Intuit Lacerte
Power through complex tax workflows with comprehensive forms, diagnostics, and e-filing for accounting professionals.
Executive Summary
Intuit Lacerte is a robust tax software designed for accounting firms and tax professionals to efficiently prepare and file complex individual and business tax returns. It streamlines tax workflows with features like automated diagnostics, extensive form coverage, and e-filing capabilities. Lacerte helps professionals provide clarity to clients' financial futures through reliable insights and tax planning solutions, catering to firms handling intricate client needs.
Use Cases
- Preparation and e-filing of individual (1040) tax returns, including complex scenarios.
- Preparation and e-filing of business tax returns (1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041, 990, 5500, 706, 709).
- Managing multi-state tax allocations for individuals and businesses.
- Tax planning and projection for clients to optimize financial outcomes.
- Automating data import from accounting software and financial institutions.
- Securely obtaining client e-signatures and managing document exchange.
Features
Visibility
- Customizable Client List: View and sort client returns with over 500 customizable data points, including status, preparer, and financial details.
- E-file Status Tracking: Monitor the real-time status of e-filed returns and e-signature requests directly within the software.
- Audit Log: Track changes made to a tax return, including who made the change and when, providing an audit trail.
Intelligence
- Automated Diagnostics: Identifies critical errors and potential issues in tax returns, preventing rejections and ensuring accuracy.
- Tax Planning Tools: Allows for creating demo returns for projections and analyzing the impact of tax reforms on client finances.
- Complex Calculation Handling: Automatically tracks basis, at-risk, and passive loss limitations, crucial for complex business returns.
- Automated K-1 Flow-Through: Streamlines the process of flowing through K-1 data for partnerships and S-corporations.
Support
- Multi-channel Support: Access support via phone, email, and chat, with extended hours during busy tax seasons.
- In-app Help & Training Resources: Provides in-product information, training materials, and extensive online resources for self-help.
- Dedicated Account Management: Offers dedicated support for larger firms and complex needs (inferred from B2B nature).
Technical Specifications
- Architecture
- Desktop application with optional third-party hosted environment
- Deployment
- Hybrid
- Authentication
- Lacerte credentials, likely supports SSO and MFA through Intuit's ecosystem
- API Available
- Yes
- MCP Server
- No
Infrastructure
- AWS
- Azure
- GCP
Integrations
- QuickBooks
- Rightworks
- Intuit Link
- Microsoft Office
Security & Compliance
Certifications: SOC 2 Type II
Encryption: AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.2/1.3 in transit (inferred for Intuit products)
Pricing
- Model
- Subscription-based, Pay-Per-Return, or Unlimited Packages
- Starting Price
- Annual license fee + per-return fees (e.g., $860 annual license + $96/individual return, $125/business return) or fixed price for unlimited returns. Contact sales for package pricing.
- Target Customer
- Small to large accounting firms and tax professionals handling complex returns.
- Contract Type
- Annual
- Free Trial
- Yes, Free version available with printing/e-filing limitations, full trial details require contact. (credit card required)
About intuit
Intuit is a global technology platform that helps consumers, small businesses, and self-employed individuals overcome their most important financial challenges. It offers cloud-based products like TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, increasingly leveraging AI and automation to power prosperity worldwide.