representative returns before converting its client base. |
| ProConnect | Drake Tax’s main product runs on Windows, while ProConnect works in a browser. A distributed Drake firm must use the separately priced Online product and accept its different features if it wants native web access. |
| GoSystem Tax RS | Drake can charge separately for portals, signatures, payments, and other office tools. GoSystem Tax RS is sold as a broader large-firm setup, so a complete comparison should include document intake, delivery, client payments, remote access, and the return software itself. |
Reviews
- G2 Drake Tax reviews (4.6/5 from 27 reviews): A recent reviewer says Drake’s support helped with the move from Intuit and praises the software’s security and functionality, but finds the flow from federal returns to complex state returns less smooth. Another reviewer likes the form-like screens and easy navigation but reports that selected pages can be skipped when printing.
- Trustpilot Drake Software profile (3.6/5 from 507 reviews, 267 in the last 12 months): Positive reviews describe reliable software, an effective client portal, and knowledgeable support. Negative reviews report longer phone waits, rising prices, freezing, billing trouble, and state-return errors. The large company-level pool covers more than one Drake product, so its product comments matter more than the single score.
