Unity vs. ProSeries
A 150-return office keeps about $5,700 a season by switching from ProSeries.
A busy one keeps far more. Same tax software you'd expect — every state, 1040s and business returns, works from your phone. What's different is what you don't pay: no transmission fee, no bank-product markup, no state fee stacked on every refund transfer.
What a ProSeries office keeps by switching to Unity
Based on a 70% refund-transfer rate — typical of the neighborhoods these offices serve — comparing ProSeries's per-return fee stack against Unity's flat $20. Your number depends on your volume and how many of your clients use a refund transfer.
Unity Savings Estimator
See how much you'll save
Enter your numbers and compare your current per-return fee stack against Unity's flat $20 per accepted return.
The honest comparison
Where ProSeries is genuinely good
ProSeries is an Intuit product and it acts like one — thousands of forms, tight integration with QuickBooks and Quicken, a "where do I enter" helper, and a big, well-resourced support operation behind it. If your office lives in the Intuit ecosystem, it fits.
The software isn't the problem. Here's what is.
The fee stack
- Transmission fee — every return. ~$20, bank product or not.
- Bank product fee — marketed at $35 as a selling point — still ~$40 all in, pulled from the refund.
- State fee — every refund transfer. Another ~$14.
At 300 returns with a 70% refund-transfer rate, that stack clears $17,000 a season. Unity's total for the same office: $6,000.
Why it looks too good
They make money a different way than we do.
The software looks the same because, at the professional tier, it is. But ProSeries — like the rest — earns its keep on the stack: transmission, bank-product markup, per-return charges. That's their revenue model. It's why they can't take those fees off. The fees are the business.
Unity built it the other way around. One honest fee, per accepted return, nothing hidden underneath. Same software, opposite business model — and one of them doesn't come out of your clients' refunds. That's the catch. There isn't a catch.
Everything you get for the flat $20
The software
- Every state, 1040s and business returns
- Cloud and desktop, work from anywhere
- Interview mode and direct forms entry
- 60+ forms in Spanish — prepare in either language, print in either
The banking
- Republic Bank refund transfers — no fee from the refund
- Direct deposit, check, or card
- Advances for clients who need money sooner
The extras
- Unlimited e-signatures — free
- Free mobile app — clients start on their phone
- Client portal, year-round storage
- Live webinars and on-demand training library
The support
- Onboarding often within 24 hours, one-on-one
- Free data conversion from ProSeries
- Year-round support with a bilingual first line
Frequently asked questions
How much does an office save switching from ProSeries to Unity?+
About $38 per return. At 300 returns a season with a typical refund-transfer rate, that's roughly $11,300 a year — the difference between ProSeries's per-return fee stack and Unity's flat $20.
Is Unity's software as good as ProSeries?+
It's the same tier of professional software — 1040 and business returns in every state, cloud and desktop, guided interview mode, e-signature, and bilingual first-line support. The savings come from the business model, not from a lesser product.
Doesn't ProSeries advertise a low-cost bank product?+
The advertised bank fee is one line in what is actually one of the most expensive overall packages in the category — and it still comes out of your client's refund. Unity charges no bank-product fee at all: the refund transfer costs your client nothing beyond your prep fee.
What does the $20 per return include?+
Software, refund transfers, transmission, and year-round support — all of it. No separate transmission fee, bank-product fee, or service-bureau markup.
How hard is it to switch?+
Free data conversion from ProSeries, setup often within 24 hours, done with a Unity onboarding specialist.
One flat $20 per accepted return.
Built for offices filing 75+ returns a season.
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