All About ProSeries Tax Software (2026 Update)

Still unsure whether to stay put, tweak your setup, or rethink the whole stack before the next filing rush hits?

If your firm prepares individual and business tax returns in the United States, there is a good chance ProSeries shows up somewhere in the conversation every renewal cycle.

Intuit ProSeries has been one of the most widely used professional tax preparation platforms for years, especially for firms that live on high volume 1040 work with a steady mix of business returns.

At the same time, the environment around ProSeries has changed. Staff expect to work from home, the IRS and FTC expect you to prove you can protect taxpayer data, and clients expect digital organizers, e-signature, and fast answers. That reality has pushed many firms to ask a different question for 2026: not just “Is ProSeries good” but “Is ProSeries still the right fit for our firm, and if so, how should we deploy it so it is fast, secure, and available from anywhere”.

The intention of this ProSeries article is to be the one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about it. We will cover what ProSeries tax software actually is, who it serves best today, and how the ProSeries Basic and ProSeries Professional product lines differ in practice. We will walk through ProSeries versions such as Basic 20, Basic 50, Basic Unlimited, Pay Per Return, 1040 Complete, Choice 200, and Power Tax Library, and explain how to match each option to your return volume and entity mix.

Because ProSeries is still desktop software that runs on Windows, we will also look at what really matters for 2026: pricing expectations, current system requirements, and whether you should keep ProSeries on local workstations, run it on an in-office server, or host it on dedicated cloud servers through a provider like Verito. Finally, we will map out the security, compliance, and IT decisions that surround ProSeries so your firm can get through the busy season without fighting slow performance or downtime.

What is ProSeries Tax Software?

ProSeries is Intuit’s desktop-based professional tax preparation software for accountants, enrolled agents, and tax preparers. It is not a consumer tool like TurboTax.

Firms install ProSeries on supported Windows-operated machines or a Windows server and use it to prepare, review, and e-file federal and state returns for individuals and businesses. Intuit positions it as a straightforward, forms-based system that lets preparers work directly on screens that closely resemble IRS forms, with real-time calculations and error checks built-in.

At a high level, ProSeries covers the core forms most small and mid-sized firms need. That includes individual Form 1040 returns and, in the Professional product line, common business and fiduciary forms such as 1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041, 990, 706, and 709. Intuit reports that the Power Tax Library configuration supports more than 3,700 forms and schedules across federal and state, with unlimited 1040 and broad business coverage in that package.

ProSeries is offered in two main product families:

• ProSeries Basic: Entry-level professional tax software aimed at newer or smaller practices that primarily prepare Form 1040 returns and want a more guided, step-by-step workflow. Basic focuses on individual returns and does not include built-in business return preparation.
  
• ProSeries Professional: The full featured line for firms that handle higher volumes, need to prepare business returns, and want more advanced tools for entity work, diagnostics, and multi-preparer environments. ProSeries Professional supports a wider range of forms and schedules, including common corporate, partnership, fiduciary, and exempt organization returns.

Although Intuit now offers hosted options through partners and promotes cloud-related add-ons, ProSeries itself remains desktop software at its core. You install it locally, update it each tax year, and store client data on your own hardware or on hosted servers. Cloud hosting does not change the underlying product, it only changes where ProSeries runs and how users connect to it. Firms that want secure, remote access typically pair Intuit ProSeries with a specialized hosting provider.

In practical terms, ProSeries is the engine for your tax preparation workflow. It handles forms, calculations, e-filing, and diagnostics, while other tools and services handle how your team reaches the software, how data is stored and protected, and how ProSeries fits into a larger ecosystem that might include QuickBooks, engagement tools, portals, and document management.

Is ProSeries Still a Smart Choice for Tax Firms in 2026?

Short answer: yes, for many firms it is still a rational choice, but only if you are clear on where it fits and how you run it.

Across the professional tax software market, a large share of small and mid-sized firms still rely on desktop products such as ProSeries, Lacerte, UltraTax, and Drake rather than going all in on browser-only tools. Firms often stay with ProSeries because it hits a middle ground. It is strong for high volume 1040 work, reasonably straightforward to train new preparers on, and mature enough that most serious issues are well-known and documented. For a one to fifty-person firm that lives on individual returns plus a steady mix of S corporation (S Corp) and partnership work, that combination still matters in 2026.

Expectations around security, remote access, and uptime have evolved over the years. The IRS and FTC expect tax professionals to implement data security programs that include access controls, encryption, and incident response processes under guidance such as IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule. Those requirements do not force you to abandon desktop tax software, but they do make the way you host and secure ProSeries just as important as the choice of software itself.

A practical way to look at ProSeries in 2026 is to separate the software from the environment.

Where ProSeries is Strong

You get clear advantages in cases like these:

Area	Why ProSeries still works well in 2026
1040 Throughput	Forms-based entry with real-time calculations and diagnostics lets experienced preparers move quickly through individual returns.
Mixed Small Business Work	In the Professional line, support for common 1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041, and state returns covers most small business-focused practices.
Staff Familiarity	Many preparers have used ProSeries for years, which reduces training time and resistance to change.
Review Workflow	Diagnostics and review tools help partners catch common errors before e-file, which matters when return volumes spike.

If your revenue model depends on moving a large number of relatively standard returns through the system every season, those strengths are not trivial.

Where ProSeries Shows its Age

The main drawbacks are not that ProSeries fails as a tax calculation engine, but that it was built as desktop software and has had to adapt around that fact:

• It is not a native browser application. You depend on Windows workstations or servers, and performance is tied directly to how those machines and networks are configured.
• Document management, workflow, and client experience are less unified than in some newer platforms. You can bolt on portals and e-signature, but they are add-ons rather than the core of the product.
• If you leave ProSeries on a single office server or a small set of desktops without proper hosting and IT support, you inherit all the risks of that hardware. That includes downtime from hardware failures, patching gaps, and slow performance if specifications are too low.

For a risk-averse firm, the question is not “Is ProSeries obsolete” but “Are we running ProSeries in a way that is safe and sustainable for the next few filing seasons”.

When ProSeries Still Makes Sense in 2026

It remains a sensible choice if most of the following are true:

• You are a solo, small, or mid-sized firm with a significant 1040 volume plus common business entities rather than high-end specialty work.
• Your preparers value a forms-based, desktop-style workflow and you do not want a steep learning curve or disruptive change in the middle of a busy season.
• You are prepared to invest in either solid in-office infrastructure or hosted servers so the software runs quickly and reliably.
• You have or plan to put in place the security controls your regulators expect, including access management, backups, and incident response, around your ProSeries environment.

If you are trying to support highly complex, niche entity work with extensive analytics and built-in document management, alternatives like Lacerte or UltraTax may fit better. If extreme license cost sensitivity is your top driver, products like Drake are often cheaper. But for many firms in the middle, ProSeries plus the right hosting and IT model is still a defensible decision.

Who is ProSeries Best for?

ProSeries is not trying to be all things to all firms. It is built for a fairly specific slice of the market, and it performs best when you stay inside that lane.

In practice, ProSeries tends to fit small and mid-sized firms that prepare a large number of relatively standard individual returns, plus a solid volume of common business entities.

Think of one to fifty-person CPA firms, EA practices, and seasonal tax shops where most work centers around Form 1040, S corporations, partnerships, and a manageable number of trusts and estates. These firms typically care more about throughput, staff familiarity, and predictable licensing than about highly specialized workflows or deep integration across a large enterprise tech stack.

It is also a reasonable choice for firms that need to onboard preparers quickly. Because ProSeries uses a forms-based interface that mirrors IRS documents, experienced preparers and even many newer staff can become productive without months of training.

Also, ProSeries is usually a better fit if your complexity lives in volume rather than in esoteric tax positions. If the majority of your work is composed of W-2 and 1099-driven 1040s, common small business entity returns, and state filings that follow predictable patterns, ProSeries covers that ground well. If your practice leans heavily into specialized industries, large consolidated groups, or very complex international issues, higher tier suites are often a better long-term match.

The table below captures the profiles that usually get the best value out of ProSeries:

Firm profile	Typical size	Return mix and needs	ProSeries fit
1040-heavy local practice	1 to 10 staff	High volume 1040s, some Schedule C and small rentals, few entities	Strong, usually Basic or 1040-focused Professional bundles
Small CPA firm with mixed business work	3 to 25 staff	1040s plus steady 1120S, 1065, 1041, multi-state considerations	Strong, typically ProSeries Professional bundles
Growing multi-preparer tax firm	10 to 50 staff	Increased entity volume, more reviewers, remote or multi-location	Strong if paired with solid hosting and IT
Niche or highly complex tax advisory firm	Any	Complex corporate, international, advanced planning, and modeling	Mixed, alternatives may fit better long-term
Extremely price-sensitive volume shop	1 to 10 staff	Very high 1040 volume, minimal entity work, tight software budgets	Mixed, budget platforms may win on cost

If you recognize your firm in the first three rows, ProSeries can still be a sensible backbone for your tax preparation work in 2026, provided you layer it on the right infrastructure. If you sit closer to the last two rows, ProSeries is still usable, but you should weigh it against alternatives with either lower license costs or more advanced functionality tailored to your niche.

ProSeries Software Versions and Packages in 2026

At a product level, ProSeries is simple. There are two versions available in the market: ProSeries Basic and ProSeries Professional. In practice, most of the confusion comes from the way Intuit packages those families into specific plans such as:

• Basic 20
• Basic 50
• Basic Unlimited
• Pay Per Return
• 1040 Complete
• Choice 200
• Power Tax Library

The good news is that every package is just a different mix of three variables:

• How many 1040 returns you plan to file
• How many business and fiduciary returns you handle
• Whether you want bundled licensing or a pay per return model

Once those are clear, the version choice is mostly arithmetic and risk tolerance, not guesswork.

ProSeries Versions and Who They Fit

Below is a detailed view of the main ProSeries tax software plans and where they typically make sense for firms like yours. This is intentionally focused on fit and volume rather than exact pricing, because Intuit’s list prices and discounts change regularly.

ProSeries plan	Ideal 1040 volume per year	Business return profile	Typical firm profile	Licensing model
ProSeries Basic 20	Around 20 individual returns	Occasional business returns on “pay per return”	Solo preparer or side practice testing professional software	Fixed tier, limited 1040 bundle
ProSeries Basic 50	Around 50 individual returns	Occasional business returns on “pay per return”	Small but growing 1040-focused firm or seasonal shop	Fixed tier, larger 1040 bundle
ProSeries Basic Unlimited	More than 50, up to moderate volume	Occasional business returns on “pay per return”	Solo or small firm with a solid 1040 book and predictable volume	Fixed tier, unlimited 1040
ProSeries Professional PPR	Low to moderate, mixed forms	Low to moderate volume across many entity types	Firms that prepare a wide mix of return types but with moderate volume	Pay as you go per filed return
ProSeries 1040 Complete	High 1040 volume	Business returns primarily on “pay per return”	1040-heavy firms that still do some business returns	Unlimited 1040, PPR business returns
ProSeries Choice 200	Moderate to high across return types	Included allowance of business and possibly individual	Firms with balanced individual and business work, not yet at “unlimited everything” scale	Mid-tier bundle with return allowance
ProSeries Power Tax Library	High volume across the board	High volume of corporations, partnerships, trusts, 990s	Multi-preparer firms that want effectively unlimited federal and state coverage	Unlimited bundle for most major forms

ProSeries Basic Edition

ProSeries Basic is aimed squarely at 1040-focused practices. Intuit designs it for straightforward to moderately complex individual returns where the firm does not need full built-in business return support. You still get a professional-grade engine with real-time calculations and diagnostics, but the workflow is simplified and the product is oriented around Form 1040 and related schedules.

One important detail for firm owners: even though Basic itself is 1040-oriented, Intuit typically includes access to the Professional environment on a pay per return basis for business returns. In other words, you can prepare an 1120S or 1065 using ProSeries Professional on PPR, while keeping your license anchored in the Basic family.

ProSeries Basic 20

Basic 20 is often the first step into ProSeries for very small practices or for preparers who are moving up from consumer tools.

• Roughly aligned to around 20 federal 1040s and a similar pool of state returns, after which you buy additional returns on a “pay per return” basis.
• A good fit for a solo preparer who maintains a small, stable client base and wants a true professional platform without overbuying capacity.
• Works best when your clients’ needs are relatively predictable and you are confident you will not suddenly double your return count in the coming year.

You can still handle the odd business or fiduciary return through PPR in Professional, but at this level you should assume that the vast majority of your work is individual.

ProSeries Basic 50

Basic 50 is the “growing solo or small shop” tier. It is built for firms that outgrew the 20 return cap but are not yet at the point where unlimited 1040s feel necessary.

• Targeted at firms preparing around 50 1040-form returns per season, with some headroom via additional PPR purchases if you go slightly over.
• Often used by small practices that have a mix of wage earners, some Schedule C and rental clients, and a modest number of multi-state filings.
• Makes sense if your client list grows steadily year-over-year but you still expect your total 1040-form count to stay in the double digits for the near term.

From an economic standpoint, Basic 50 is usually the bridge between “side practice” and “small but serious 1040 shop.”

ProSeries Basic Unlimited

Basic Unlimited is the natural destination for 1040-centric firms that consistently exceed the 50-return mark and do not want to worry about hitting a cap.

• Designed for unlimited individual 1040 filing within the season, with state coverage structured by included and optional states depending on your configuration.
• Ideal for local practices where most revenue comes from individual returns, including families, self-employed taxpayers, and landlords.
• Economically sensible once your 1040 volume is high enough that paying per block of returns no longer makes sense.

If you primarily serve individuals and only occasionally prepare a business return on PPR, Basic Unlimited can be a stable long-term option. When entity work becomes a significant share of your workload, the Professional line is usually a better base.

ProSeries Professional Edition

ProSeries Professional is the full featured line designed for firms that need:

• Broad entity coverage
• Multi-preparer workflows
• More control over how they license the software

It supports individual 1040s plus a wide range of business and fiduciary forms, including 1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041, 990, 706, and 709, along with associated state forms.

Within Professional, the main question is not “Which features do I get” but “How do I want to pay for usage.” The core engine and form coverage are broadly similar across Professional plans, but the pricing model differs.

ProSeries Pay Per Return (PPR)

The Pay Per Return license is ProSeries Professional’s “pay as you go” option. It is aimed at firms that either have relatively low volumes overall or have an unpredictable mix of return types and do not want to commit to a large bundle.

• You pay an annual base fee for access to the Professional environment, then a per return fee each time you file or print for filing.
• You get access to essentially the same forms, schedules, diagnostics, and client service tools as in the unlimited Professional bundles.
• This is often the most efficient model for firms that do a broader mix of entities but do not yet have the volume to justify 1040 Complete, Choice 200, or Power Tax Library.

From a planning perspective, PPR is attractive if your return counts vary from year-to-year or if you are still building out your client base.

ProSeries 1040 Complete

1040 Complete is the classic ProSeries Professional bundle for firms that are truly 1040-heavy but also handle a consistent stream of business returns.

• Provides unlimited federal and state 1040 returns for the current year.
• Keeps business returns on a “pay per return” model, letting you handle corporations, partnerships, and fiduciary returns without committing to an unlimited business bundle.
• Includes the same K-1 data import features, client tools, Intuit Link client portal, and e-file capabilities as other Professional configurations.

If your firm files dozens or hundreds of 1040s every season and a smaller but steady number of business returns, 1040 Complete is usually the natural step-up from PPR or Basic Unlimited.

ProSeries Choice 200

Choice 200 sits between 1040 Complete and Power Tax Library. Intuit positions it as a mid-tier Professional bundle for firms that file a meaningful number of both individual and business returns, but are not yet at the “unlimited everything” stage.

Details on the exact return mix for Choice 200 can vary by offer and tax year, so you should always confirm directly with Intuit, but in broad terms:

• You receive a predefined allowance of returns across certain categories, often focused on corporate and partnership entities.
• Additional returns beyond that allowance are typically billed on a “pay per return” basis.
• This structure suits firms that want more bundled value than PPR but do not yet need the full Power Tax Library.

For planning purposes, Choice 200 makes sense if your business and fiduciary volume is clearly above the “occasional” level but not yet in the high volume tier.

ProSeries Power Tax Library

At the top of the Professional line, Power Tax Library is effectively the “all in” option. It is aimed at firms that want to stop thinking about per-return limits for most major forms.

According to Intuit, Power Tax Library typically includes:

• Unlimited 1040 returns, federal and individual state, with access to more than one hundred federal 1040-related forms and schedules.
• Unlimited federal business returns, including 1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041, and 990.
• Unlimited state business returns for the same entity types where supported.
• Unlimited gift and estate returns, including Forms 709 and 706.
• Network functionality designed for multi-user firms that need concurrent access.

For multi-preparer firms with diverse clients and substantial volumes across entity types, Power Tax Library is usually the cleanest way to license ProSeries. You pay for capacity once and focus your attention on workflow, staffing, and infrastructure rather than counting returns.

Key ProSeries Features That Matter in 2026

At this point, the question is not whether ProSeries can prepare returns. It can.

What actually separates it from alternatives is how it handles forms coverage, diagnostics, workflow, client communication, and integrations in a real firm environment.

Forms Coverage And Diagnostics

ProSeries Professional supports a broad set of federal and state forms, including individual 1040s and common business and fiduciary returns such as 1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041, and 990, along with associated state returns where supported. For a typical small or mid-sized CPA firm, that is enough to cover almost every return you will see in a normal year.

On top of the form library, ProSeries includes more than 1,000 built in diagnostics that flag missing information, inconsistent entries, and likely errors before you file. In practice, that matters more than marketing language.

If you run a high volume 1040 shop with multiple preparers, automated diagnostics are often the difference between catching issues during review and dealing with amended returns or Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notices later.

For firm owners, the takeaway is simple. ProSeries is not the only product with broad form coverage, but when you combine its form library with the diagnostic engine, it is fully capable of handling the typical individual and small business workloads that most 1 to 50-person firms rely on.

Workflow, E-file, and Client Communication

E-file is the default channel now, not a side feature. IRS statistics show that more than 90 percent of individual federal income tax returns are now filed electronically, with about 93.8 percent of 2024 returns e-filed. Any tax software you choose has to treat e-file workflow as a first-class part of the process.

ProSeries does that reasonably well:

• It provides a central e-file dashboard where you can see return status, acknowledgments, and rejections across clients.
• You can track batches of returns as they move from prepared to reviewed to accepted, which helps partners manage busy season at a glance.
• It supports direct deposit and refund-related options that tie into the way most clients actually receive funds.

On the client communication side, ProSeries integrates with Intuit Link and the ProSeries Client Organizer to gather source documents and questionnaire responses electronically.

The Client Organizer is included with certain Professional bundles and supports automatic transfer of prior year data into the current year organizer, standard and custom organizers, and engagement letter generation. That combination reduces data entry and gives you a more structured starting point when you sit down to prepare a return.

ProSeries also supports e-signature through Intuit’s integrated solution. Intuit reports that about 68 percent of e-signatures sent through its professional tax products, including ProSeries, are completed within one day, which is a concrete time saving in the middle of filing season. For firms that still chase wet signatures or scan paper forms, that alone can free up staff capacity.

You do need to stay within IRS rules. Intuit’s own guidance reminds preparers that full electronic signatures are currently accepted for individual return authorization forms covered by IRS publications such as Pub. 4163, while business forms still have stricter requirements. That is a policy constraint, not a ProSeries limitation.

Data Re-use, K-1 Flow, and Efficiency

Almost every firm has clients whose data barely changes year-to-year. If you are retyping the same ownership information and K-1 details every filing season, you are wasting time and increasing error risk.

ProSeries addresses this in several ways:

• Prior year data transfer moves key information from the previous tax year into the new year’s return, cutting down on repetitive data entry.
• Client Organizer and Link can pull forward prior year amounts and descriptions into the organizer, so your clients are prompted to confirm or update data instead of retyping from scratch.
• K-1 data import features in Professional allow you to flow K-1 information from entity returns into related individual returns, which is particularly useful for 1120S and 1065 relationships.

In a multi-preparer firm, those capabilities translate into shorter prep times and fewer manual keying errors. For workflows where one team works on entity returns and another handles related 1040s, automated K-1 flow is one of the main reasons firms move from Basic to Professional over time.

Integrations with QuickBooks and Other Tools

Many small firms already live in QuickBooks for bookkeeping. ProSeries leans into that reality rather than ignoring it.

Through data import capabilities, ProSeries Professional can pull data from QuickBooks Desktop and from TXF files, reducing manual entry of trial balance or transaction data for small business clients. Intuit also sells Quick Employer Forms Accountant, which lets you generate and e-file W-2s and 1099s from within the Intuit ecosystem and tie them back to your tax prep workflow.

Beyond accounting integrations, ProSeries hooks into a growing list of workflow tools in the Intuit ecosystem:

• Hosting services for ProSeries, allowing you to run the desktop product on remote servers with an experience similar to your local desktop.
• eSignature for digital signing from within your tax prep workflow.
• Protection Plus for notice and audit assistance, and Pay by Refund options that change how clients pay for your services.

None of these are unique to ProSeries, but in combination they give small and mid-sized firms a reasonably cohesive toolset without requiring a large IT team to wire everything together from scratch.

What is New for Tax Year 2025 in ProSeries

Intuit publishes a running “What’s new with ProSeries” list each tax year. For tax year 2025, key updates include:

• A tax time estimator feature that helps firms measure how long different return types take in ProSeries compared with other firms, so you can spot bottlenecks and improve processes.
• Updated e-file start and stop dates and associated logic, so your ProSeries environment stays in sync with IRS e-file windows.
• Ongoing updates to forms, calculations, and diagnostics to align with current law and IRS guidance.

From a firm perspective, the most notable change is the focus on measurable productivity. If you use the time estimator and related analytics, you can move beyond gut feel and make data-backed decisions about staffing, review steps, and which returns are actually profitable.

Why These Features Matter in Practice

It is easy for a features page to read like a checklist. For firm owners and partners, the important point is how these capabilities translate into real outcomes:

Feature area	What ProSeries provides	Why it matters for your firm
Forms and diagnostics	Broad 1040 and business form coverage with 1,000 plus diagnostics	Fewer missed issues and amended returns, more consistent quality across preparers
E-file and client communication	Central e-file dashboard, Client Organizer, Intuit Link, e-signature integration	Faster filing, fewer paper bottlenecks, and better visibility into where returns are stuck
Data reuse and K-1 flow	Prior year data transfer, organizer carryforward, K-1 import from entities to 1040s	Less manual entry, fewer transcription errors, and faster completion of related returns
Integrations	Import from QuickBooks, Quick Employer Forms, Link, hosting and other Intuit ecosystem tools	Less context switching, simpler tech stack, and easier training for new or seasonal staff
2025 productivity tools	Tax time estimator and updated diagnostics for the current year	Concrete data to improve workflow rather than guessing what is slowing your team down

If your firm already owns ProSeries but still runs a largely manual, paper-heavy process, you are probably not getting full value out of the license you are paying for. The software will not fix workflow gaps on its own. You need to decide which features you will use and build them into your standard operating procedures.

Connect Features to a Better Hosting Model

If you are looking at this list of features and realizing that your main bottlenecks are actually speed, remote access, and reliability rather than tax calculations, that is an infrastructure problem, not a ProSeries problem.

This is usually the point where it makes sense to talk to a hosting provider that understands ProSeries specifically. Verito, for example, offers ProSeries hosting on dedicated private servers, configures them for busy season performance, and sets up secure remote access so your team can actually use these features without fighting slow desktops or VPN issues.

ProSeries Pricing in 2026: What to Expect

You cannot expect ProSeries pricing to be fixed as Intuit adjusts list prices, promotions, and bundles over time, and your actual cost depends on return volume, product line, and how early you renew. That said, the structure is consistent enough that you can plan around it if you understand the moving parts.

How ProSeries Pricing Works

At a high level, ProSeries tax software is sold as an annual license for a given tax year, with two main variables:

• Product family
  • ProSeries Basic
  • ProSeries Professional
• Licensing model
  • Bundled licenses with included returns (for example Basic 20, Basic 50, Basic Unlimited, 1040 Complete, Choice 200, Power Tax Library)
  • Pay Per Return (PPR), where you pay a lower base fee and then a set charge for each return you file or print for filing

Intuit typically publishes list prices for each configuration on its website and through sales reps, then offers discounts for early renewal, new customers, or multi-year commitments. You will often see seasonal promotions in late summer and fall as Intuit pushes renewals for the upcoming tax year.

In the Professional line, the core feature set is largely the same across PPR, 1040 Complete, Choice 200, and Power Tax Library. You are paying mainly for different patterns of return volume, not for entirely different software. The decision is less about “unlocking” features and more about whether a bundle or a PPR model matches your workload.

For Basic, pricing is aligned primarily with how many 1040 returns you expect to file. Basic 20 and Basic 50 act as capped tiers; Basic Unlimited removes the volume ceiling for individual returns and is priced accordingly. You can still access business returns on a PPR basis using the Professional environment even if your primary license is in the Basic family.

Typical Price Ranges and Cost Drivers

Exact ProSeries pricing shifts enough that any specific figure you see online should be treated as approximate. However, you can think in terms of tiers rather than precise dollar amounts.

In most recent tax years:

• Basic 20 and Basic 50 have been priced as entry and growth tiers for solo and small 1040 practices.
• Basic Unlimited has been positioned as a step up from Basic 50, with a higher but still accessible annual fee for firms that want to stop worrying about individual return caps.
• Professional PPR usually starts with a base fee below bundled plans, plus a per return fee that makes sense at low to moderate volumes but becomes expensive once volume grows past a certain point.
• 1040 Complete is usually priced above PPR but below the all-inclusive Power Tax Library, reflecting unlimited 1040s plus PPR for business returns.
• Choice 200 and Power Tax Library are priced as mid and high-end bundles for firms that need broader or effectively unlimited business coverage.

From a planning perspective, the main cost drivers are:

Cost driver	How it affects your ProSeries bill
Total 1040 volume	Pushes you from Basic 20 to 50 to Unlimited, or from Professional PPR to 1040 Complete or Power Tax Library
Business and fiduciary return volume	Drives whether you live mostly on PPR, move to Choice 200, or justify Power Tax Library
Number of preparers and locations	Influences network licensing, hosting requirements, and the need for multi-user setups
Timing of purchase or renewal	Early renewal and seasonal discounts often reduce your effective cost compared with last-minute upgrades
Add-ons and ecosystem tools	eSignature, practice tools, audit assistance, and other add-ons add to your overall Intuit spend

The practical approach is straightforward:

• Use last season’s actual return counts by type as a baseline.
• Model what those returns would cost under PPR versus the various bundles.
• Add a buffer for growth and new clients so you do not underbuy and then pay top dollar for incremental returns.
• Confirm current pricing directly with Intuit or an authorized reseller before you make a final decision.

What ProSeries Pricing Does Not Include

One of the most common sources of surprise is that ProSeries licensing covers only the software itself, not the environment you run it in. A ProSeries quote from Intuit typically does not include:

• Server hardware or workstations if you run ProSeries on premises
• Windows Server and related Microsoft licensing
• Backup and disaster recovery solutions
• Security tooling such as endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication enforcement, or SIEM services
• Network equipment and secure remote access solutions for staff working away from the office
• Cloud hosting fees if you choose to run ProSeries on a hosted server instead of on local hardware
• Day-to-day IT support for printers, scanners, drivers, and user devices

For a small firm, those line items often equal or exceed the ProSeries license cost itself over time. If you try to minimize them, you usually pay in a different currency: slow performance, downtime during peak weeks, or higher risk of security incidents.

A more realistic way to think about ProSeries in 2026 is as one component in a broader tax technology budget that includes:

• The ProSeries license you pay Intuit for each tax year
• The infrastructure you use to host and run ProSeries (on premises or hosted)
• The security and backup controls you layer around that environment
• The IT expertise required to keep everything stable in February, March, and October

Providers like Verito sit in that second and third category. They do not change how Intuit licenses ProSeries or what you pay Intuit, but they replace or augment your internal spend on servers, network infrastructure, backups, security controls, and IT staffing with a predictable monthly or annual hosting and support fee.

System Requirements for ProSeries: 2025 and Beyond

ProSeries will run on surprisingly old hardware, but it will not run well. Intuit’s current guidance for recent versions of ProSeries assumes a modern multi-core CPU, at least 8 GB of RAM, SSD storage, and a supported 64-bit version of Windows. Anything below that tends to show up as slow form calculations, lag when switching schedules, and more freezing once multiple returns are open.

Minimum vs. Recommended Setup

At a practical level, most firms fall into one of three setups:

Environment type	CPU and RAM baseline	Storage and OS	When this is acceptable
Bare minimum standalone desktop	Mid-range i5-class CPU, 8 GB RAM	HDD or basic SSD, supported 64-bit Windows	Solo or very small practice with light usage and smaller files
Recommended small firm server	Strong i5 or i7 class CPU, 16 GB RAM or more	SSD storage, supported Windows or Windows Server	3 to 15 concurrent ProSeries users in one office
Typical hosted environment	Multi-core server CPU sized to user count, 16 to 32 GB RAM	SSD only, current Windows Server in a data center	5 to 50 users, remote staff or multiple locations

Key points for a risk-averse CPA firm:

• Treat 8 GB RAM as an absolute floor, not a goal. Larger networks and larger client files justify 16 GB or more on servers.
• Prefer SSD storage over spinning disks. It directly affects how quickly returns open, save, and refresh.
• Keep ProSeries on currently supported Windows versions so you stay within what Intuit will actually support and patch.

Why Hardware and Network Matter

Trying to “get one more year” out of under-spec machines usually shows up in three ways:

• Preparers wait for forms to recalculate, especially on larger returns.
• ProSeries freezes more often once several returns and other applications are open at the same time.
• Network delays (old switches, weak Wi-Fi, slow VPNs) make HomeBase refreshes and file saves feel sluggish.

For a 5 to 50-person firm, those small delays add up across hundreds or thousands of returns. The software gets blamed, but the root cause is usually hardware and network capacity.

How Hosting Changes the Equation

With hosting, ProSeries runs on sized and tuned Windows servers in a data center, and your staff connect remotely. That shifts the system requirements burden from your office hardware to your hosting provider. In a good hosted setup:

• CPU, RAM, and storage are sized to your actual ProSeries usage, not to consumer desktop budgets.
• Servers stay on supported Windows Server versions without you planning OS upgrades.
  
• You can scale resources for busy season instead of replacing on-premises hardware every few years.

This is why many firms that want to stay on ProSeries but avoid constant hardware upgrades move to hosted ProSeries rather than trying to stretch office servers past their useful life.

ProSeries Desktop vs ProSeries in the Cloud

ProSeries is still desktop software at its core. The real decision for 2026 is whether you keep that desktop footprint in your office or move it to a hosted environment that your team reaches remotely.

What ProSeries Desktop Software Means in 2026

When you buy ProSeries, you are buying software that installs on Windows. In the traditional setup, that looks like one of two patterns:

• ProSeries installed on individual workstations with client files stored locally or on a simple file share.
• ProSeries installed on an in-office server, with staff connecting over the local network or via VPN.

That model can still work, but it carries some clear consequences:

• Remote access is bolted on, not native. You are relying on VPNs or remote desktop computers. Performance often depends on your relatively low quality internet connection.
• Uptime is tied to a single building. Power, internet, or hardware issues in that office can take the whole firm offline.
• Security and compliance sit entirely on your shoulders. Patching, antivirus, firewall configuration, access controls, and backups are all your responsibility.
• Capacity is fixed. If you under-spec your server or desktops, you feel it directly when the busy season hits. If you over-spec, you carry that cost year-round.

For a small firm that is entirely office-based, with no remote staff and simple network needs, that may still be acceptable. Once you have more locations, hybrid work, or regulatory pressure around security, the cracks start to show.

Why Most Firms Host ProSeries in the Cloud

Hosting ProSeries in the cloud changes only where the software runs, not what the software is. ProSeries is installed on dedicated Windows servers in a data center, and your staff connect to those servers using secure remote desktop technology.

The main reasons firms move ProSeries off local hardware are straightforward:

• Anywhere access for staff. Partners, preparers, and reviewers can log in securely from home, a second office, or during travel, without relying on fragile VPN setups into a single office server.
• More predictable performance. Servers can be sized specifically for your ProSeries workload, with modern CPUs and SSD storage, rather than whatever desktops happened to be on sale when you last refreshed hardware.
• Stronger resilience. Data centers are built for power redundancy, cooling, and connectivity. A local power outage at your office is inconvenient, but it does not knock ProSeries offline.
• Easier alignment with security expectations. It is much simpler to enforce multi-factor authentication, centralized access control, logging, and encrypted backups in a hosted environment that is already designed around those controls. That directly supports your efforts to comply with IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule without building everything yourself.

Hosting turns ProSeries into something that feels closer to a cloud application for your users, while keeping the underlying ProSeries engine unchanged.

Common Hosting Models and Tradeoffs

When firms talk about “cloud ProSeries” they usually mean one of three setups:

Model	How it works	Typical pros	Typical cons or risks
DIY in-office server	ProSeries on office server, staff connect via VPN or remote desktop	Low change from current setup, minimal vendor change	Your office remains single point of failure, performance tied to your internet and hardware
Generic virtual server in the cloud	ProSeries on a general purpose VM (virtual machine) with a commodity cloud provider	More resilient than office server, potentially flexible resources	Provider may not understand tax workflows, printers, scanners, or busy season demands
Specialist ProSeries hosting	ProSeries on dedicated servers managed by a provider that focuses on tax apps	Tuned for ProSeries, better support for tax-specific issues, built-in backups and security controls	Higher monthly fee than bare VM, requires clear delineation between hosting scope and your internal IT tasks

In all three models, you remain responsible for how your firm uses ProSeries and for meeting your regulatory obligations. The difference is how much of the infrastructure and day-to-day systems work you handle in-house versus offloading to a provider.

Common Hosting Pitfalls to Avoid

Moving ProSeries into the cloud is not automatically a win. Firms regularly run into avoidable issues such as:

• Under-specifying resources: Trying to run a 10-user ProSeries environment on a tiny virtual server that barely meets the minimum specs. The result is lag, freezing, and staff blaming “the cloud”.
• Choosing a generic host without tax experience: Basic Windows hosting is not the same as supporting ProSeries, Lacerte, or QuickBooks day-to-day. Printers, scanners, PDF tools, and seasonality all matter.
• Ignoring printers and scanners during design: Many tax workflows still depend on physical signatures, checks, and scanned source documents. If these peripherals are not mapped correctly into the hosted environment, frustration spikes.
• Weak identity and access controls: Standing up a remote desktop environment without multi-factor authentication, strong password policies, and proper user offboarding exposes you to exactly the risks regulators care about.
• No tested backup and recovery plan: Backups that exist but have never been tested may not restore quickly when you need them most.

For a risk-averse CPA firm, the goal is: whether you keep ProSeries on-premises or host it, the environment around it should support fast, stable work during peak periods and meet your security and compliance obligations without constant firefighting.

How Verito Hosts and Supports ProSeries

Choosing ProSeries solves your tax engine question. The bigger risk in 2026 is whether the environment around ProSeries is fast, secure, and supported well enough to get you through the filing season without surprises. Verito’s stack: VeritSpace, VeritGuard, and VeritComplete, is built specifically for that problem, with a focus on desktop tax applications like ProSeries, Drake, Lacerte, and UltraTax.

VeritSpace: Dedicated Cloud Hosting For ProSeries

VeritSpace is Verito’s dedicated private cloud hosting for tax and accounting software. ProSeries runs on isolated Windows servers in SOC 2-compliant data centers, and your staff reach that environment over secure remote connections.

Key characteristics that matter for a ProSeries firm:

• Dedicated private servers tuned specifically for tax software workloads. Verito positions VeritSpace as delivering up to 35 percent better performance than typical shared hosting.
• SOC 2-compliant, IRS, and FTC-focused security, including firewalls, intrusion detection, encryption in transit and at rest, and multi-factor authentication, with controls mapped to IRS Publication 4557 and FTC Safeguards expectations.
• 100 percent uptime SLA and 24×7 support, with priority during tax season and calls answered in under 60 seconds through their VeritCertified Pro desk.
• Fast migration for existing ProSeries environments: Verito advertises getting tax software into the cloud within 24 to 48 hours with no downtime, plus a 15-day free trial and 30-day money back guarantee on hosting plans.

VeritSpace replaces your local ProSeries server with a ProSeries-specific private cloud. Printing, scanning, e-file, and Intuit updates still work as usual, but performance and uptime are handled by a team that works with ProSeries every day rather than a generic IT shop that sees it once a year.

VeritGuard: Managed IT Around Your ProSeries Environment

Even the best hosted server does not fix an unstable workstation, bad router, or unpatched laptop. VeritGuard covers the local side of your environment, the devices and network your staff actually use to reach ProSeries.

According to Verito, VeritGuard includes:

• Ongoing managed IT for desktops, laptops, and office networks, including patching, monitoring, and endpoint security.
• Remote support for printers and scanners, which are frequent failure points in tax workflows.
• Coverage for up to two devices per user under VeritComplete bundles, with options to expand where needed.
• Help with MFA rollout, password policies, network hardening, and compliance documentation that many firms now need for cyber insurance and regulator expectations.

For a small or mid-sized firm, the benefit is that you no longer have to arbitrate between “hosting support” and “local IT” every time a ProSeries user hits a problem. VeritGuard’s scope is explicit: local machines, local network, and connectivity into the hosted environment.

VeritComplete: Hosting Plus IT in One Bundle

VeritComplete bundles VeritSpace hosting and VeritGuard managed IT into one solution: one contract, one bill, and one provider accountable for both cloud and local pieces.

At a high level:

• VeritSpace handles ProSeries in the cloud:  dedicated servers, backups, security, and uptime.
• VeritGuard handles devices and networks on your side: PCs, laptops, printers, scanners, Wi-Fi, and local security.
• VeritComplete ties them together with per user pricing, remote IT support for up to two devices per user, and 24×7 help when something breaks, including during tax season.

For a 1 to 50-person ProSeries firm, that means you decide who should own the problem when ProSeries is slow or unreachable. Under VeritComplete, the answer is simple: Verito.

Here is how the three services line up from a ProSeries perspective:

Verito service	Primary focus	What it covers for a ProSeries firm	Best suited for
VeritSpace	Dedicated cloud hosting	ProSeries servers, backups, uptime, security controls, multi-user access	Firms that want ProSeries in the cloud with strong SLAs
VeritGuard	Managed IT for local devices and network	Workstations, laptops, printers, scanners, local security, and patching	Firms that need reliable IT for staff reaching hosted ProSeries
VeritComplete	Hosting plus IT as one package	Both VeritSpace and VeritGuard, with unified support and per user pricing	Firms that want one accountable provider for ProSeries and IT

When to Talk to Verito

If you are already committed to ProSeries for 2026, the real decision is whether your current environment can support it through the next few filing seasons without risking downtime or compliance gaps. If you have any doubts about your servers, remote access setup, or ability to document security controls, this is typically the point where it makes sense to schedule a ProSeries hosting demo or VeritComplete consult with Verito.

In that session, you can walk through your current ProSeries setup, user counts, and risk profile, and get a concrete recommendation on whether you should keep ProSeries on premises with stronger IT support, move it fully to VeritSpace, or bundle everything under VeritComplete.

ProSeries vs. Alternatives: High Level Comparison

No tax software decision lives in a vacuum. Even if your firm has used ProSeries for years, you have probably heard staff mention names like Lacerte, Drake, UltraTax, or Intuit ProConnect. A quick comparison helps clarify whether ProSeries is still aligned with your firm profile, or whether you should at least model alternatives before you renew.

ProSeries vs. Lacerte, Drake, UltraTax, and ProConnect

These products all do the same job: prepare and e-file tax returns. The differences show up in pricing structure, depth of niche features, and how quickly a typical preparer can become productive.

Here is a firm owner-level comparison:

Product	Typical target firm profile	Learning curve and workflow style	Licensing and cost position (relative)	Where it usually stands out
Intuit ProSeries	Small to mid-sized firms, 1040-heavy with solid entity mix	Forms-centric desktop workflow, familiar to many preparers	Mid-range licensing, multiple bundles and PPR options	Strong 1040 throughput, broad forms, good balance of usability and depth
Intuit Lacerte	Mid-sized to larger firms with complex entity work	Deeper feature set, more configuration, steeper learning curve	Typically higher than ProSeries for comparable coverage	Complex entities, advanced calculations, more granular configuration
Drake Tax	Cost-sensitive firms with high volume work	Keyboard-driven, efficient once learned, less polished UI	Generally lower license cost than many competitors	Price-to-capability ratio, speed for experienced power users
UltraTax CS	Firms heavily invested in Thomson Reuters ecosystem	Integrated with CS Professional Suite, process-oriented	Upper tier, especially when bundled with other CS tools	Tight integration with practice management and workpaper tools
Intuit ProConnect	Remote or solo pros who prefer browser-based prep	Browser-based, no local install, different workflow feel	Per return pricing, can be costly at higher volumes	Pure cloud access, integration with QuickBooks Online

In practice:

• If your firm is small to mid-sized, 1040-heavy, and already comfortable with ProSeries, there is no automatic reason to abandon it in favor of Lacerte or UltraTax unless your complexity profile has shifted upward significantly.
• If your primary driver is pushing license costs down and you are willing to accept a different interface and ecosystem, Drake is often the main alternative that firms test seriously.
• If you want a browser-only tax product and are already deep into QuickBooks Online, ProConnect may be worth evaluating, but per return pricing can become expensive as you grow.

For most 1 to 50-person firms, the real pivot is between staying with ProSeries and investing in better hosting and IT around it, versus switching engines entirely. A change of engine disrupts training, review processes, and templates, which is why most firms stay with ProSeries unless they have clearly outgrown it.

Making ProSeries Work For Your Firm

By this point you should have a clear picture of what ProSeries actually is in 2026, what the Basic and Professional lines offer, how the different bundles behave in real firms, and where ProSeries sits among alternatives like Lacerte, Drake, UltraTax, and ProConnect. The decision is no longer whether ProSeries can do the job. It is whether ProSeries is aligned with your firm’s size, client mix, risk tolerance, and appetite for change.

For most one to fifty person firms that rely on a high volume of 1040s and a predictable mix of small business entities, ProSeries remains a rational choice. The forms-based desktop workflow is familiar, the diagnostic engine is mature, and the feature set is more than enough for mainstream individual and small business work. If you are honest about your complexity profile and find that most of your revenue still comes from standard compliance, you do not have to abandon ProSeries just because pure cloud products exist.

What has changed is the importance of the environment around the software. Regulators and cyber insurers now care as much about access controls, backups, and incident response as they do about your choice of tax engine. Staff expect to work from more than one location. Clients expect digital intake, fast communication, and reliable service during peak weeks. Those expectations turn system requirements, hosting, and managed IT into core parts of the ProSeries decision, not afterthoughts.

That is where a provider like Verito fits. ProSeries remains the software you license from Intuit. Verito handles how ProSeries runs day-to-day, whether that is on dedicated servers in VeritSpace, across your firm’s devices through VeritGuard, or as a unified platform with VeritComplete. If you want to keep ProSeries but remove the guesswork from performance, uptime, and security, the next logical step is simple. Take a copy of your current ProSeries environment, user counts, and risk concerns into a consultation with Verito and get a concrete hosting and IT plan that will carry you through the next several filing seasons without having to rethink your tax engine every year.

FAQ:

tl;dr

• Verito’s VeritSpace, VeritGuard, and VeritComplete offerings surround ProSeries with SOC 2 aligned hosting, managed IT, and one accountable support layer, which is often easier than coordinating multiple vendors and ad hoc internal IT.
• ProSeries is still a valid choice in 2026 for small and mid sized firms that are 1040 heavy with a solid mix of common business entities, provided you run it on properly sized and supported infrastructure.
• ProSeries Basic is aimed at 1040 focused practices, while ProSeries Professional covers broader entity work, multi user environments, and higher volumes, with bundles such as PPR, 1040 Complete, Choice 200, and Power Tax Library.
• Pricing is driven by return volume and mix, not just list prices, so you need to model last year’s actual returns across Basic and Professional bundles and confirm current Intuit pricing before you renew.
• System requirements matter directly to staff productivity. Under spec machines and weak networks cause slow ProSeries performance, so most firms either invest in modern on premises hardware or move to hosted ProSeries.
• ProSeries is desktop software that becomes effectively cloud accessible when hosted on dedicated Windows servers in a data center, which is how providers like Verito deliver secure remote access, performance, and uptime.