Drake Tax Online - Purchasing
Article #: 18880
Last Updated: January 29, 2026
Purchasing for Drake Tax Online is now available for customers who are new to Drake Software.
Note If you are interested in a free trial of DTO, see Drake Tax Online - Trial instead.
If you used Drake Tax Desktop last year and want to move to Drake Tax Online, please contact our Account Management at (828) 349-5305.
If you used Web1040 last year, please contact Account Management at (828) 349-5305 for assistance renewing your account into Drake Tax Online. DTO is the new version of our online software, and it supersedes Web1040.
If you used Drake Zero for 2024, see Drake Zero Renewing as Drake Tax Online.
If you are ready to purchase Drake Tax Online, follow these steps.
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Navigate to the Drake Tax Online page and click Buy Now.
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Select if you would like to purchase returns now or pay for returns as needed.*
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If you select Yes, purchase returns now, continue to step 3.
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If you click No, I’ll pay for returns as needed, you will be asked to confirm your choice by clicking Continue without returns, skip to step 5 below. Please note that this means you are choosing to pay the retail price for returns as you need them throughout the season.
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Enter the number of individual returns that you need, then click Next.*
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Enter the number of business returns that you need, then click Next.*
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Select whether you need to purchase access for any additional users and click Next.
Tip You can choose to purchase additional users later.
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Select any additional products that you may need, such as prior year software or a license to use TheTaxBook WebLibrary, then click Next. If you do not need any other products, click Skip.
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Enter your company and owner information, review and agree to the license agreement, and click Continue to payment.
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Enter your payment details and click Pay.
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Review your purchase details and submit your order.
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You will receive an email confirmation and a link to set up your Drake user account (SSO). See Drake Tax Online - Logging in and Using the Dashboard for your next steps.
*Pricing and Discounts
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Please note that if you do not purchase any returns up front, or if you do not purchase enough to lock in a discounted rate, this means you are choosing to pay the retail price for returns as you need them throughout the season.
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Your price-per-return is shown for each level, so you can see the savings. If you need additional returns later, you can purchase more at that locked-in rate (rates differ for individual vs. business returns). By stepping up to a higher tier, you can maximize savings and, in some cases, reduce your overall cost.
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Unused tax year 2025 returns can be used to file tax year 2025 returns until December 31, 2028 (if you maintain an active Drake Tax Online license).
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If you need 100 or more individual returns, or 50 or more business returns, please contact our Sales team at (800) 890-9500 for information about custom pricing options.
Purchase Returns
To purchase more returns, follow these steps:
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Go to https://support.drakesoftware.com/Returns (SSO login required).
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Alternatively, log into Drake Hub, select Drake Support Site on the left. Then go to Purchasing > Returns.
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Choose the applicable tax year from the drop list.
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Select how many returns you need (pricing details shown for each return type).
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You can also purchase additional users, if needed, in the same transaction.
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Click Continue to Payment.
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Verify your cart details, then click Make Payment.
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Enter your card details and complete the checkout.
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Purchases automatically sync with your software once complete.
Purchase User Access
To purchase additional users, follow these steps:
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Go to https://support.drakesoftware.com/Returns (SSO login required).
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Alternatively, log into Drake Hub, select Drake Support Site on the left. Then go to Purchasing > Returns.
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Choose the applicable tax year from the drop list.
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Select how many users you need.
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You can also purchase additional returns, if needed, in the same transaction.
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Click Continue to Payment.
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Verify your cart details, then click Make Payment.
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Enter your card details and complete the checkout.
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Purchases automatically sync with your software once complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
You are charged for a return when you create a return or change the SSN/EIN on an existing return. This includes the following actions:
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creating a new return in DTO
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starting a new return from Hub in DTO
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importing a return from the prior year
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changing the SSN/EIN on an existing return.
At that point, a return is redeemed from your available return bank.
See Drake Tax Online - Creating a Return for details.
Yes. You can create a test return by selecting the option to create a test return instead of entering an SSN or EIN. Drake Tax Online will generate a random test SSN or EIN, and the return will not be charged as long as the SSN/EIN field is not edited.
Please note that if you manually enter an SSN or EIN, you will be charged for the return whether it is a live SSN/EIN or a test SSN/EIN.
See Drake Tax Online - Creating a Return for details.
No. Once a return is redeemed by creating it with an SSN or EIN, it is considered used. Deleting the return does not refund it back to your account.
Drake Tax Online offers discounted per-return pricing when you purchase returns in larger quantities upfront. The more returns you purchase at one time, the lower the cost per return. Individual and business returns are priced separately. Returns can also be purchased as needed throughout the season at standard pricing.
See https://www.drakesoftware.com/products/drake-tax-online/ for pricing details.
No. Returns are tied to the tax year for which they are purchased and cannot be rolled forward to a future tax year. Unused returns can only be used for the same tax year while the IRS allows e-filing for that year.
See https://www.drakesoftware.com/products/drake-tax-online/ for pricing details.
Each tax year in Drake Tax Online has its own bank of individual and business returns. If there are no returns available in your bank for the selected year or return type, you will be prompted to purchase additional returns before you can continue.
See Drake Tax Online - Logging in and Using the Dashboard for details.
If a tax year does not appear as an option, it typically means that you have not been added as a preparer for that year by the account administrator.
See Drake Tax Online - Logging in and Using the Dashboard for details.