Lacerte Review
Lacerte is Intuit's Windows desktop tax preparation software for CPA firms that file complex individual, partnership, corporate, trust and estate returns, sold as an annual license with published per-return fees or as quoted bundles and unlimited plans.
Independently scored, one dimension at a time. Every dimension is sourced, and we say whether a claim is published, reported, or estimated.
Intuit lists 7,200+ forms covering 1040 and 1040-NR, 1065, 1120 and 1120-S including consolidated returns, 1041, 706, 709, 990 and the 5500 series, plus multistate and R&D apportionment, partner basis and oil and gas depletion (Lacerte FAQ and pay-per-return page, checked 4 October 2026). Bundles and unlimited plans include all states. Coverage is US federal and state only; Intuit's FAQ says it is built exclusively for US compliance.
Intuit converts client data from 10 named packages, including UltraTax CS, Drake and ProSystem fx, at no extra cost, usually in 1 to 3 business days (data conversion page and FAQ, checked 4 October 2026). Easy Start lays out a step plan from account setup and EFIN verification to install, conversion, training and integrations. Converted files are starting files, so reviewers still check the first returns, and hosted firms add a Rightworks setup step.
Intuit lists 25,000+ diagnostics, a dedicated reviewer diagnostics view and an E-file Center that tracks acknowledgments and rejections (pay-per-return page, checked 4 October 2026). Intuit Sign adds KBA identity checks and a full signature audit trail, and Intuit's Firm Administration webinar (2 February 2026) covers user permissions. Intuit reports a 99.86 percent federal e-file acceptance rate for tax year 2024, a vendor claim. No Lacerte-specific SOC 1 or SOC 2 report appears on Intuit's public pages; data sits on the firm's own PC unless it buys Rightworks hosting, which Intuit calls SOC-compliant.
Unlimited plans remove return caps and Intuit's FAQ pitches Lacerte to firms with hundreds of preparers (checked 4 October 2026). Growth costs scale per seat: concurrent multi-user access needs network licensing at $499 per user, and hosted users pay $107 to $156 per user per month depending on tier, seat count and which Intuit page is quoted. As a Windows desktop product, the network share and hosting layer are what strain first as a firm adds offices.
Support is included: toll-free phone, email, website and in-program help, typically 6 AM to 5 PM PT on weekdays with extended and weekend hours in tax season (Lacerte FAQ, checked 4 October 2026). Easy Start runs first-year onboarding, and Intuit says more than 34,000 professionals took Intuit Accountants training across its tax products between April 2025 and January 2026, a vendor claim. In the 2026 AICPA survey, Drake Tax took the top marks for technical support quality and access.
The pay-per-return path is fully published: a $599 annual license and per-return rates from $99 to $148 with e-file included (checkout page, checked 4 October 2026). Bundles and unlimited plans are quote only, the three-year renewal cap sits in the private quote, and hosting prices on Intuit's own pages disagree ($128 versus $131 a user per month for the Business tier).
Native links are Intuit-centric: the Trial Balance Utility imports QuickBooks and EasyACCT data through Excel, financial institution download covers 275+ banks and payroll providers, and Intuit Link, SmartVault and the Document Management System handle documents (pay-per-return and integrations pages, checked 4 October 2026). Third parties such as SurePrep and GruntWorx connect through the local SDK or file import. Across all products, the 2026 AICPA survey found import and integration were the lowest-rated attributes.
No first-party MCP server for Lacerte was listed in the official MCP registry or on GitHub when checked on 4 October 2026; the one MCP repository in Intuit's GitHub organization covers QuickBooks Online. The developer surface is the Lacerte SDK and ODBC driver on developer.intuit.com, a local Windows component that reads and writes return data for tools like SurePrep. In-product AI is limited to Intuit Assist strategy suggestions inside Intuit Tax Advisor (June 2024) and a pay-per-use scan-and-import add-on.
Deep forms and diagnostics for complex returns, at a price most of its users dislike, on a Windows desktop.
Written by the Audit Friendly research team. No vendor edits, no sponsored placement.
You are buying Intuit's most complete professional tax engine: 7,200+ forms, 25,000+ diagnostics, consolidated corporate returns, oil and gas depletion and automated partner K-1 delivery, installed on Windows PCs or run through Rightworks hosting. In the 2026 Journal of Accountancy survey of 1,808 AICPA members, Lacerte was the second most used package at 16.7 percent and tied Drake Tax for the top overall rating, 4.4 out of 5 (reported, published 1 September 2026).
The catch is price and platform. Over 80 percent of Lacerte users in that survey named price as a top dislike. Remote teams pay for hosting per seat, concurrent multi-user access needs network licensing at $499 per user, and Intuit's own Tax Pro Center ran a long-time Lacerte firm's story of moving to cloud ProConnect Tax in April 2026. There is no hosted API or MCP server for AI agents.
Before signing, get a written quote that lists every module, state and per-return rate you expect to use, the renewal cap percentage if you take the three-year offer (it requires an auto-renewing contract), and hosting seat prices for the full term. Confirm whether network licenses, Tax Planner and scan-and-import are included, and how long you can open prior-year returns if you stop renewing. The new-customer refund window is five business days.
- CPA firms with partnerships, trusts, estates and multistate business returns that need deep forms and diagnostics
- Firms already on Windows desktops or Rightworks hosting that want Intuit Tax Advisor planning built from the return
- Lower-volume preparers with complex returns who would rather pay per return than buy an unlimited license
- Price-sensitive sole practitioners filing mostly simple 1040s; Drake Tax 1040 lists unlimited individual returns at $2,325 for tax year 2026, rising to $2,445 retail on 1 December (checked 4 October 2026)
- Firms that want browser-native software without per-seat hosting fees
- Teams that want AI agents to prepare or file returns through an API today
The jobs a tax team actually hires Lacerte for
Jobs, mapped to how finance teams actually buy.
File partnership returns and push K-1s to every partner
Lacerte transfers K-1 data from business returns into partners' 1040s and emails each partner a secure link to their K-1 package. Intuit says this saved firms an average of 5.6 hours, based on tax year 2024 usage data from 12,500 firms; no independent account confirms it.
Pay per return for occasional complex filings
Pay-per-return firms pay a $599 annual license, then $105 per 1040 and $148 per 1120, 1120-S, 1065, 1041 or 990, each with one state and e-file. Extra states cost $103 per individual return and $98 per business return, so multistate clients add up quickly.
Prepare consolidated and multistate corporate returns
Lacerte supports consolidated corporate returns plus multistate and R&D apportionment. On pay-per-return, the consolidation fee is $146 and each parent and subsidiary is also billed as its own return, so a quote for a bundle or unlimited plan is worth getting first.
Switch from another tax package before season
Intuit converts 1040, 1065, 1120 and 1120-S data from ATX, Drake, ProSeries, ProSystem fx, TaxWise, TurboTax and UltraTax CS, and 1040 data from CrossLink, TaxAct and TaxSlayer, at no extra cost. Converted files are a starting point and do not produce complete Lacerte returns.
Turn last year's return into a tax plan
Intuit Tax Advisor builds planning strategies from Lacerte return data and produces client reports, and every preparer who builds plans needs a Fast Path license. The 27-minute saving comes from Intuit and has no independent check.
Run Lacerte remotely through hosting
Lacerte runs on Windows only, so Mac and Chromebook users need Hosting powered by Rightworks. Team tiers are priced per user per month, and concurrent multi-user access also needs a $499 per user network license.
Watch the same task in each tool
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What it actually costs
Here's what it really costs: published rates where a vendor lists them, aggregated quote data where they don't, plus a path to your own number.
Annual Lacerte license for one user with Intuit Tax Advisor reports and digital signatures; returns are billed separately at filing.
Pay-per-return rate including e-file; additional states $103 each.
Covers 1120, 1120-S, 1065, 1041 and 990 including e-file; additional states $98 each.
Pay-per-return rate.
Fee to combine entities into one consolidated return; each parent and subsidiary is also billed as its own return.
Fixed-quantity bundles or unlimited individual or business returns, all states and unlimited 1099 and W-2 filing; unlimited adds Tax Planner and Analyzer.
Rightworks-hosted Lacerte for one user with nightly backups.
Per-user hosting; Intuit's checkout lists $128 and $153 for 1 to 3 users and $107 and $133 for 4 or more, while its hosting page lists $131 and $156.
Required for concurrent users; Intuit says it is not included in hosting fees.
Unlimited W-2 and 1099 preparation and e-filing for client companies; included in custom plans.
Pay-per-return checkout add-on for tax year 2025; from tax year 2026 Intuit Sign signatures and KBA are included.
E-file is built into per-return prices, conversion is included in the license, and Intuit Sign is included from tax year 2026.
What it actually takes to go live
The Journal of Accountancy and The Tax Adviser surveyed 1,808 AICPA members in June 2026 and published the results on 1 September 2026. Lacerte, UltraTax CS and CCH ProSystem fx each drew a price complaint from over 80 percent of their users, while only 10.6 percent of Drake Tax users faulted its price. Lacerte's bundle and unlimited prices are quote only, so competing quotes are the only anchor.
Lacerte installs on Windows and stores data on the local drive by default (pay-per-return page, checked 4 October 2026). Mac, Chromebook and remote users need Hosting through Rightworks, priced per user per month. Concurrent multi-user access needs network licensing at $499 per user, plus a Fast Path license per user inside the hosted environment.
Intuit Accountant Suite's tax prep runs on ProConnect Tax. On 16 April 2026 Intuit's Tax Pro Center published a long-time Lacerte firm's account of moving to ProConnect for browser access, and a Tax Pro Center post first published in June 2023 and refreshed in 2026 argues hosted desktop software often ends up costing more than cloud-native software as seats grow. Lacerte still gets yearly updates, so ask Intuit for its multi-year Lacerte roadmap in writing.
On 4 October 2026 the Lacerte pay-per-return checkout listed Business hosting at $128 and Advanced at $153 per user per month, while Intuit's hosting pricing page listed $131 and $156. The checkout's promo footnote still cited a January 31, 2026 deadline, while the Lacerte overview cites a hosting offer through January 31, 2027. Get the hosting rate and its renewal terms in the quote.
New customers can request a refund only within five business days of the software release date or their payment date, whichever is later (Lacerte pricing page, checked 4 October 2026). The three-year pricing offer requires an auto-renewing contract and caps renewals at a percentage set in the contract, which the public page does not state. Hosting is monthly, and after a failed payment Intuit allows 15 days to retrieve hosted data.
Lacerte has no hosted API or MCP server; integrations use the Lacerte SDK and ODBC driver, installed next to Lacerte on Windows. In February 2025 Intuit made SDK version 1.0.0.476 mandatory for tax year 2024 integrations, and an Intuit community user reported being unable to run their data-push program until it shipped. Budget for SDK maintenance each season.
Scored on what an outside agent can actually reach: the documented API, how it authenticates, and whether the vendor ships an MCP server.
Exists: No first-party MCP server for Lacerte was listed in the official MCP registry or on GitHub when checked on 4 October 2026. Intuit's one public MCP server on GitHub covers QuickBooks Online and does not reach Lacerte returns. A third-party MCP from Grove (grove.tax) imports Lacerte backup files into Grove's own platform; it does not operate Lacerte.
Scope: The developer surface is the Lacerte SDK, a Windows installer with an ODBC driver documented on developer.intuit.com. SurePrep's help center tells firms to install it to export binder data into Lacerte, and Intuit community users describe programs that push data into client returns, so it reads and writes. Intuit made SDK version 1.0.0.476 mandatory for tax year 2024 integrations in February 2025.
Turnkey: No. The SDK installs with administrator rights on a Windows machine that runs Lacerte, and hosted firms need IT help to install it. A public open-source toolkit built on the driver says each session needs a signed-in Intuit user, refreshed about daily. There is no cloud endpoint an agent can call.
In-product AI: Intuit Assist, a generative AI assistant, answers strategy questions inside Intuit Tax Advisor using Tax Advisor's own strategy library (announced June 2024). Tax Scan and Import pulls data from scanned W-2s, 1099s and other PDFs into 1040 returns as a pay-per-use add-on. Intuit says Tax Advisor users save 27 minutes per return on average; that is a vendor claim.
Lacerte, kept current
Lacerte was used by 16.7 percent of 1,808 AICPA respondents and tied Drake Tax for the top overall rating, 4.4 of 5. Over 80 percent of its users named price a top dislike.
Intuit's fiscal 2026 results, for the year ended 31 July 2026, put ProTax revenue at $647 million. ProTax covers Lacerte, ProSeries and ProConnect Tax in the US plus ProFile and ProTax Online in Canada, so Lacerte's own number is not disclosed.
Intuit's Tax Pro Center ran a long-time Lacerte firm's account of switching to cloud ProConnect Tax to drop local servers and VPNs. The author says he still misses Lacerte's data filtering and CSV export.
Intuit cut the tax year 2025 pay-per-return Fast Path license 45 percent for new customers buying from 5 February to 20 April 2026. Per-return fees stayed at standard rates.
Lacerte FAQ
Pay-per-return pricing is published: a $599 annual license, then $105 per Form 1040 and $148 per business, fiduciary or exempt return, each including one state and e-file (published, checked 4 October 2026). A firm filing 100 individual and 30 business returns that way would pay about $15,539 a year before extra states, hosting or add-ons (Audit Friendly estimate).
Bundles of returns and unlimited plans with all states are quote only. Intuit says bundles usually cost less than buying each piece separately, and the unlimited plan includes Tax Planner and Analyzer. Hosting starts at $80 a month for a single user and runs $107 to $156 per user per month for teams.
Licenses are sold per tax year and the program is typically released in November. New customers can get a refund only within five business days of release or payment. The three-year price offer requires an auto-renewing contract with a renewal cap written into your quote.
Client data sits on your own Windows drive or in your Rightworks hosted desktop, so the firm holds the files. Drake Software lists a free converter for Lacerte 1040, 1041, 1065, 1120 and 1120-S data, and Lacerte exports CSV reports. Hosted firms get 15 days to retrieve data after a failed payment ends the subscription. Ask Intuit how long you can open prior-year returns once you stop renewing.
Intuit's Easy Start team handles first-year onboarding: create the account, verify your EFIN, install Lacerte or set up Rightworks hosting, convert data, take training and connect integrations. Conversion usually takes 1 to 3 business days and is included in the license.
Plan on two to four weeks end to end (Audit Friendly estimate) and finish before the new tax-year program ships in November. Converted files are a starting point, so budget reviewer time on the first returns of the season.
Not directly. Lacerte had no MCP server and no hosted API when checked on 4 October 2026. The developer surface is the Lacerte SDK and ODBC driver, a Windows component that installed tools such as SurePrep use to read and write return data.
Claude can help around the software: drafting client document requests, reviewing exported reports and writing scripts a firm runs against the local SDK. Intuit's in-product AI, Intuit Assist, suggests planning strategies inside Intuit Tax Advisor.
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