Switching from ProSeries Professional to Lacerte

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
June 6, 2021
5 replies
38 views

Hey guys (and gals),

I've got a question for which I'm hoping to gain multiple answers from the community. Hope you all are doing well (that tax season was a doozie, congrats to you for pulling through, you're the real MVP).

I'm a seasoned tax preparer, wouldn't quite call myself experienced, I've been doing tax preparation and accounting as a sel-employed professional (and business/firm owner) for seven years, and I'm thinking of switching software. I currently am using ProSeries Professional, and I also sprung for the cloud hosted environment Intuit sells.

While I've 100% enjoyed just about every return I've done on ProSeries this year, and I think it really is a quite excellent software, I want to continue trying different software packages (from Intuit, the competition besides drake and Xero haven't quite impressed me). I did more than several returns before I used proseries on their online component, ProConnect, and really loved the intuitive feel and layout of its dashboard, the flow of preparing tax returns and the frame work it exists within along with its excellent ease of integration and correlation w/ Link. ProSeries leaves a lot to be desired in those regards, though just about everything else about ProSeries I think kick a**.

This year, while preparing for next tax season, I'm reflecting upon the contacts I've made and the contacts they plan to throw my way of their corporate cohorts, and I truly think Lacerte is going to be the best option for my firm for the 2021 season. It integrates complicated, complex and intercompany types of returns better than either of its Intuit counterparts, and I feel again that the "flow" with which I can breeze through a tax return is much better than ProSeries, but I haven't used it (Lacerte) since early 2019.

So, what I'm asking, is of anybody who has made this same switch, especially firm owners, or anybody who has used Lacerte to a decent extent, please give me the good, the bad and the ugly, and your general experience with it to help me make my decision. The principal concers with which I'm gauging my decision are

Price
Ease of Use
Speed of Accurate Return Preparation

Please help!

TIA

ProSeries Professional

This topic has been closed for replies.

IRonMaN

Level 15

If you used the online version, you kinda used Lacerte since they are similar products in regards to data entry. The biggest problem going from ProSeries to Lacerte is the learning curve since ProSeries is form based for data entry. But if you used the online version you already have a taste for that. Lacerte handles more complex situations than ProSeries, but the pricing is also indicative of the increased horsepower. It's kinda like someone owning a Chevy Spark looking at upgrading to a Chevy Corvette ------------- the sticker prices indicate there is a difference of what is under the hood.

But then again, I'm a ProSeries user and not planning on taking the jump from ProSeries to Lacerte anytime soon. If you are happy with ProSeries but have a few returns that are a little more complex, you should consider using Lacerte on a pay per return basis on those more complicated returns.

Slava Ukraini!

PATAX

Level 12

@IRonMaN @Marchman Accounting I agree with Iron Man... I have prepared different kinds of returns for different types of entities and overall I would say ProSeries does a pretty good job... Yes there were issues this year since there was a tax law change in the middle of March that was made retroactive to 2020... But I would imagine all tax software entities had the same issues... You know what they say about the grass greener on the other side... Just my opinion... good luck my friend...

George4Tacks

Level 15

If you negotiated ProConnect Tax (Online) then you will love the Lacerte interface. Similar in approach, but much easier to find input, easier to read input, more of everything. Not at all similar to ProSeries, but it can be approached from the forms view.

https://proconnect.intuit.com/community/form-1040/help/comparing-lacerte-and-proseries-and-proconnect-tax-online/00/4588 may help

Answers are easy. Questions are hard!

Accountant-Man

Level 13

Don't forget: in Lacerta, -1 means zero.

Also, 999999 means Various.

** I am "Elevating with Intention!"

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