Drake Software Reviews 364

I’ve been a client with Drake software for 3 years. January 2022 I purchased the secure file pro portal which is $17.95/month- $215 a year. I only use the portal during the peak of tax season (Jan 2022- April 2022. I continued to pay the monthly fee even though I wasn’t using the service. January 3rd I noticed that my clients weren’t receiving emails from securefilepro(Drake Portal). This is the only secured system I have for my client to upload personal documents. I’ve called Drake once a week to get this resolved and each rep has the same comment “I’ve sent an email to IT/support but there is nothing else I can do”. I’ve requested to speak with managers on multiple
occasions but they are never available. Drake sent me an email last week asking me for payment for the month of February. I replied to the email asking “ why would you continue to ask for payment and I can’t use the service” no one responded.FYI - I sent the email to the billing department on February 1st but have yet to receive a response. I spoke to a representative today (February 7th 2023) and was advised that she hasn’t heard anything from IT and that she sent her initial request on the 24th of January. The prior representatives sent emails to the support/IT department prior to the 24th. I have lost a few clients because I have no way for them to upload documents to a safe portal. Speaking with the representatives at this company makes matters worst. No one is truly trying to help, everyone is just reading from a script. My account is now delinquent because I didn’t make my February payment. The manager told them me that this issue can’t be fixed because I’m delinquent. He said I had to be current. I then asked well last month I wasn’t delinquent and this issue wasn’t fixed. I wasn’t delinquent the entire 2022 and the issues wasn’t fixed/corrected. He said all he can do is reach out to the IT department, the same department the other 6 or 7 representatives told me. This is disrespectful.

Something happened at Drake Software. This used to be a great company and made a good tax prep software. I had used their software for several years and 90% of the time I was able to get someone competent on the phone for help. However, in the last couple of years, there appears to have been a change in management or hiring practices that has made the company a place to avoid. About a year and a half prior to this review, the customer service fell off dramatically. I needed to cancel a product and I am going on my second month of an email and phone call exchange, entailing at least two to three hours of time - with no resolution in sight. Drake Software should be reminded that it has neither the market share nor the reputation to survive its present mismanagement. Lawyers and accountants share information.

About November I called to compare individual pricing vs the complete package. i was given a number for sales. I got a voicemail and left a detailed message. I have not received a reply yet.
In November I called technical support to see if there was an update for client write up. I told the person that I needed after the fact payroll. She told that Drake no longer does payroll.
Earlier this month I talked to the sales dept and she gave me the comparison of individual pricing vs the bundle. So I renewed the bundle. After I hung up I looked into the accounting package and saw the after the fact payroll. I called the accounting sales dept and got a voicemail. I left a detailed message with a return phone number. As of today I have not received a call. I wanted to take advantage of the bundle price for the accounting package. This call was made in less than one-half hour of purchasing the tax software package. My cell phone number is 626-497-7696. Respectfully

I have been with Drake for 32 years and the Tax Software is good; however, the Accounting Software is subpar!!! Their technical support for this piece of software is appalling at best. Have never got their generic tech line to answer any question about this software and have always had to escalate to the Accounting support dept.
An Accounting software that can only be used on a computer's own hard drive for networking in this day and age of technology is crazy; especially when the IRS is putting so much pressure on preparers for tighter client security and the preparers need for better backups.
A software that cannot print color forms (ie Copy A of W-2's or 1099's) makes no sense when websites can do this for a fee. Today, the supervisor tried to tell me that the IRS would not allow them to print the Copy A's in red. Funny how independent websites can??!! The reason this piece of software is "free" is because they could not sale it on its own (I remember when they tried to charge separately for it). Nothing has really ever changed with this piece of software since its inception, although I have always complained and have given feedback to them about these 2 issues.
Drake does not have the same dedication to their Accounting software that the do with their Tax software. A google of the top 5 for each shows their Tax software in the top 5 (and has always been there) but not even a mention for their Accounting software...Dedication to subpar for their Accounting software!!

Can I please get some help!!!
For over a month now I still have the same issue... No one is able to help me.
I've been using drake software 17 years. the last 3 years have been nightmare with customer service. I have been calling about the same issue for a month now and still cannot get someone to help me...

great software, easy to use and offers all State efile. Pay per return for the startup and small office, of if over 100 returns offers the big one fee package. I've used since 1995. Great company, great software.

I have used Drake software since 2015 TY. I was in Miami at their induction/training and loved what I saw. It was family-owned, US based company. The support in all avenues had been suberb. That is history. It is still a good product, the support is better than average. It's been a couple of years since the buyout/merge and, as is true with technology, there was a learning curve. The support teams are now on top of the game. I am staying with Drake.

Warning! Stay away from this company. The have zero customer support. We could not access the new customer portal and they did not resolve the issue. We paid for a year service and are attempting to get a refund due to failure to provide the product we purchased. This is one of the worst customer service experiences we have encounter. Called than told to email, emailed than told to call. Two day of the run around and we are done!

I have used Drake for nine years. I have been very satisfied with the software and the support staff. I think the unlimited plan is a great value but hopefully the price will be held at this level for another couple of years.

My suggestion for improvements are adding options for all of the K-1 codes. The options S Corp and Partnerships for lines 12 through 20 need to be expanded to help improve the efficiency.

I've had a great experience with Drake the support is great.

I do not want to write a review. Im trying to review our Drake products.

For the money, Drake Tax provides value more than many competitors. The asset manager is quite good, and the onboard document manager is handy. But for a variety of things, the software does not report things correctly without preparer oversight and adjustment (things that other tax prep platforms catch automatically). Historically, Drake has enjoyed a good reputation for product support about such issues which is why I tried it. They answer the phone, which is great. But for the few issues I have contacted Drake about, I hardly ever received a callback in response (I did get a bit irate in the one callback they did make, but they completely frustrated me at the time). They called me every day for a year and half to try to sell me the product, but aren't particularly interested if something may not be reporting correctly. I may keep a copy for occasional testing and use, but they certainly have created no loyalty to the product on my part.

I've used Drake Software for the past eleven years, since I started my practice. This year I experienced a few more support staff that didn't have answers like in previous years. But, my main issue is with reports that I'd like to generate for myself, on the returns for my clients, for the prior year. I'd like to have a report that I could print out that tells me, by client, their filing status, their results, how many 1099's, W2's, Sch C's, or Sch E's, among the many things that are known from the prior year. A sort of prior year's summary. It would be the perfect reference document when they are returning and referencing their last years return.

There are only a few changes I would like to see made. One is it would be great if the 1099 Misc or NEC amounts carried to the forms. And second it would be great if the date didnt change when we open a transmitted return.

In the past I would have given Drake Tax 5 stars. This year for the first time the customers service team was lacking in knowledge and ability to resolve technical problems. There were hold times for the first time. And now they are raising prices for the upcoming year by 20%. I understand the need for an increase but that is significant and after their last tax season, I'm concerned the product may no longer be worth the price.

I am concerned about the dramatic increase in Drake PPR pricing. For years, the initial price was $300 which included 15 returns with additional returns costing $20 each. Two years ago, the price increased to $330 for 15 returns with additional returns costing $22 each. This year, 2022, the price increased again to $345 for TEN returns with additional returns costing $29.99 each. The first ten returns’ cost of $34.50 each represents a 57% increase over last year. For next year, 2023, business returns, everything but 1040s and their derivatives, will be $44.95 per return, a more than double the per return price from two years ago. I, too, am looking at alternatives. It appears that Drake only wants to sell their unlimited package and that they had fundamentally changed their approach to small producers.

I have had no problem with the software or support, but there is a limit to what small firms can stand in huge price increases two years in a row.

Poor Customer Service

I had three seats for Right Networks & timely removed them after tax season & thought I had removed them on Drake's site. I was charged for three and called to discuss w Customer Service. They refused to refund the two seats even though it was 1/2 changed.

Most other companies work with you and do a one time change. Not Drake! I will be dropping them and using another tax software in the future.

Easy program to use. But more important is the excellent support offered by the Support Center.

Always solid, I have never had an issue

Could you somehow set it up that when you have to change your password, it changes that same password through all the Drake versions you have.