# UltimateTax Review: Pricing, Features, Alternatives UltimateTax: A rebranded TaxWise sold at roughly a third of Wolters Kluwer's own package price. Pricing from $388 / year, SOC 2 unconfirmed, and how it compares to the alternatives, for US accounting and bookkeeping firms. Source: https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/ultimatetax/ --- [Accounting Tools](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/) · [Tax Preparation](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/) # UltimateTax Strong Option · UltimateTax A rebranded TaxWise sold at roughly a third of Wolters Kluwer's own package price [Visit UltimateTax](https://ultimatetax.com/) [All 18 tax preparation tools](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/) Best for Solo and small 1040 offices that want the TaxWise engine without TaxWise return caps Starting price $388 / year (Pay-per-return $388 a year plus $20 per individual and $40 per corporate return; Online 1040 $888; Desktop 1040 $988; 1040 + Corporate $1,188, with an online desktop version for $100 more. Editions are refunded or free at 30, 50 and 75 funded bank products respectively) SOC 2 Unconfirmed Multi-factor auth Unconfirmed Ownership independent; offers the CCH TaxWise platform under its own brand Integrates with ProClient, refund transfer bank products, TaxWise platform The read ## What UltimateTax does The software behind this brand is not UltimateTax's own, and the company says so directly in the FAQ on its pricing page: it began with Intellitax, became a partner of CCH TaxWise after that product was sold, and now offers TaxWise under its own brand with its own changes to the platform. Anyone evaluating this product is evaluating TaxWise, and every question about form coverage, calculation accuracy and e-file reliability is really a question about Wolters Kluwer's engine. That reframing is the most useful thing a buyer can know here, because it also means the pricing comparison is exact rather than approximate. The editions are simple. Pay-per-return is $388 a year plus $20 an individual return and $40 a corporate return, running online with ten users and all states. Online 1040 is $888 for unlimited e-filing with ten users. Desktop 1040 is $988 with unlimited users on Windows. The 1040 + Corporate edition at $1,188 adds 1120, 1120S, 1065, 990 and 706 returns with unlimited users, and an online version of that desktop build costs $100 more. Every annual edition includes the 2025, 2024 and 2023 tax years and the ProClient client management system. Set against Wolters Kluwer's own list, where the equivalent capability is capped at 400 returns for $3,899 or 2,500 for $4,249, the gap is not marginal. The catch is what a reseller can and cannot control. Support, release timing, roadmap and the continuation of the arrangement itself all sit with the partnership rather than with UltimateTax, and a firm that has built a busy season on the product would have limited recourse if the licensing relationship changed. The marketing also leans heavily on refund transfer volume, with editions becoming free at 30, 50 and 75 funded bank products, which tells you plainly that the intended customer is a preparer paid out of client refunds. Nothing is published about scan-and-populate, about what a conversion from a competitor preserves, or about a SOC 2 report or other third-party security certification, and the about page gives no founding date or headquarters. Against TaxWise itself the choice is cost against directness: the same calculations for around a third of the money, with a middleman between the firm and the publisher. Against TaxSlayer Pro at $1,395 to $1,695 flat, UltimateTax is cheaper still and covers corporate returns at $1,188 where TaxSlayer needs the $1,695 Premium desktop package. Against Drake Tax the products are not really in the same conversation on support depth or firm reputation. Dated was the inherited tier and it does not fit, since the underlying platform is the one Wolters Kluwer is currently adding document extraction and browser-based entity returns to. Strong-option is the accurate placement, on a specific and narrow fit: it is the cheapest published route to a mainstream 1040 and entity engine, for a small office that understands it is buying through a reseller and prices that risk accordingly. Capabilities ## What you get 1040 preparation with all states and unlimited e-filing on the annual editions 1040 + Corporate edition adds 1120, 1120S, 1065, 990 and 706 returns Unlimited users on the desktop and 1040 + Corporate editions, ten on the online editions Access to the 2025, 2024 and 2023 tax years in one subscription ProClient client management system included Refund transfer bank products that can offset or eliminate the software cost Pricing, security, integrations ## What it costs and what it connects to UltimateTax starts at $388 per year (Pay-per-return $388 a year plus $20 per individual and $40 per corporate return; Online 1040 $888; Desktop 1040 $988; 1040 + Corporate $1,188, with an online desktop version for $100 more. Editions are refunded or free at 30, 50 and 75 funded bank products respectively). Pricing is flat annual licence per edition, or pay-per-return. We could not confirm a SOC 2 report for UltimateTax from public sources. Ask the vendor directly before it touches client data — an absence here means unverified, not absent. UltimateTax does not integrate directly with a general ledger. Beyond that: ProClient, refund transfer bank products and TaxWise platform. [Vendor pricing page](https://ultimatetax.com/pricing/) Our rating ## Why we rate UltimateTax a Strong Option UltimateTax is rated Strong Option, alongside 7 other of the 18 tax preparation tools in this directory. A credible choice that wins on a specific fit rather than across the board — a price point, a niche, a workflow, or an integration the top picks do not cover as well. [How these ratings are decided](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/methodology/). Alternatives ## UltimateTax alternatives ### [TaxWise](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/taxwise/) Wolters Kluwer's return-capped tax package for 1040 preparers and EROs Dated ### [TaxSlayer Pro](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/taxslayer-pro/) Flat-rate tax software for high-volume 1040 offices that run refund transfer products Dated ### [CrossLink](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/crosslink-professional/) High-volume 1040 software built around refund transfers, with desktop and browser versions Strong Option ### [OLT PRO](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/olt-pro/) Low-cost unlimited-return tax software with wide entity coverage, sold desktop or web Dated ### [Aiwyn Tax](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/aiwyn-tax/) Venture-backed cloud tax system aimed at firms replacing CCH Axcess or GoSystem One to Watch ### [Drake Tax Online](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/drake-tax-online/) Browser-delivered Drake sold per user and per return, with no unlimited tier One to Watch [Compare all 18 tax preparation tools](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-preparation/) Sources ## Where these facts came from Researched from public sources. Pricing and security claims change without notice, so check the vendor before you buy. Last reviewed September 8, 2026. ### [UltimateTax pricing, editions and TaxWise partnership FAQ](https://ultimatetax.com/pricing/) Retrieved 2026-09-08 ### [UltimateTax homepage](https://ultimatetax.com/) Retrieved 2026-09-08 ### [TaxWise product and package pricing, for comparison](https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/solutions/taxwise) Retrieved 2026-09-08 Keep browsing ## Other categories [Practice Management (49)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/practice-management/)[General Ledger & Bookkeeping (26)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/general-ledger/)[Tax Workflow & Document Automation (26)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-workflow/)[Payroll & PEO (19)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/payroll/)[Tax Planning & Advisory (13)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-planning/)[Tax Research (13)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-research/)[Month-End Close Automation (11)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/close-automation/)[Proposals & Engagement Letters (9)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/proposals-engagement/)[Spreadsheet Reporting & Ledger Sync (6)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/spreadsheet-reporting/)[Tax Resolution & IRS Representation (6)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/tax-resolution/)[AI Meeting Assistants (5)](https://node8.ai/accounting-tools/meeting-assistants/) ## Got the stack, still doing the work by hand? 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