Drake Tax Online - Understanding Your License
Article #: 18939
Last Updated: February 11, 2026
If you purchased Drake Tax Online (DTO), you have licensed a browser-based tax preparation product that has a limited Drake Tax Desktop Integration. This does not include a license for the full Drake Tax Desktop program.
A license for Drake Tax Online includes the following:
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Web-based tax software (accessed through a browser)
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Limited Drake Tax Desktop Integration for specific functionality
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Per-return licensing tied to a tax year
You do not have:
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Full desktop return creation or functionality
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Select desktop-only features
Drake Tax Online includes a Drake Tax Desktop Integration. This allows you to access certain desktop functions that sync with DTO, but it is not the full Drake Tax Desktop program.
The following message may show if you attempt to use an unsupported feature in the Drake Tax Desktop Integration:
“This feature is not supported in this version of Drake Tax”
This does not indicate any issues with the program. The software is operating according to your license. See Version Comparison below for details on the differences between each product.
Return Creation Not Allowed
If you purchased Drake Tax Online, all return creation must be done in the browser. You cannot create returns in Drake Tax Desktop. You must create, open, and finish returns using DTO. You can use the Drake Tax Desktop Integration to complete data entry or take advantage of some other features. See Drake Tax Online - Drake Tax Desktop Integration for details.
Version Comparison
You may want to purchase the Drake Tax Desktop license if you prefer certain work-flows, or use the following features:
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Full return preparation inside Drake Tax Desktop
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Drake Tax Planner
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Organizers
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Proformas
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Drake Documents (you can purchase Drake Portals to store client documents)
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Signature pads (remote signatures are supported in DTO).
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Drake Refund Pay
Drake Tax Online (DTO) is best for users who prefer:
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Preparing 1040, 1065, and 1120-S returns online
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Managing clients in the cloud
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Using browser-based work-flow
Review the Software Comparison chart to see a side-by-side product comparison of features.