Tax L.
Drake user for 30 years
I've been using Drake for 30 years. I started using Drake back when it started out as a DOS based program (tax year 1990)!! They have come a long way since then! Drake is very responsive to suggested changes to the program to make it easier for the end user. I have actually seen some of my suggestions show up in the program!! They listen to their users to improve the program every year. I'm always excited to see what new features they have come up with that I didn't even know that I wanted! They have a feature that you can pay as you go for Gruntworx. It has the ability to populate income documents into the Drake program so you don't have to enter the info yourself. Gruntworx is within the Drake program. You scan income forms and Gruntworx will populate the information into the tax return. It's a great feature and saves me TONS of time entering all those numbers!! It also creates an organized PDF of what was sent to Gruntworx. You can also use Gruntworx to just organize all the client documents into a PDF and skip the populating of information. It's very flexible and very user friendly. The support staff and Drake are awesome. They are helpful in resolving issues which I cannot resolve on my own. Again, been using for 30 years so I know a lot about work arounds when issues arise but sometimes it's operator error (my brain fell off) and support helps me find it. LOL! Other times it's an issue that a programmer needs to fix, which they are usually already aware of. Software data entry is generally straight forward. Drake has a lot of customization available too to make the program fit your needs. Drake has video links within the program on certain forms which you can watch if you have questions about how to enter data on that form. Very helpful if you are new to Drake or have never used that particular form before. In the data entry screen you can double click on the entry and add details. Those detail screens carry forward to the next year. One example of how I use the detail screens, on the entry for mortgage interest, I track whether I have asked about energy improvements. Or make a note that the mortgage interest needs to be entered in "other mortgage interest" because the 1098 is not in the client's SSN. Those screens carry forward each year so those notes are there each year as well. They also have helpful links on the screen that take you to other forms. Example if you are on the dividend screen and then need to go to 1116 for foreign tax, just click the link and it takes you to that form. No need to go out of the dividend screen and then type 1116 to go to that form. You can also "flag" something if you entered an estimated number or are waiting for an amount from the client. The flags can be something you add in data entry or it can be a flag that is universal to all tax returns. When there is a flag, you get a message page reminding you an entry needs to be made. To enter data on a form, you can either type the form number or name. If you are not sure, type part and it will suggest forms you might be looking for. Very helpful if it is a form you don't use a lot and can't remember the form number or the exact name! To enter a return, it now allows you to type part of the name and it suggests returns you might be looking for. Very helpful if you can only remember the first name of the client! Drake also has helpful info on the States with a FAQ screen with links to State websites etc. It's very helpful if you are not familiar with preparing that particular State. They also offer discounts for renewing the program. The biggest discount is if renewed before the end of May. The discount decreases as the year goes on. For the program, you can either download it from their website or you have the option to have CD's sent to you. I opt for the 1st CD and an Archive CD at the end of the year. I am very satisfied using Drake, otherwise I would not have used their program for the last 30 years!
Response from Drake SoftwareApr 22, 2021
Thirty years is quite amazing! Loyal customers like you, and your detailed feedback, are how we continue to improve. Here's to serving you through many more tax seasons! Thank you!