Tax software
CCH Axcess™ Tax Essentials
Complete and accessible cloud-based tax compliance software designed specifically with the needs of small firms in mind, focused on the end-to-end tax workflow, putting the power of CCH Axcess Tax in your office.
Built on one of the most accurate and sophisticated tax return platforms in the industry – and leveraging advanced technologies like RPA and AI to boost efficiencies – CCH Axcess Tax Essentials* offers small firm tax and accounting professionals like you the features needed to handle the most complex returns on a cloud tax preparation solution, designed to bring your office and your employees to a fully virtual cloud-based environment.
Take advantage of the flexibility, advanced features, and technological innovation built into CCH Axcess Tax Essentials with features like:
- Comprehensive forms and schedules
- Easy setup and self-guided training
- Anywhere, anytime access and cloud-based security
* Not available for existing customers
See CCH Axcess Tax Essentials in action via a customized demo.
Do you want to see how the CCH Axcess Tax Essentials dashboard works, or see an overview of the Return Manager? Or do you want to see what the learning portal looks like? Or learn how you could set up your firm as a virtual office?
Watch a customized demo that only shows what you would like to see.
Watch a customized demo that only shows what you would like to see.
Already a customer?
Resources for existing customers
Comprehensive and accessible tax preparation software for growing firms
Comprehensive forms and schedules
One of the most comprehensive and accurate tax software available, CCH Axcess Tax Essentials offers packages that include core return types most used by small firms, all states, and all return types with unlimited e-filing.
Easy set-up and self-guided training
Designed for the needs of small tax and accounting firms – and focused on creating time-saving efficiencies – CCH Axcess Tax Essentials makes learning and software adoption quick. The setup wizard provides for a quick and easy implementation process, and the learning portal offers self-guided training via an extensive video library, saving you time and cost.
Anywhere, anytime access and cloud-based security
Built for the cloud, CCH Axcess Tax Essentials leverages technology and industry best practices to protect firm and client data from security, privacy, and insider threats while providing access to those who need it. Take advantage of the benefits of cloud-based tax preparation, such as the benefits of working in full virtual environment, frequent file back-ups, offsite data storage, and protection against unforeseen business threats such as fires or other natural disasters.
Reliable, efficient and secure
Switching to cloud-based software can seem like an uphill battle, but with CCH Axcess Tax Essentials, the transition will set up your firm for long-term success, giving you peace of mind and opportunity for growth in the future.
CCH Axcess Tax Essentials
Gain efficiencies to grow your firm
CCH Axcess Tax Essentials is designed to optimize your workflows, gain efficiencies to save you and your team time so you can focus even more on spending time with your clientele, automating processes, analyzing data, and more, with the goal of gaining efficiencies to maximize the growth of your firm.
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CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 100
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CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 200
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CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 400
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CCH Axcess Tax Essentials Unlimited
CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 100
The CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 100 package* is ideal for small firms with four or less full-time tax professionals who prepare less than 100 federal and state individual and/or business returns per year, with core return types most used by small tax and accounting firms. Take advantage of what CCH Axcess Tax Essentials has to offer, including:
- CCH Axcess Tax Essentials with 100 authorizations
- Federal Indvidual (1040), US-Resident Alien Income (1040-NR)
- Return of Partnership (1065), Return of Organization Exempt of Income Tax (990)
- US Corporation Income Tax (1120) & US S-Corporation Income Tax (1120S)
- 5 States, then Pay-Per-State (Individual / Business)
- Free DIY Learning & Training, Support, Tax Planning
- And more!
CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 200
The CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 200 package* is ideal for small firms with four or less full-time tax professionals who prepare less than 200 federal and state individual and/or business returns per year, with core return types most used by small tax and accounting firms. Take advantage of what CCH Axcess Tax Essentials has to offer, including:
- CCH Axcess Tax Essentials with 200 authorizations
- Federal Indvidual (1040), US-Resident Alien Income (1040-NR)
- Return of Partnership (1065), Return of Organization Exempt of Income Tax (990)
- US Corporation Income Tax (1120) & US S-Corporation Income Tax (1120S)
- 5 States, then Pay-Per-State (Individual / Business)
- Free DIY Learning & Training, Support, Tax Planning
- And more!
CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 400 package
The CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 400 package* is ideal for small firms with four or less full-time tax professionals who prepare less than 400 federal and state individual and/or business returns per year, with core return types most used by small tax and accounting firms. Take advantage of what CCH Axcess Tax Essentials has to offer, including:
- CCH Axcess Tax Essentials with 400 authorizations
- Federal Indvidual (1040), US-Resident Alien Income (1040-NR)
- Return of Partnership (1065), Return of Organization Exempt of Income Tax (990)
- US Corporation Income Tax (1120) & US S-Corporation Income Tax (1120S)
- 5 States, then Pay-Per-State (Individual / Business)
- Free DIY Learning & Training, Support, Tax Planning
- And more!
CCH Axcess Tax Essentials Unlimited
The CCH Axcess Tax Essentials Unlimited package* is ideal for small firms with four or less full-time tax professionals who prepare an unlimited number of federal and state individual and/or business returns per year. Take advantage of everything that CCH Axcess Tax Essentials has to offer, including:
- CCH Axcess Tax Essentials with unlimited authorizations
- Federal Indvidual (1040), US-Resident Alien Income (1040-NR)
- Return of Partnership (1065), Return of Organization Exempt of Income Tax (990)
- US Corporation Income Tax (1120) & US S-Corporation Income Tax (1120S)
- Unlimited States (Individual / Business)
- Free DIY Learning & Training, Support, Tax Planning
- And more!
CCH Axcess Tax Essentials Pay-Per-Return starting at $1,078
The CCH Axcess Tax Essentials Pay-Per-Return package* is ideal for small firms with four or less full-time tax professionals who prepare a very limited amount of federal and state individual and/or business returns per year. Take advantage of everything that CCH Axcess Tax Essentials has to offer, including:
- CCH Axcess Tax with 10 authorizations, then Pay-Per-Return after
- Federal Individual (1040), US-Resident Alien Income (1040-NR) at $95.70 per Return
- Return of Partnership (1065), Return of Organization Exempt of Income Tax (990) at $108.75 per Return
- US Corporation Income Tax (1120) & US S-Corporation Income Tax (1120S) at $108.75 per Return
- Pay-Per-State (Individual / Business)
- Free DIY Learning & Training, Support, Tax Planning, and more!
Contact us today to learn more.
* Not available for existing customers
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Returns: What is an authorization?An authorization is how CCH Axcess Tax Essentials calculates the usage of returns in a tax package. The authorization is considered used and deducted from your “bank” at the time a return is first calculated.
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Packages & Pricing: What are the biggest differences between CCH Axcess Tax Essentials 100, 200, 400, Unlimited, and Pay-Per-Return?
- Each CCH Axcess Tax Essentials package is the number of authorizations included at either Pay-Per-Return, 100, 200, 400 or Unlimited. All features and benefits that are available with CCH Axcess Tax Essentials are the same with each package, just the number of authorizations varies per purchased package.
- The number of users included is up to 9 full-time employees.
- Pricing for each additional state after the included 5 states for each package, is charged at Pay-Per-State.
- If you need to upgrade to a different package of CCH Axcess Tax (Essentials), you can discuss with your sales consultant (assigned after purchasing any package of CCH Axcess).
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Conversion: How does conversion from other (on-premise) software to cloud-based CCH Axcess Tax Essentials work?
- Converting your data from other professional tax software solutions is free of charge and comes at no cost to you and your firm. This includes Drake Software, Thomson Reuters UltraTax CS and GoSystem RS, Intuit Lacerte and ProSeries, and other Wolters Kluwer products including TaxWise and ATX Tax Preparation Software.
- CCH Axcess Tax Essentials is completely cloud-based, you will be able to use it from anywhere granted you have a connection with the internet. You will not need an on-premise server or setup to connect to your software. Cloud-based software is designed to be accessed from anywhere, anytime, and it helps to prevent unforeseen disasters such as fires, floods, hurricanes, tornados, ice and snow, or theft to keep your business up and running at all times. You can read more about this topic here.
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Support & Onboarding: What kind of technical support and training does CCH Axcess Tax Essentials offer?
- Support is free of charge and available at https://support.cch.com/oss/ml/. Additionally, self-guided learning and training is available with CCH Axcess Tax Essentials at no cost. The Learning Portal inside the CCH Axcess module has everything you need to get started and it offers how to learn everything that CCH Axcess Tax has to offer.
- After purchasing, you will receive 2x emails with information on how to get started with CCH Axcess tax Essentials. If you do not receive these emails, please contact Support.
- Onboarding is easy and straightforward via the CCH Axcess Tax Essentials Setup Wizard. Simply follow the steps in the wizard to set up administrator rights and software users.
- After purchasing, you should be able to set up the software, take training and obtain familiarization with CCH Axcess Tax Essentials completely self-serviced. Support is always available when needed, you will also be assigned a sales consultant should you need further help when not available online.
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System Requirements: What are the systems requirements for CCH Axcess Tax Essentials?System requirements for CCH Axcess are available on the KnowledgeBase Support Site.
Awards and recognition
Top 2025 New Products Winner
CCH Axcess Tax Essentials
Accounting Today 2025 Top New Products
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Andrew Kutter, EA
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Jamie Scott, CPA
I have very raw experience of tax platforms. CCH Axcess Tax Essentials is by and far the most superior and significantly better platform in every way, shape, and form. I was extremely happy with how the actual software and how the processing worked. After getting through doing 600 returns, I have a really good understanding of it.
When I started my own practice, I said to myself I have got to make the machines do as much work as possible. I don't want to spend my day inputting data. I went with CCH Axcess and jumped on the Essentials bandwagon. I can spend more time with my clients talking about the numbers, not figuring out if they are right. It's such a time-saver for me.
Experience tax prep and compliance in the cloud
See CCH Axcess Tax Essentials in action and find out what it can do for you!
Save your firm valuable time and increase efficiencies through CCH Axcess Tax Essentials professional cloud-based tax preparation software.
CCH Axcess Tax Essentials provides a balanced, comprehensive, accessible, and fully integrated tax preparation, compliance and workflow solution that can benefit your firm and your clientele. Purchase now, or learn more by contacting us.