Hi, just received my invoice from Taxfiler and a massive 18.50% increase this year. Taxfiler prices have now doubled since Iris took over. I only use Taxfiler for a small number of personal and company tax returns. Any recommendations for good alternative tax software would be greatly appreciated.
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This was always going to happen with Tax Filer. Everyone knew once Iris took over (with their track record) we were doomed. Its really difficult to move once established with one tax software and they know it so they have you by the .....
Admittedly tax filer is very slick. I don't know any other tax software provider that comes close. If its any good then Iris will snap them up anyway. Perhaps the Competition commission should investigate Iris acquisitions :-)
What were you paying and what is the new price? 18.5% is indeed a large increase but if you were paying £180pa before and that's now increased to £213.33 then it still seems reasonable value for money if you ignore the percentages?
It's an interesting question that caught my eye, John, but do bear in mind MissAccounting's advice.
Part of me still wonders about whether the Taxfiler founders set their rates to build up a significant customer base that would lure the attentions of the bigger software houses that they disrupted. So the scenario you're describing might have been built into their business plan rather than just being a continuation of IRIS's premium pricing strategy.
Meanwhile, are you a Xero user by chance? If you're just doing very simple accounts and CT returns, the Xero Tax application might meet the needs of those clients. Once you've signed up for the Xero partner programme, Xero Tax comes free. It should now also a personal tax return capability: https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/tech/practice-software/xero-previews-per...
FreeAgent is going the same route, and now allows users to file CT600s and final accounts from within the accounting app. https://www.freeagent.com/blog/introducing-corporation-tax-ct600/
These new entrants to the compliance software scene are relatively young, immature tax apps, but are likely to gain in functionality and reach as we migrate to MTD for income tax. So, having itself been the disruptive player in the market a few years ago, Taxfiler could find itself being disrupted by the big accounting platforms.
PS - I forgot to mention, if your clients are very price conscious, you can probably put them onto FreeAgent for free if they switch to NatWest - since the group acquired FreeAgent, the software has been used to lure in new business banking customers.
I am a big fan of FreeAgent but would not use it to submit either personal or corporation tax returns. For example, I believe you can only submit an SA return if you have filed the RTI for the Director salary through FreeAgent.
As much as it sticks in my craw to stick up for IRIS, this was announced last year. It’s just that those on annual billing may have just escaped when it went up so had the benefit of a lower price for longer.
I too have looked elsewhere but there’s nothing slicker if you don’t want bells and whistles
Even at double its still cheap.
You need to consider the time cost of moving somewhere else.
I use Taxcalc very good easy to use but more expensive than new cost you are paying for taxfiler.
I am another TaxCalc user (tax and accounts), although these days the limited returns numbers subscription as I no longer need the larger number of permitted returns given I am no longer in practice, intuitive with either idiot input approach or return layout approach if familiar with the forms.
As Glenn says easy to use, which has to have a bearing on decision making if one is valuing chargeable time at >£100 per hour, simple data import from accounts, and handy warning prompts about things you may have missed.
I use Absolute's Top Up Tax. £5 a return bought in blocks of 5 & you can use the 5 for any type of return (eg a couple of SA & a couple of corp tax). I find it works well, is cost effective for the 30 or so returns I do a year & their email help is responsive (their online help is less helpful -never seems to deal with my queries or doesn't use screen shots from the current version of the software)
I had a look at taxfiler website. It looks good for cloud-based tax and accounts software.
Price is low. I cannot see it being this low, going forwards. IRIS will want a good return on its purchase.
Does it have a Prac Management module? Even a simplified one.
I had a look at taxfiler website. It looks good for cloud-based tax and accounts software.
Price is low. I cannot see it being this low, going forwards. IRIS will want a good return on its purchase.
Does it have a Prac Management module? Even a simplified one.
The price is indeed good unless you've a small number of clients.
They have a PM module. It didn't beat my sheet of A4, to be honest, and you'd need to invest quite a bit of time in setting it up.
I'm in the process of switching to Nomisma, their cost is £5 per return (CT or SA) but with the added ability to do the accounts (£5 per month) which then feeds to the tax return.
I have decided to trial tax filer over a period of one month.
I like the fact it is cloud-based and not a hybrid of desktop and cloud.
I will post my views on one of my blogs on AW.
I got off lightly then - only a 15% increase for me (from £600 to £690pa).
You can tell that money-grabbing Iris have their feet firmly under the table now, so I expect this level of increase year on year.
The increase annoys me because their justification is bound to be the increase in functionality with the practice management elements - I just want/originally subscribed for basic accounts production software, not all singing, all dancing practice management - if I wanted that I would have chosen software that did that in the first place, so I begrudge paying extra for the functionality that I did not ask for and do not need.