Canopy
Cloud practice management for accounting firms with client management, document management, workflow, time and billing modules.
UltraTax CS
Website: tax.thomsonreuters.com
UltraTax CS at a glance
- Best for
- Small to mid-sized US firms on the CS Professional Suite
- Pricing model
- Per-return or unlimited licence, quote-based
- Deployment
- Desktop install, or hosted via Virtual Office CS
- Regions
- United States
- Key integrations
- Practice CS, FileCabinet CS, Accounting CS, Onvio
Last reviewed . Pricing and features change frequently — confirm current details with the vendor.
UltraTax CS is Thomson Reuters’ professional tax preparation software for US accounting firms and part of the CS Professional Suite. It covers individual, corporate, partnership, fiduciary, estate, and nonprofit returns with multi-state processing, diagnostics, and electronic filing.
How accounting firms use it
The reason firms pick it is rarely the tax engine alone — it is the suite. Data moves between UltraTax CS, Practice CS for practice management, FileCabinet CS for document storage, and Accounting CS for client write-up, so a client’s trial balance can flow into the return and the completed return into document management without re-keying or exporting. Firms already running two or more CS products get compounding value; firms running it standalone are paying for integration they do not use.
Preparers work through a forms-and-input-screen interface with prior-year data rolling forward automatically. The diagnostic engine runs continuously during preparation rather than only at filing, which shortens review cycles in a compressed season.
Key features
Multi-state returns handle allocation and apportionment automatically, including part-year and non-resident scenarios. Data entry supports source document import, and integration with source data collection tools reduces manual keying of W-2 and 1099 information.
Client organizers can be produced and distributed for the coming season, and e-filing covers federal and state jurisdictions with status tracking. Hosted deployment through Virtual Office CS is available for firms that want the software accessible remotely without managing their own servers.
Who it’s best for
Small to mid-sized US firms, especially those committed to the CS Professional Suite. It occupies the middle of Thomson Reuters’ tax range, below GoSystem Tax RS, which serves enterprise and multi-office practices.
Firms outside that ecosystem usually compare it against Lacerte and Drake Tax, where the decision turns on cost at volume and which vendor’s other products the firm already runs.
UltraTax CS FAQ
- Is UltraTax CS cloud-based?
- Not natively. It is desktop software, though Thomson Reuters offers it hosted through Virtual Office CS and Software as a Service options, which run the same application on their infrastructure. Firms wanting a browser-native product from the same vendor look at GoSystem Tax RS instead.
- How does it compare to Lacerte and Drake Tax?
- All three serve small to mid-sized firms. UltraTax CS is chosen mainly for its integration with the CS Professional Suite, so it makes most sense when a firm also runs Practice CS or Accounting CS. Lacerte is comparable in return complexity and integrates with Intuit products instead. Drake Tax is usually the cheapest at volume because of flat-rate pricing, with a faster but less polished interface.
- What does it cost?
- Pricing is quote-based and depends on return volume, entity types, and licensing model — per-return pricing suits lower volumes, while unlimited licences suit higher ones. It generally sits above Drake Tax and below GoSystem Tax RS. Thomson Reuters does not publish list pricing.
- What return types does it handle?
- Individual, corporate, S corporation, partnership, fiduciary, estate and gift, and nonprofit returns, with multi-state processing and apportionment. The diagnostic engine checks for errors, missing data, and compliance issues throughout preparation rather than only at filing.
UltraTax CS Alternatives
Other tax tools for accounting firms, ordered by how much of UltraTax CS's functionality they cover.
ATX Professional
Forms-based tax preparation software from Wolters Kluwer for small US firms, with a large form library and straightforward e-filing.
Avalara
Automated sales tax compliance platform that calculates, collects, and remits transaction taxes for accounting firms.
CCH Axcess Tax
Wolters Kluwer's cloud-based tax preparation platform for accounting firms with real-time collaboration and analytics dashboards.
CCH ProSystem fx Tax
Comprehensive tax preparation and compliance solution helping accounting firms efficiently prepare and file accurate returns.
CrossLink Professional Tax
Professional tax software with high-speed e-filing, bank product integrations, and multi-office support for tax businesses.