Compare WageProof

How to evaluate a reasonable compensation tool

A head-to-head comparison is most useful when you know what criteria actually differentiate the tools. Here are the five that matter for S-corp reasonable compensation specifically:

1. 1Wage data source. Federal BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data is publicly verifiable — an IRS examiner can pull the same table. Proprietary survey data may be equally defensible but the derivation method is held as a trade secret, which means the examiner is taking the vendor at its word. Neither approach is disqualified; they represent different audit-defense postures.
2. 2Methodology transparency. Can you hand the report to an examiner and have her trace every number to a source? Published methodology pages — SOC codes, percentiles, inflation adjustments, geographic fallback logic — remove ambiguity from the conversation.
3. 3Price per report at your actual volume. Vendors price differently (per-report vs. per-client tiers). Calculate the effective per-report cost at your realistic annual volume before comparing headline prices. A $99/year plan with a 5-report cap is $20/report; a $1,500/year plan for 10 clients is $150/report.
4. 4Audit-defense posture. Does the vendor answer methodology questions during an IRS examination? Is there a paid premium service? Is there a published track record of the methodology being relied upon in court? The answer affects whether you feel comfortable putting your signature on the return.
5. 5Professional workflow features. Client management, shareable questionnaires (no client login required), year-over-year duplication, and white-label PDFs are what turn a one-off report generator into a recurring firm service. Evaluate these against your current workflow before committing.

The comparisons below apply these five criteria specifically to WageProof vs each named competitor. If you’re evaluating the full landscape — including tools you didn’t know existed and non-software DIY options — see the broader roundup of all your options.