The best tax planning software depends on how your firm works. Corvee and TaxPlanIQ are built for firms that sell tax planning as an advisory service. Holistiplan is popular with financial advisors who review 1040s. Intuit Tax Advisor, Planner CS, CCH ProSystem fx Planning and Drake Tax Planner work alongside their makers' tax prep software. Bloomberg Tax Income Tax Planner handles deep multiyear individual projections.
- Start with the tax software you already use. Built-in planners are often the cheapest, fastest place to start.
- If you sell planning as its own service, look at Corvee and TaxPlanIQ for strategy libraries and client-ready deliverables.
- Only TaxPlanIQ and Holistiplan publish prices. For the rest, get a written quote.
- Software won't sell the plan for you. Your offer, your clients and your follow-through matter more.
Quick picks by situation
Short on time? Find your situation below, then jump to the full comparison.
Demo Corvee for its 1,500+ strategy library and multi-entity planning, and TaxPlanIQ for automated plans plus coaching on selling them.
Holistiplan scans a client's return and builds a report with planning opportunities like Roth conversions and charitable giving.
Try the planner your tax software already offers: Intuit Tax Advisor, Planner CS, CCH ProSystem fx Planning or Drake Tax Planner.
Bloomberg Tax Income Tax Planner runs year-end, quarterly and multiyear projections for up to 20 years with side-by-side scenarios.
Tax planning software compared
Everything here comes from each vendor's own website, checked in November 2026. Prices are listed only where the vendor publishes them.
| Tool | Best for | How data gets in | Coverage | Price as of November 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corvee (an Instead company) | Firms selling planning as an advisory service | Smart questionnaires and a client document portal | 1040, 1120, 1120-S, 1065, 1041, multi-entity, 52+ states and localities | Not published |
| TaxPlanIQ | Firms building a planning offer with coaching | Upload 1040 PDFs, verify auto-filled data, bulk upload | Strategy library of 130+, projections and entity comparison on higher plans | Basic $397/mo, Standard $697/mo, Growth $997/mo |
| Holistiplan | Financial advisors and planners | OCR scan of uploaded returns and transcripts | Individual returns, federal (Basic) or federal and state (Premium) | From $749/yr Basic or $1,499/yr Premium at 30 households |
| Intuit Tax Advisor | ProConnect Tax and Lacerte firms | Generates strategies from returns already in ProConnect or Lacerte | Strategy library plus your own strategies | Not listed, license per user |
| Planner CS (Thomson Reuters) | Firms in the CS Professional Suite | Entry with carry-forward tracking across years | Federal plus resident and nonresident projections for the 45 states with individual income tax | Contact sales |
| Bloomberg Tax Income Tax Planner | Deep individual projections | Data import tools | Federal, state and nonresident, up to 20 years of projections | Not listed, trial available |
| CCH ProSystem fx Planning (Wolters Kluwer) | CCH Axcess Tax and ProSystem fx Tax firms | Imports base-year amounts from CCH Axcess Tax or ProSystem fx Tax | 1040 planning with multiple scenarios | Not listed |
| Drake Tax Planner | Drake Tax firms | Compares scenarios against the current return in Drake Tax | 1040, 1120, 1120-S and 1065 (since Drake Tax 2023), federal only | Built into Drake Tax |
The four kinds of tax planning software
Most tools fall into one of four groups. Knowing which group you need cuts your shortlist in half.
Where each tool fits
Advisory platforms: Corvee and TaxPlanIQ
Corvee (an Instead company)
Corvee joined the Instead brand in April 2026. Existing customers kept the same login, pricing and features at instead.com/corvee. Instead adds AI research, estimated payments, filing and IRS notice resolution on its broader platform.
- Library of 1,500+ strategies across deductions, entity structure, retirement, insurance, international, exit and wealth management
- Multi-entity planning across 1040, 1120, 1120-S and 1065 in one view, plus 1041 for trusts and estates
- State and local planning in 52+ jurisdictions
- Smart questionnaires, a client document portal and custom-branded tax plans
Want the fuller picture, including what to weigh before buying? Read our Corvee tax planning review.
TaxPlanIQ
TaxPlanIQ is flat-rate planning software for accounting firms, CPAs and financial advisors. It pairs the software with training and coaching on selling planning.
- Upload 1040 PDFs, verify the auto-filled data and get recommended strategies from a library of 130+
- Bulk upload of up to 100 returns at once
- ROI reports that show clients the value of a plan
- jAIne, an AI assistant, on the Standard and Growth plans
- Webinars, CPE and an optional Advisor Accelerator Program from $4,500
Return scanner: Holistiplan
Holistiplan is aimed mainly at financial advisors, with a section for tax professionals too. It says it has over 30,000 customers. You upload a client's return, its OCR reads the figures and you get a report with observations and planning opportunities.
- Automated federal return and transcript scanning
- Client-ready summary reports
- Scenario analysis for Roth conversions, tax-efficient withdrawals and charitable giving
- State scenario analysis, multi-year Roth projections and tax prep letters on Premium
- An insurance module that reviews home, auto and umbrella policies
Source: holistiplan.com/pricing, checked November 2026. Prices rise with household count.
Planners built into your tax software
If you already prep returns in one of these, start here. The data is already in the system, so there's less typing and less to go wrong.
Works inside ProConnect Tax and Lacerte. Generates strategies from your returns, offers a strategy library or your own, and builds client reports that quantify savings. Since January 1, 2025 it requires a license per user.
Thomson Reuters planning software, updated through the year. Multi-year planning with carry-forwards, resident and nonresident state projections, comparative reports, letters and a Result Finder for what-if testing.
Wolters Kluwer's 1040 planning tool with a spreadsheet-style view for comparing scenarios. Imports base-year amounts from CCH Axcess Tax or ProSystem fx Tax and prints client letters.
Built into Drake Tax. Compares scenarios to the current return for 1040, 1120, 1120-S and 1065 returns. It's federal only, and scenarios don't carry over from year to year.
Projection engine: Bloomberg Tax Income Tax Planner
This is the tool that started life as BNA Income Tax Planner, first released in 1984. It's built for detailed individual projections rather than strategy libraries.
- Year-end, quarterly and multiyear projections for up to 20 years
- Federal, state and nonresident calculations, including AMT, capital gains, phase-outs and carryovers
- Multiple what-if scenarios compared side by side
- Tax law updates applied automatically
- Ready-to-use letters, graphs and reports for clients
How to choose tax planning software
Decide what you're selling
A standalone plan, planning inside a monthly retainer, or advice to wealth management clients? Each one points to a different group of tools.
Start with your tax software
Check whether your current prep software already includes a planner. You may already be paying for one.
Match your clients
Business owners with several entities need multi-entity planning. Retirees and advisory clients need Roth and withdrawal scenarios.
Demo with a real return
Bring an anonymized return with an S corporation and a rental. Time how long it takes to get to a plan you'd actually send.
Test the mid-year update
Change the income and see how easy it is to refresh the plan. Planning only works if you keep it current.
Get pricing in writing
Ask about seats, plan limits, contract length and data export if you leave.
Software doesn't sell the plan. Your offer does.
We work with accounting firms every day, and we've seen it over and over. Firms buy great software, then struggle to sell planning because the offer isn't clear and the right clients aren't finding them.
A planning engagement that keeps clients for years
Our accounting firm course covers how to package, price and sell that kind of retainer. And when you're ready for more of the right clients, see how we build websites for accounting firms.
Questions people ask
What is the best tax planning software for CPAs?
It depends on your firm. Corvee and TaxPlanIQ suit firms that sell planning as an advisory service. If you already use ProConnect, Lacerte, UltraTax, CCH or Drake, start with the planner built into that software. Bloomberg Tax Income Tax Planner is strong for deep multiyear projections.
How much does tax planning software cost?
As of November 2026, TaxPlanIQ starts at $397 a month and Holistiplan starts at $749 a year for 30 households. Corvee, Intuit Tax Advisor, Planner CS, Bloomberg Tax and CCH don't publish prices, so you'll need a quote. Drake Tax Planner is built into Drake Tax.
Is Corvee still available?
Yes. Corvee joined the Instead brand in April 2026. Existing customers kept the same login, data and pricing at instead.com/corvee.
Is Holistiplan for CPAs or financial advisors?
Holistiplan is aimed mainly at financial advisors, but it also has a section for tax professionals and CPAs. It's strongest for reviewing individual returns and finding planning opportunities.
Do I need tax planning software to offer tax planning?
No, but it helps. Software speeds up projections and makes savings easy to show. Many firms start with the planner in their tax prep software and upgrade once planning becomes a big part of their revenue.
Rob built Feedbackwrench and Nuance Financial Tax & Accounting. Since 2015, our team has helped transform 550+ small businesses with marketing, strategy and systems.
