Lacerte

Lacerte is professional tax preparation software used by CPAs and tax professionals to prepare and file federal and state tax returns for individuals, corporations, partnerships, trusts, and estates. It was originally developed by Lacerte Software and later acquired by Intuit, and it remains part of Intuit’s portfolio of tax solutions.

The software provides a comprehensive forms library that covers individual and business returns (for example Form 1040 series, 1120, 1120S, 1065, and 990) and supports e-filing with the IRS and many state tax agencies. It offers data import from QuickBooks and other accounting systems, batch processing and client data management, diagnostic checks to identify common errors, and a secure client portal for document exchange.

Lacerte is designed for use by professional firms and supports multiple simultaneous returns, with licensing typically on an annual basis. It can be deployed as a desktop application on Windows or accessed through cloud hosting or online environments, often integrated with other Intuit products.

In the professional tax software market, Lacerte is one of the leading offerings, competing with products such as UltraTax CS and ProSeries. It is especially valued by mid-sized to large CPA firms for its deep tax form coverage, advanced features, and ability to handle complex returns.

History notes: Lacerte Software was established in the 1980s; Intuit acquired Lacerte in 1998, and since then Lacerte has continued as a flagship professional tax product within Intuit’s suite of tax solutions.