2016 Review of CCH ProSystem fx Planning

• Product offers excellent integration with other Wolters Kluwer applications including CCH ProSystem fx Suite and CCH Axcess Tax
• Users can create up to 30 different tax scenarios for up to 10 years  
• Vendor offers a variety of training and support tools
• Product uses a series of grids that offer drill-down capability and excellent plan summarizing capability

Potential Limitations

• Those not using Wolters Kluwer applications will not experience as many benefits

From the Sept. 2016 review of Tax Planning systems.

Part of the CCH ProSystem fx Suite of applications from Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting, CCH ProSystem fx Planning offers users solid integration with other Wolters Kluwer tax products. CCH ProSystem fx Planning can also be used as a stand-alone product if desired.

Basic System Functions: 4.75

CCH ProSystem fx Planning offers an easily navigated user interface, with a menu bar at the top of the screen offering access to typical functions such as File, Edit, View, Grids, Worksheets, Tools, and others. Directly below is a toolbar that offers quick access to planning functions such as New, where users can enter a new plan, Open, where they can access existing plans, Import, where users can import client returns from ProSystem fx. Other functions include Properties, Print, Clear Contents, and others. CCH ProSystem fx Planning uses a color coding system, so different types of information is displayed in varying colors to quickly identify the type of information. For instance, any green cells indicate that a list is attached; cells that have been overridden are magenta, etc. Users can easily customize the toolbar to display only the icons that they wish to see. CCH ProSystem fx Planning makes good use of grids, with a summary grid providing users with a summarized view of all totals, and a host of underlying grids that encompass the totals displayed in the summary grid.

Users also have the option to configure default options in CCH ProSystem fx Planning for both federal and state tax options, so that each tax plan does not have to be set up individually. System security provides users with the ability to password protect any plan entered in the system, safeguarding confidential client data.  

Core Tax Planning Features: 4.75

CCH ProSystem fx Planning offers a wide selection of standard tax computations including Capital Gains Tax, Retirement Deductions, including complete calculation of IRA, KEOGH, and other retirement contributions, Earned Income Credit, Alternative Minimum Tax, Self-Employment Tax, Lump-Sum Distributions, Estimated Tax, Kiddie Tax, and up to date Affordable Care Act provisions including additional Medicare Tax. The product also offers default state tax rates, including tax rates for New York City and the District of Columbia, as well as deductions, and exemptions. Users can forecast and compare up to 30 different tax scenarios, with users able to forecast up to 10 years for each scenario, which includes prior year, current year, and eight years in advance. A new feature provides the ability to produce various graphs to visually depict or compare tax scenarios.

All plan calculations are displayed on screen, so users can easily see how each entry effects tax totals.

Reporting: 4.75

CCH ProSystem fx Planner provides users with a good selection of reporting options, including the ability to print all plan forecasts and worksheets, as well as the accompanying grid sheets. Plan summaries and plan reports can all be printed, with users able to easily save all system reports as a PDF for easy client emailing, as well as the ability to save them in the CCH ProSystem fx Engagement Binder.   All reports can be combined to create a report set. Client correspondence can be easily sent to firm clients using the Correspondence Letter option that allows firms to create a letter that can communicate tax planning information to clients.

Integration/Import/Export: 4.75

CCH ProSystem fx Planning integrates with other Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting products which include CCH ProSystem fx Tax, Global fx, and CCH Axcess Tax. Users can also print reports directly to the CCH ProSystem fx Engagement Binder as well, and the product is completely compatible with all Microsoft Office applications.  

Help/Support: 5

Wolters Kluwer offers access to a variety of training and support options. The CCH Learning Center is where accounting professionals can access over 350 online and self-study courses. The product includes excellent built-in help functionality, and users can access other online learning tools including the Answers option, which offers access to a database of software information which includes critical known issues, step-by-step instructions, and product documentation. A knowledgebase is available, and product licensing fee includes unlimited telephone support, with web support options available as well.

Summary & Pricing

An excellent fit for mid-sized firms that require a more comprehensive tax planning solutions, CCH ProSystem fx Planning offers solid integration with other Wolters Kluwer products including both CCH ProSystem fx Suite and CCH Axcess applications. Pricing for CCH ProSystem fx Planning begins at $875.00, which includes all federal and state tax data, and product support.

2016 Overall Rating: 4.75 Stars