Personal Tax Software - small business

Personal Tax Software - small business

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Hi there,

After using Pertax successfully for a long time, it is no longer supported by CCH.  I am using the opportunity to look around to get a cheaper software, (as for a small business CCH are extremely expensive) but want something reliable and preferably as similar in layout to Pertax as possible.

I have been reading reviews on here but my query is specifically in relation to Personal Tax software as this is 90% of my business.

I have had demos with Digita and have downloaded BTC and TaxCalc.  I think from reading the forums these seem to be good programs.  BTC have been very helpful so far as has the Digita salesperson.

Digita I know is integrated but I don't have any particular need for this, so is the extra that I would be paying really for this facility or are there other major differences in the programs that I should be aware of?  I have read that Digita IT support has not been fantastic recently.

Any comments that would help me make up my mind would be very useful.

Thanks

Replies (8)

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By petersaxton
28th Jun 2011 11:18

Digita

"Digita I know is integrated but I don't have any particular need for this, so is the extra that I would be paying really for this facility or are there other major differences in the programs that I should be aware of?"

The costs are purely for the Personal Tax software. The integration is paid for as part of the Practice Management software. The Personal Tax software is very good value. How much is the cost for how many users and how many clients?

"I have read that Digita IT support has not been fantastic recently."

The support is still good. The problem relates to how long it takes to get answers for Accounts Production. You shouldn't have a problem getting a quick response to Personal Tax questions although you may be better emailing for a call back. You may have to wait a couple of hours but you may get an answer immediately if you phone.

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By ShirleyM
28th Jun 2011 11:23

Pertax

I haven't used Pertax so cannot comment on software that looks similar to it.

I am in my second year of using TaxCalc, and have trialled BTC personal tax. I have used TaxCalc support once, when we first networked TaxCalc and I got my solution within minutes. I also found BTC to be very helpful and I gave their software serious consideration. I may change to BTC next year as they seem to really care about their customers.

I trialled Absolute but had problems with our quad monitor system. Abolute insisted on opening across all 4 monitors and I couldn't find a fix for it, but this was a couple of years ago, and it may well cope with quad systems now.

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By anon2000
28th Jun 2011 11:34

Digita costs

1st yr digita quote is £879 + vat, including licence fee of £245, training of £125 and finance fee of £50 - The software for 50 PT clients is £339 + VAT, and Business Tax £120+VAT for 25 clients - really it is the first yr costs that make it so much more expensive than the others - but also if I go into the next bracket with Digita the annual cost would increase by a couple of hundred.  Also would have to pay to get data imported from Pertax.  If I felt the system was a lot better than the others I may be prepared to look at it but it's hard to know from a demo.  I am not VAT registered so this also adds to costs. 

BTC for eg is £495 + VAT for PM suite - unlimited clients.

Thanks for your help.

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By petersaxton
28th Jun 2011 11:35

UltraMon

Shirley

Do you use any external software to manage your monitors?

I use UltraMon.

http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

 

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By ShirleyM
28th Jun 2011 11:51

Peter

 

Yes - we use Matrox Powerdesk on all PC's.

www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/graphics_cards/m_series/powerdesk/

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By petersaxton
28th Jun 2011 12:01

Digita

Yes, you are paying for the software and for the use of it. Next year you will only pay for the use of it.

One way to reduce the initial cost is to get the smallest number of clients you can and then to pay for an increase when you need them.

There's not a massive amount of data entry. Couldn't you do that yourself when you prepare a tax return?

I didn't pay for training. I didn't have a clue how to do the first tax return so I phoned technical support and they went through what to do for a client from start to finish. I then did as many clients on my own as possible and after a few I felt pretty comfortable and knew how to deal with the most usual situations.

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By petersaxton
28th Jun 2011 12:05

Configuration

Shirley

Do you have the monitors on the same level or are they two above two?

What size are the monitors?

Mine are two 32" monitors side by side.

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By ShirleyM
28th Jun 2011 12:12

Peter

We have 4 x 19" monitors all in a row .....

 ..... sounds a bit like a nursery rhyme I know. :)

Actually they are placed on a slight curve to keep them equidistant from the keyboard.

ps. I think we are hijacking this thread! Send me a PM if you want to know more, or you have some useful tidbits for me.

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