Tax Research Service

What is everyone using for tax research? I am coming off a $3600/year subscription with Checkpoint that I had been splitting with another CPA and it will be too costly for me alone. I have some complicated clients so I want something that has some analysis behind it. Also, state nexus and income taxation research would be great too. I don't mind paying for something but $3600-4000 is a bit much.

I paid $609 last June for CCH AnswerConnect with the State Smart Charts. I don't receive the CCH analysis however, just the authoritative guidance, client letters, and smart charts. No idea what the 2020 fee will be one month from now...

They really cut me a deal when I signed up in 2018, and I fully expect them to raise the fee 10-20% per year...maybe more.

How about Parker Tax Pro Library? About $350 a year. I had Checkpoint at another firm. I do not miss it.

TTB Weblibrary Plus. Not the greatest but reasonable and services my purpose because I don't do compliance work.

Strictly the Internet and sites like TaxproTalk. We have a beautiful conference room with shelves filled with CCH, RIA and Prentice Hall books. Looks very impressive but they barely get used

I did not know that RIA still sells those books in paper? I thought they went out with the paper encyclopedias!

Prentice Hall no longer exists, does it?

I remember fondly the days of the BNA Tax Portfolios when they were actually paper portfolios arranged by topic. The analysis was fantastic. I've looked at their online service several times but it was expensive as well.

It seems there are inexpensive ones and very expensive ones with not much in between, almost akin to tax-preparation software.

When I had Checkpoint it was good but I only used 20% of the "contents" because I was not doing any compliance or representation work. My practice was limited to payroll, tax prep and tax planning.

When the price started to shoot up, I looked at several alternatives and settled on TTB. It does the job for now.

So if your issue is rising prices, take a good look at your operation and figure out "how much" research capability you need. Most people in my line of business tell me that they are happy with Parker or TTB and one more I can't remember because the price is reasonable.

Thanks all. I will try out Parker again. Combining that with The Tax Book and Bradford Tax Institute, that might be enough.

This topic, IMO, is closely related to the "what would I do differently thread" where 90 percent of the answers are bill more.

I tell a client, if I need to use our research center, the fee is $125 plus my hourly rate as I "pay per use".


Any tax problem that you can't solve or find using the tremendous resources on the internet need be billed.

I no longer have a research program (don't tell the clients). I can't think of a complex problem I couldn't find guidance on Google. Whether it's Cornell University law source, Tax advisor articles etc. I have narrowed my clients to S Corps and Individuals , a few LLC's. If I have a tough situation, after using the "net" I also have told the client I want a 2nd opinion and it would cost $X. I did that twice last year. I wrote a larger form a check and billed the client.

So I think it is more a tax management issue.. why are we doing clients where we need the same research program as PWC or Deloitte?

IMHO Google searches for tax research can be hit or miss. I have done that and you really have to sort through a haystack to find that needle. May be some people are better at internet searches.