ATX Professional

ATX Professional is a desktop tax preparation application from Wolters Kluwer’s CCH Small Firm Services division, aimed at small and mid-sized US practices. It handles individual, corporate, S corporation, partnership, estate, trust, and nonprofit returns with diagnostics and e-filing.

How accounting firms use it

The working model is forms-based: preparers work in a view that mirrors the actual return rather than an interview sequence, which suits experienced preparers who know where figures belong and want to enter them directly. For straightforward returns this is generally faster than guided entry.

Its other draw is form coverage. The library extends well beyond the common federal and state filings into uncommon forms that lighter products omit, so a practice with an occasional unusual return is less likely to be forced into a second piece of software or a manual filing.

Key features

Return preparation covers the main federal entity types with state coverage across jurisdictions, and diagnostics check for errors and omissions before submission. Prior-year data rolls forward for returning clients, and conversion tools import client data when switching from another package.

Client management tracks return status and deadlines through the season. Integration with CCH research tools allows treatment questions to be resolved without leaving the return, and a client portal is available for document exchange and delivery.

Who it’s best for

Small US tax practices that want dependable preparation at a low cost and prefer working directly in forms. It suits preparers with enough experience that guided workflows add little, and practices whose return mix occasionally requires less common forms.

Firms handling higher volumes or needing multi-office administration typically move to CCH Axcess Tax or UltraTax CS. Drake Tax is the closest competitor on price and audience, and TaxAct Professional and TaxSlayer Pro compete at the budget end.