Jiggers - leaving Drake?

[Bill Tubbs]

Jiggers,

I was just wondering why you are leaving Drake? I have been with ATX for 5 years (last year paid about $550) and was really considering switching to Drake. Also had called Ultra Tax yesterday. UltraTax wanted about $3000 and Drake is $1395 ($995 if I sign on by May 31). My tax biz is mainly 1040's in Wisconsin (probably 190 of the 200 returns) with the others being 1 1065, 2 1120S, and 7 1040 out-of-state.

Bill

[LawrenceGR]

Take A Look

at Proseries. They have a promo coming soon for 1040 all states & E File for about $1000

[Bucky]

Been with Drake for 7 years and they keep improving in my opinion each year. I only call support a couple times a year and have been very satisfied. For the price you pay I think the product is a real bargain. I know earlier in the year Drake was really getting hammered on this board and I'm not sure why. I have looked at other software during that period of time but nothing impressed me enough to switch. I am a one preparer office and do around 850 returns consisting of 1040's 1120s 1065 and a couple 1120 returns with a few 1041's each year. I think were they could improve is in thier training classes. they are pretty much a joke.

[BOB W]

Back in 1998 when Pencil Pushers sold out to CCH, I went to a Drake Demo seminar. At that seminar the instructors could not get the program to work. Half of the class walked out, including me>>>>>>>>So I've not looked at the program since.

The program was probably OK but I didn't have time to fool around with it. When a takeover comes along your head is all over the place just zeroing in on a few good programs to finalize your choice..

Depending on the size of your practice, price can be important. But one has to look at where you are growing to. To buy a program that will only suit today's activity could come back to bite you.

[thomtax]

I have used Drake for 10 years and have been happy with it. I started using the pay per return program to keep costs down. The support has, especially during the past few years, always answered any problems I had. I do not know about others problems, except what I see on this board and some of them may be real problems for others situations. However, some of the few that I have seen listed, do not seem of any consequence to my situation.

LT

[Jiggers]

Leaving Drake?!?

Compliments about Drake?
One of the easiest software to use and learn.
The easiest in e-filing, love the way it works.
Transition from DOS to Windows was excellent.
Data entry easy.
Very reasonable price, same for many years. Unheard of!
Good Christian organization.

Negatives about Drake?
Every year I find program errors that calculate the wrong tax. This should be found and corrected BEFORE the
program goes out. I am not talking about changes initiated by the IRS or the states. Drake does make the correction, after some pressure, but I feel I shouldn't be finding these errors.

There are just many things that I am not happy with that may pertain to my business and not others.

Instead of complaining, I was taught by my dad to just move on when you were not happy with where you were at. This was for a job and I guess it pertains to this.

Drake is a good software for those with smaller tax practices or those that specialize in many 1040A's and very easy 1040's. Wonderful for those.

It is time for a change and I am willing to invest time and additional cost for this.

[Holland]

I agree

I agree with Jiggers. I am, however, likely going to use Drake for another year. I have used ~12 tax softwares over the past ~15 years and for my practice, Drake seems to be the best of a bad lot.

Christopher Mewhort, EA, CGA