Automated return preparation
Taxably vs. Black Ore
Tax Autopilot prepares the return inside your tax software and hands it to your team for review. Taxably focuses on turning existing client folders into prep sheets.
Researched · USD
Pricing and what it covers
Taxably · Document organization and prep sheets
$10 per return
Plus $5 monthly firm fee
First 10 clients free, then $10 per return, plus $5 a month for the firm. No page charges.
The $5 monthly firm fee starts the day you add your card. The $10 per return starts after your first 10 clients. Card required to start.
Taxably pricing and billing detailsBlack Ore · Published rate
From $60 per return
Small & Mid-Sized Firms plan
- Pricing starts at $60 per return, with no enterprise contract and no five-figure minimum.
- Client document upload (intake) is included at no extra charge on the small-firm plan.
- The pricing page does not say what counts as a return or how state and complex returns are priced. Ask before you commit volume.
- Enterprise pricing is by request and adds SSO, custom implementation and executive-led support.
These prices cover different work. A prep sheet, a software platform, and a professionally reviewed return are different deliverables.
What to budget for your firm
Compare a worked example, with the price basis and limits visible.
Assumes 10 eligible free clients at Taxably. Clear this option if those allowances are unavailable.
One firm, one return per client for one tax year, and 12 monthly firm fees where applicable. Before tax, staff time, existing tax software, and unlisted add-ons. Different products cover different work; these are budget calculations, not promised savings or measured performance.
Taxably
Calculated annual cost
$4,960
490 paid returns × $10 + 12 × $5.
$9.92 per return across 500 returns, including the firm fee.
Document organization and prep sheets. Your firm still prepares and files the return.
Taxably pricing and billing detailsBlack Ore
Calculated from published rates
$30,000
Small & Mid-Sized Firms, starting rate
500 paid returns × $60. $60.00 per return across the selected volume.
Uses the published $60 starting rate for every return. It is a floor: complex returns, state returns or add-ons may cost more, and no free returns or volume discounts are published.
Source for this estimate for Black Ore (opens in a new tab)What Black Ore does
Black Ore for Small Firms, launched in October 2026, packages Tax Autopilot for small and midsize practices. It prepares 1040s from source documents, including K-1 packages, builds workpapers and tie-outs, and sends the completed return into Intuit ProConnect Tax or Lacerte for your sign-off. Enterprise remains a separate, quoted plan.
- Prepares the return itself and enters it into ProConnect or Lacerte.
- Handles K-1-heavy and high-net-worth 1040s with tie-outs.
- Client intake, review tools and a binder in one platform.
- A named specialist per firm and same-day setup, per the vendor.
How the workflow compares
| Workflow | Taxably | Black Ore |
|---|---|---|
| How work starts | Reads connected client folders on your Windows computer. Clients keep their existing way of sending documents. | Clients upload documents to Black Ore, or the firm submits them. Intake is included on the small-firm plan. |
| What you receive | A bookmarked PDF prep sheet per client and tax year, with source documents and items needing attention. | A prepared return in your tax software, with Excel tie-outs, workpapers, a centralized binder and review flags. |
| Tax software | Works alongside your tax software. Does not enter figures into it or e-file returns. | Native for Intuit ProConnect Tax and Lacerte on the small-firm plan. Its demo form lists other platforms; confirm yours. |
| Who reviews | Your preparer checks the source documents, resolves open items, and prepares the return. | Your preparers review flagged items and the completed return, then sign off. |
| Document handling | Documents and prep sheets on your firm's systems; external reading of document images. Your firm manages backups. | Client documents are uploaded to and stored in Black Ore's cloud, which it describes as SOC 2-compliant and US-based. Confirm retention and access terms. |
How work starts
- Taxably
- Reads connected client folders on your Windows computer. Clients keep their existing way of sending documents.
- Black Ore
- Clients upload documents to Black Ore, or the firm submits them. Intake is included on the small-firm plan.
What you receive
- Taxably
- A bookmarked PDF prep sheet per client and tax year, with source documents and items needing attention.
- Black Ore
- A prepared return in your tax software, with Excel tie-outs, workpapers, a centralized binder and review flags.
Tax software
- Taxably
- Works alongside your tax software. Does not enter figures into it or e-file returns.
- Black Ore
- Native for Intuit ProConnect Tax and Lacerte on the small-firm plan. Its demo form lists other platforms; confirm yours.
Who reviews
- Taxably
- Your preparer checks the source documents, resolves open items, and prepares the return.
- Black Ore
- Your preparers review flagged items and the completed return, then sign off.
Document handling
- Taxably
- Documents and prep sheets on your firm's systems; external reading of document images. Your firm manages backups.
- Black Ore
- Client documents are uploaded to and stored in Black Ore's cloud, which it describes as SOC 2-compliant and US-based. Confirm retention and access terms.
Source documents and prep sheets stay on your firm's systems. Document images go directly from your computer to an external reading provider, which is not permitted to train on them. This is not an entirely offline workflow. Taxably's data handling
Which fits your firm?
Consider Taxably when
You want your preparers to keep entering the return in the tax software you already use, starting from one organized prep sheet per client, for about a sixth of the price. Your clients keep sending documents the way they do now, and the files stay on your firm's systems.
Consider Black Ore when
You file in ProConnect or Lacerte, want software to enter the return for you, and your fee per return comfortably absorbs $60 or more.
Before you decide
- At $60 or more per return, 500 returns is at least $30,000 a year, before any extra charges for complex or state returns.
- Small-firm plan is built around Intuit ProConnect and Lacerte. Drake, UltraTax, CCH and ProSeries firms should confirm support first.
- Documents go into Black Ore's upload and binder to be prepared, so the client files it prepares from are kept in its cloud.
- Accuracy and time-savings figures are vendor statements. Test your own complex returns before committing volume.
- No free returns are published. Taxably's first 10 clients are free, so you can try it on your own client folders before you pay per return.
Common questions
Sources and review date
Sources reviewed on October 28, 2026. Follow the source for current terms.
- Black Ore pricing (opens in a new tab)
The $60 per return starting rate, the small-firm feature list and the Enterprise plan.
- Accounting Today: Black Ore launches Tax Autopilot for small, midsized firms (opens in a new tab)
No contract or minimum, intake included, ProConnect and Lacerte integration, named specialist.
- Tax Autopilot overview (opens in a new tab)
Preparation, review and audit features, supported software list, and security claims.
See it on your own client folders.
Watch a sample prep sheet, then create your account and point Taxably Connect at one client folder. The download is in your account once it is set up.
Published by Taxably. Reviewed October 28, 2026 using the official sources linked on each page. Product descriptions are vendor statements, not independent performance tests. Prices are in USD; quotes, taxes, contract terms, and availability may differ. Trademarks belong to their owners. Send corrections to support@taxably.ai. Suggest a correction