We've done the clicking to summarise the budget options if you only have a few partnership returns to file and don't want software for individual returns.
To save you the legwork, we have done a little research for you to identify the cheapest options for those who have a small number of partnership returns to file. We’ve used HMRC’s list of approved third party software providers and looked at their websites to identify broad terms and prices for you. We have worked on the assumption that you may want to continue to use HMRC’s free product for individual returns, so have looked at the cheapest offerings for partnerships only, assuming that you have between 5 and 10 returns to file.
Those software providers listed as providing a product for individuals rather than agents is a good place to start.
These are :
- Acorah (TaxCalc)
- Andica
- Forbes
- Keytime Objective Ltd
- Legatio Technologies (Ftax)
- Quality Management Software
TaxCalc
TaxCalc’s product aimed at the individual partnership can be downloaded, for which the price is lower. Opting for a CD ROM version adds £8.75 to the price. Partnership Solo 6 includes one partnership return and six individual returns, and costs £45.00 plus VAT. For more than one partnership return the company offers Partnership Duo 12 which includes two partnership returns and twelve individual returns, costing £85.00 + VAT. If you want to file a few more partnership returns then you would have to move to the agent product, for which the budget version would be TaxCalc Pro (winner of the Software Satisfaction Awards 2009 tax software prize) which provides unlimited partnership and individual returns for £275.00 plus VAT. There are no separate charges for online filing and the package includes onscreen R40 forms too.
Andica
A single partnership return from Andica costs £14.95 plus VAT, and the SA800 package is available by download at this price, or on a CD ROM for £23.95 plus VAT. 5 partnership returns can be completed by a single user by purchasing the next package in the range, costing £19.75 plus VAT; moving up to 10 will cost you £29.75 plus VAT. There are further price points at 25, 50 and 100 partnerships, followed by an unlimited option at £179.75 plus VAT. This software is “partnership only” so those who wish to continue using the HMRC free product for individual clients can do so.
Forbes
Forbes provides an individual taxpayer version of the partnership return as a product called Protax Light. This is a slimmed down version of Forbes’ agent product and allows filing of up to 5 returns. The version including partnership returns costs £30 and this provides you with up to 5 individual and partnership returns. The full agent product, ProTax partnership costs £195.00 plus VAT which provides unlimited copies, but to file online you will also have to purchase the ProTax Electronic filing module, so you will have to shell out another £95.00 plus VAT to file online, a total of £333.50 if you buy before 31 December 2009.
Keytime
Keytime provides Partnership Bronze as the entry level partnership product. In download version it costs £40.00, and this provides 1 partnership return and six personal returns. To get more than one partnership return you would need to move up to Partnership Gold, providing you with two SA 800’s and 12 personal returns for £80.00. There is no indication on Keytime’s website that VAT will be added, so these prices should be including VAT. Moving up to the agent product will cost you £195.00 plus VAT for 25 cases, and £285.00 plus VAT for 50 cases. Although Tax Professional includes both individual and partnership returns, buying the entry level option and just using it for partnerships would work out at a cost of only £7.80 plus VAT per return if you had 25 partnerships; not so cost effective for 5 partnerships though – working out at £39 plus VAT per return.
Legatio Ftax
Legatio’s single version of the partnership return, Ftax Partnership allows the completion of one partnership return and up to 12 partner individual returns. The download version costs £30.00 plus VAT, and can be used on up to 4 computers; on a CD ROM the price is £38.00 plus VAT. Moving up to the agent version is necessary to file multiple returns, but for those who want to file a modest number of partnerships this is quite a cost effective option, as Ftax Agent 30 provides up to 30 individual client returns and unlimited use of the partnership product for £70.00 plus VAT as a download – more expensive if a CD Rom is needed. Unless you wanted to use the product for more individual returns, this would therefore be sufficient.
Quality Management Software
QMS’s product, PA2000 is available as a single user download for £9.99. This allows completion of a single partnership return, and is separate from the individual tax return product so buying this would sit alongside the HMRC free software. The instructions on site indicate that the return is based in an Excel environment, so this would not be suitable for those who do not have Microsoft Excel. The agent version of the partnership package with unlimited copies is quoted at £200.
The rest
The remaining providers listed only have agent products, and clearly these will vary widely in what they can provide for the agent. Price is, of course, not the only factor in choosing tax software, and with agent only packages some of the products have many additional features, but here is what we have been able to establish for the budget purchaser from the supplier websites.
- BTC SA Solution from BTC Software is the product which includes partnership returns, with an unlimited multi user licence for £350 – this includes the individual and trust products;
- CCH offers three products which meet the partnership filing requirements, CCH PerTAX, CCH Personal Tax 2009 and CCH Taxpoint. Logging into CCH’s site allows you to find out more about the products.
- Drummhor Technologies is now owned by IRIS, and their agent package is known as Tax Assistant, which covers individual, partnership and trust returns and also includes the Short company tax return. There are no prices quoted on the website, but the IRIS online store quotes “from £530” plus VAT
- IRIS itself offers IRIS Business Tax for the partnership return, which is a stand alone product, separate from individual returns. However, the business tax product also includes company returns.
- PTP software, now also part of IRIS offers a partnership only module for £120.00 plus VAT for 10 returns on a single user licence.
- rfa Limited provides the Pinacle taxation product with a stand alone partnership module, but no prices on the website.
- Sage’s partnership product is part of the Sage Taxation package.
- Thomson Reuters produce the Digita package. Once again, the partnership module is in the Business Tax product.