One flat fee. No per-state charges, no percentage cuts, no surprise add-ons.
TaxOwl Pro starts at $449 for the season. Most preparers pick $649/season for unlimited cloud filing — or step up to Desktop ($899) for local install or Premier ($1,199) for the full launch kit. Starter ($449) covers up to 25 returns. Bank products included day one across every tier.
Starter
For new & side-business preparers
- Up to 25 individual returns (1040, 1040-NR)
- All 50 states + DC, free e-filing
- Bank products enabled day one
- On-site check printing
- Multi-user setup
- Year-round Hub access + operator support
- Current-year filing only — upgrade to Pro for prior-year access
TaxOwl Pro
Seasonal flat-fee professional license
- Unlimited returns, all 4,300+ IRS forms
- Multi-year filing (TY2023–2026)
- Remote e-signature + OCR document import
- TaxPass mobile portal — branded client uploads
- Bank products + refund calculator built-in
- Custom reports across 200+ fields
- Year-round Hub access + operator support
TaxOwl Pro Desktop
Same season — local install instead of cloud
- Everything in TaxOwl Pro (unlimited returns)
- Downloadable / installable, works offline
- Network-ready for multi-user offices
- Document Manager + auto-backup
- Same multi-year filing (TY2023–2026)
- Local install — for offices preferring on-prem
Business Tier Add-on
Stacks on top of your base license
- 1120, 1120-S, 1065, 1041, 990 returns
- Depreciation & fixed-asset tracking
- Multi-state business filings (no per-state surcharge)
- Entity-specific diagnostics
- All client-portal features included
What you won’t pay
Unlike most competitors
- Per-state business return fees
- Pay-per-return overage charges
- Separate bank-product setup fee
- Monthly subscription fees
- Percentage cuts on your prep fees
- Multi-user seat licenses
- Per-signature preparer subscription fees
Premier
Launching a new practice
- Everything in TaxOwl Pro
- Complete business-launch kit (9 deliverables)
- Business plan + SOP templates
- Custom website template
- Client booking funnel guide
- Client email automation sequence
- Three 30-min mentorship calls
- 6-week onboarding roadmap
Custom Reports — included with every tier
200+ reportable fields across bank products, return status, financial data, and client demographics. No upcharge, no enterprise tier, no add-on license.
How TaxOwl Pro compares
Most professional tax-prep software follows the same pattern: a headline license price, then a quiet stack of add-ons that only show up on the invoice. Here’s what’s included — and what’s extra — side by side.
| What you pay for | TaxOwl Pro from $449 · $649 flagship | Drake Tax Pro $2,195 / yr¹ | ProSeries 1040 Complete $2,199 / yr² | TaxSlayer Pro Classic $1,395 / yr³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base license price | $449 – $1,199 Starter / FM / Desktop / Premier | $2,195 | $2,199 | $1,395 |
| Unlimited 1040 returns | ✓ TaxOwl Pro and above (Starter capped at 25) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited business returns (1120, 1120-S, 1065) | ✓ with $299 add-on | ✓ included | +$55 per state business return | ✓ included |
| Bank products & refund transfers | ✓ day one | Setup + per-product fees | Setup + per-product fees | Setup + per-product fees |
| Remote e-signature | ✓ included | Per-signature fees | Per-signature fees | Per-signature fees |
| Cloud-based (work from anywhere) | ✓ | Desktop only | ✓ (hosted add-on) | ✓ Web version |
| Additional-user seat license | ✓ included | ~$300 per seat | Quote required | Varies by plan |
| Year-round operator workspace (The Hub) | ✓ included | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Multi-year filing (TY2023–2026 prior-year, amendments, extensions) | ✓ TaxOwl Pro and above | Separate license per prior year | Separate license per prior year | Separate license per prior year |
| Flat price (no PPR, no percentage cuts) | ✓ | Flat license, PPR option available | PPR at ~$55/return | Flat license |
Competitor pricing retrieved April 2026 from public sources; verify directly with each vendor before purchase. See footnotes below.
What the other guys’ sticker price actually buys
Related reading: how bank product timing affects preparer cash flow — the 20–30 day revenue lag that per-return software pricing makes worse.
At Drake Tax Pro: $2,195 + extras
Drake’s unlimited desktop license is $2,195 for a single user. Additional preparers in your practice run ~$300 each per year. Bank products and remote signatures are not included and require separate setup with each bank partner. Drake is a desktop product by default; if you want to work from home, a coffee shop, or a client’s office, you’re looking at Drake Zero (cloud) or a hosted-desktop subscription on top.
At ProSeries 1040 Complete: $2,199 + per-state business returns
ProSeries’ full 1040 Complete package is $2,199 for unlimited individual returns, but each business-return state filing is $55. A solo preparer filing 40 business returns lands at $2,199 + (40 × $55) = $4,399 in software cost alone — before any multi-state surcharges on returns that file in more than one state.
At TaxSlayer Pro Classic: $1,395 + add-ons
TaxSlayer Pro Classic is the closest to TaxOwl Pro on sticker price. Classic is desktop-only; the Web and Premium tiers run ~$1,595 and ~$1,695 respectively. Bank products, e-signature, and multi-user licensing are add-ons at every tier.
What this actually costs in real practices
Here’s what a season looks like for three common preparer profiles. All numbers are base license + realistic add-ons, not theoretical maximums.
Solo preparer — 60 individual returns, 10 simple business returns
| TaxOwl Pro + Business add-on | $948 |
| Drake Tax Pro unlimited | $2,195 |
| ProSeries 1040 Complete + 10 state business returns | $2,749+ |
| TaxSlayer Pro Web | ~$1,595 |
Savings vs. next-cheapest option: $647/season.
Two-preparer practice — 150 individual returns, no business returns
| TaxOwl Pro — multi-user included | $649 |
| Drake Tax Pro unlimited + additional seat | $2,495 |
| ProSeries 1040 Complete + additional user | $2,199+ (quote) |
| TaxSlayer Pro Web + additional seat | $1,595+ |
Savings vs. next-cheapest option: $946/season.
Small practice — 200 individual, 40 business returns, multi-state
| TaxOwl Pro + Business add-on | $948 |
| Drake Tax Pro unlimited | $2,195 |
| ProSeries 1040 Complete + ~$2,200 in state business fees | $4,399+ |
| TaxSlayer Pro Premium | $1,695 |
Savings vs. next-cheapest option: $747/season.
What your clients pay — full transparency
Your TaxOwl Pro license is $449–$1,199 flat (depending on tier), no per-return charges and no percentage cuts on your prep fees. That’s what you pay us. You pay $0 per return and keep 100% of your prep fee.
Separately from your license, your clients see industry-standard platform fees on their return — the same kinds of fees that appear on every professional tax platform (Drake, Intuit ProSeries, TaxSlayer Pro, Pro Tax Pro, etc.). We disclose our exact fee schedule below so there are no surprises on your first client’s return.
Platform fees on every return (billed to your client, deducted from refund or invoiced)
| Fee | What the client pays |
|---|---|
| eFile Service Fee | $23.00 |
| Technology Fee | $9.00 |
| Transmission Fee | $48.95 |
| Subtotal — every return | $80.95 |
Additional fees only on refund-transfer returns (deducted from refund)
| Fee | What the client pays |
|---|---|
| Service Bureau Fee | $25.00 |
| Refund Transfer Bank Fee | $35.95 |
| Total with refund transfer | $141.90 |
Remote e-signature ($5 per SSN) is optional and charged only if the preparer uses it.
Typical client invoice: $400 prep fee + $80.95 platform fees = $480.95 total on a non-RT return. With refund transfer: $400 + $80.95 + $25 Service Bureau + $35.95 bank = $541.90 total. Competitive with H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt ($400–$650 typical) and well below a CPA ($800+).
You choose your prep fee. TaxOwl Pro sets the platform fees at the Service Bureau level so they’re consistent, fair to your clients, and competitive with every other professional tax platform. You keep 100% of your prep fee — always.
See your take-home in the earnings calculator →
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A word on this comparison
Drake, ProSeries, and TaxSlayer Pro are real products with real customers. They are not bad software. Drake has decades of polished desktop tooling and a deep forms library; ProSeries is the Intuit standard with first-class QuickBooks integration; TaxSlayer Pro is the established budget option for preparers.
TaxOwl Pro isn’t trying to replace any of them for every use case. It’s built for one specific audience: independent preparers who want professional-grade filing capability at a flat seasonal price, without the per-state / per-return / per-add-on invoice games. If you’re a 10-preparer firm with enterprise workflow needs, one of the legacy vendors is probably a better fit. we wrote about who TaxOwl Pro isn’t for If you’re solo or a small practice paying $1,500 or $2,000+/year and getting nickel-and-dimed on the things you actually use, TaxOwl Pro is likely to save you real money.
Source notes (retrieved April 2026):
¹ Drake Tax Pro base pricing of $2,195/year for single-user unlimited license reported via Software Advice, Capterra, and third-party Drake aggregators. Multi-user/additional seats approximately $300/year. drakesoftware.com/pricing
² ProSeries 1040 Complete at $2,199/year reported via Intuit’s public pricing page and SaaSWorthy. State business returns at $55 per return via ProSeries PPR fee schedule. accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/proseries/pricing
³ TaxSlayer Pro Classic at $1,395, Web at ~$1,595, Premium at $1,695 reported via TaxSlayer Pro’s comparison page and SageNext. taxslayerpro.com/compare-tax-software-products
Vendor pricing can vary based on volume discounts, early-renewal pricing, multi-user configurations, and promotional offers. TaxOwl Pro recommends requesting a current quote directly from any vendor you’re evaluating before purchase. This comparison is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement of any product by its competitors.
TaxOwl Pro pricing: TaxOwl Pro is sold as a $649 flat seasonal license. Business Tier add-on at $299 requires active base license. First active filing season is the 2027 tax season (January–April 2027). All prices listed are for the 2027 tax season (filing TY2026 returns, January–April 2027). License activates November–December 2026 for provisioning ahead of season open.
Operated by CKT Ventures, LLC. Trade name TaxOwl Pro. TaxOwl Pro is not affiliated with Drake Software, Intuit, TaxSlayer, or Wolters Kluwer.
Transparent itemizing vs. bundled markups.
A common preparer concern: “If TaxOwl Pro itemizes the bank-product fees on the client invoice, won’t my clients balk?” Short answer: no — because the total they pay is at the lower end of the competitive range. The “shock” isn’t the absolute number; it’s that competitors bundle while we itemize. Structural transparency is the differentiator.
| Service | Total client cost (federal + 1 state, simple return + bank product) |
|---|---|
| TurboTax Live | $89–$249 + state |
| H&R Block in-person | $89–$300+ |
| Liberty Tax | $100–$300+ |
| Jackson Hewitt | $89–$200+ |
| Drake / ProSeries | $60–$100 in passthrough fees |
| TaxOwl Pro | $80.95 in passthrough + preparer’s fee |
Key insight: TaxOwl Pro’s $80.95 platform passthrough sits at the lower end of the competitive range. The “shock” isn’t the absolute number — it’s that competitors bundle while TaxOwl itemizes. The structural transparency is the differentiator. When your client asks why the bank fee shows up as a separate line, the answer is: because they’re not paying for it twice.
Competitor pricing retrieved 2026-04-30 from public sources. Pricing varies by office and complexity for in-person services. Verify directly with each vendor before relying on any specific number for client-facing materials. Numbers represent base prep fee + state surcharge + bank product / refund-transfer fee where applicable.
Honest Disclosure — cases where TaxOwl Pro is not the right fit
We’d rather tell you upfront than sell you a license you’ll regret. If any of these apply to you, the answer to “should I apply?” is no — and that’s the right answer.
If you file fewer than 12 returns a year
Pay-per-return software from Drake or TaxAct is genuinely cheaper than even our entry tier. Above 12 returns, our Starter tier ($449) wins on per-return economics. Above 25, TaxOwl Pro at $649 flat-fee dominates. We’d rather tell you the threshold than sell you a license you don’t need.
If you want one phone number for every problem
We’re not the right fit. TaxOwl Pro routes platform issues to CrossLink’s live desk, bank-product issues to your bank partner, and account questions to us with a one-business-day SLA. Each layer goes to the team that can actually fix it — but it does mean three contact channels instead of one. Preparers who want bundled-everything support models will be happier with a legacy vendor. See the full routing rationale on our Trust page.
If you operate a 10+ preparer firm with enterprise needs
Multi-office reporting, complex permission hierarchies, dedicated account management — we’re not built for that segment. One of the legacy vendors (Drake, ProSeries, CCH) is probably a better fit. We’d rather lose those prospects upfront than sell them the wrong product.
If you’re risk-averse to first-season products
The 2027 filing season is TaxOwl Pro’s first active season. If you’d prefer to wait until we have a season of track record, that’s a reasonable call — we’ll publish operator results after April 2027 and you can evaluate then. Our first-season satisfaction refund (full refund through your first 5 e-filed returns or February 28, whichever comes first) exists specifically for preparers who want to try TaxOwl Pro despite the first-season risk.
Ready to stop paying for the add-ons you don’t use?
Apply for a TaxOwl Pro license at $649. Applications reviewed within 2 business days; license activates Nov–Dec 2026 for the 2027 season. No demo gatekeeping, no sales call required.
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