WageProof vs RCReports
Every wage traced to public BLS data, for less than half RCReports’ cost per report.
The same three IRS-recognized approaches, with Cost and Market built on published BLS wage data an examiner can check line by line.
No annual commitment — test it on one real client.
Last reviewed November 2026 · WageProof is not affiliated with or endorsed by RCReports.
At 25 reports a year
RCReports list prices from rcreports.com, checked 20 Oct 2026. Tier features differ.
We ran RCReports’ sample client through WageProof
Same six tasks, hours and county. Both firm-branded, side by side.
Less than half the price per report, at every comparable tier
Both sell yearly plans priced by the number of reports. This is what each report costs at each yearly volume. RCReports lists no price above 50 reports.
One report, no annual plan
$300 lower.
Cost per report, by reports a year
RCReports list prices from rcreports.com, checked 20 Oct 2026. Tier features differ.
Run your own numbers
Enter what you charge a client and how many reports you run a year. We price both at list and show what you’d keep on each.
One for each S-corp client, every tax year.
- Costs you
- up to $2,500
- Per report
- up to $166.67
- You keep
- at least $5,000
- Costs you
- $999
- Per report
- $66.60
- You keep
- $6,501
See the full price table
Both tools sell the same primary deliverable: a reasonable compensation PDF built on the three approaches the Reasonable Compensation Job Aid for IRS Valuation Professionals describes. Both price yearly plans by the number of reports. The table below shows the effective cost per report at each yearly volume.
| Annual volume | WageProof | RCReports | Per-report difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (one-off) | $199 | $499 | $300 lower |
| ~10 reports | $499 ($49.90/report — Starter, 10 reports) | $1,500 ($150/report — Essentials, 10 reports) | $100.10 lower per report |
| ~25 reports | $999 (~$40/report — Professional, 30 reports included) | $2,500 ($100/report — Premium, 25 reports) | $60 lower per report |
| ~50 reports | $1,499 (~$30/report — Firm, 60 reports included) | $4,000 ($80/report — Professional, 50 reports) | $50 lower per report |
| ~100 reports | $2,495 ($24.95/report — Firm, 60 reports + four 10-report packs) | Enterprise, no listed price | No price to compare |
Effective per-report cost at each row’s report volume, not at the plan’s included-report count; tier features differ. At the full 60 reports on the Firm plan, WageProof works out to $24.98/report. RCReports’ Premium ($2,500/yr) and Professional ($4,000/yr) plans bundle Entity Planning, which WageProof does not include; both products now support multi-user firm accounts. See the feature comparison below before deciding on price alone.
In an audit, every wage points to a public BLS table
A WageProof Cost or Market report names the BLS source of each wage, so an examiner can look each one up on BLS.gov and redo the arithmetic.
Page 3 of WageProof’s sample report. Its appendix adds each job’s SOC code and what BLS published for it.
What this page shows
Brought to the tax year
Each BLS wage is adjusted with the Employment Cost Index.
The BLS job
Each task is priced as a published BLS occupation.
The wage area and release
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, from BLS’s May 2023 data.
The pay level used
The BLS percentile the owner’s experience selects.
WageProof
Methodology published end to end
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), public federal data
- Seven-level geographic fallback chain, documented at /methodology
- 1–5 proficiency mapping to BLS percentiles, published
- Every wage figure traces to a SOC code, percentile, geography and year
RCReports
Methodology published, algorithm undisclosed
- Describes its estimates as generated by a “proprietary, statistically validated methodology,” and states that its underlying data sources and calculations are confidential (per rcreports.com)
- Its methodology document is published: a 19-page PDF, February 2025, free to download
- A methodology report is available on request to support a figure challenged in an audit or litigation
Read the full methodology comparison
Both tools follow the Reasonable Compensation Job Aid for IRS Valuation Professionals and produce a number using one or more of the three approaches:
- Cost Approach — task decomposition (the “Many Hats” method)
- Market Approach — single occupational comparable
- Income Approach — Independent Investor Test, from Elliotts, Inc. v. Commissioner, adopted in Exacto Spring Corp. v. Commissioner
RCReports describes its estimates as generated by a “proprietary, statistically validated methodology,” says its data is supported by a team of data scientists, and states that its underlying data sources and calculations are confidential (per rcreports.com and its pricing page).
Two valid postures, different defensive shapes. A WageProof Cost or Market report names the BLS source of each wage (the SOC code, percentile, wage area and data year) and the BLS index it used to bring that wage to the tax year, so an examiner can look each one up on BLS.gov and redo the arithmetic. RCReports’ own published methodology states that its data sets are “referred to by the courts as a black box system” and that its proprietary processes and algorithms “cannot be disclosed” (RCReports Methodology, February 2025, p.13). WageProof’s view is that for most small S-corp owners, a report built on public data is the better choice: the examiner and the owner’s accountant can check every wage figure against a public source instead of relying on calculations the provider keeps confidential. Tax pros sign their names on the return either way, and for most firms traceable public data is the easier posture to stand behind.
Each WageProof report is a focused, single-approach analysis — you run the Cost, Market, or Income (Independent Investor Test) approach that fits the engagement. The PDF builds that approach out in full: an executive summary, the task-by-task (or comparable-wage) detail, a methodology narrative, and the BLS source for every wage figure (an Income Approach report works from the company’s own financial figures instead), so a tax professional or an examiner can follow how the figure was built.
See the whole report. The sample is a white-labeled Cost Approach report from a fictional firm, Ocean Tax Advisors: the same brandable PDF your firm gets on Professional and Firm plans.
Check every feature, not just the price
Both run the three approaches the Reasonable Compensation Job Aid for IRS Valuation Professionals describes. The difference is what’s underneath the number.
Show all features
Both vendors answer methodology questions for customers facing IRS examinations. RCReports includes audit and litigation support in all of its annual plans; WageProof includes audit support with every report, for 4 years after finalizing.
Which one fits your firm?
Both tools generate IRS-recognized reasonable compensation reports using the three approaches from the IRS Job Aid (Cost, Market, Income / Independent Investor Test). RCReports is the established platform and bundles audit and litigation support. WageProof costs less than half as much per report at comparable annual volumes (about $40 vs $100 at 25 reports a year, ~$30 vs $80 at 50; tier features differ) and publishes its full methodology with BLS source citations on every wage figure.
Where WageProof wins
Lower per-report cost at every comparable tier
$49.90 vs $150 a report at 10 reports; $39.96 vs $100 at 25.
Methodology you can show the IRS line by line
Every wage traces to a SOC code, BLS percentile, wage area and data year, printed in the report.
White-label included
From $999 a year (Professional and Firm). See a sample with your brand →
Single-report price for owners
$199 vs $499 for a one-off. Owner $199 covers Cost and Market; Pay Per Report ($199) covers all three, one approach per report.
Pick WageProof if
- You generate more than 5 reports per year and per-report cost matters
- Your audit-defense posture relies on traceable, line-by-line BLS sources
- You’re an S-corp owner who doesn’t want to pay $499 for a one-off
Where RCReports wins
CPE/CE training
RCReports offers CPE/CE courses for continuing education credit.
Adjacent tooling
Entity Planning, Wage Lookup, the Multiple Client Report Wizard and a CYA Log are RCReports-only.
Pick RCReports if
- You use Entity Planning Tool, Wage Lookup, or earn CPE through RCReports’ CPE/CE courses
Run both for one cycle if you’re undecided
WageProof’s $199 single-report price makes it cheap to test on a real client and compare the output, methodology, and PDF deliverable side by side.
Or commit to an annual plan now. WageProof Starter ($499/yr, $49.90 a report if you use all 10 reports) is the lowest-friction commitment for a firm running 5 or more reports a year.
Try one report before you switch
Migration is straightforward because the inputs are similar.
Information you already have
Client name, business type, hours and location are details you already hold, so you will not need to go back to clients for them; you enter them into WageProof yourself, since there is no import from RCReports. WageProof asks for the owner’s experience level on its own 1–5 scale, labeled by years of experience, so answer that question fresh for each client.
Tasks for the Cost Approach
WageProof’s task catalog uses BLS SOC codes; if you’ve used RCReports’ Cost Approach, you already have the time allocation breakdown.
Year-over-year duplication
WageProof supports duplicating a prior report and rolling forward to the new year.
Save your RCReports reports first
RCReports says that on your expiration date you lose access to all reports you ran and your clients and users are deleted, so save a copy of every report you need for your files before your plan ends. There is nothing to import into WageProof: each WageProof report stands on its own for its tax year.
Trial run
Use the $199 Pay Per Report option on a tax-professional account to generate one report on a current client. Compare the PDF, methodology, and number against your most recent RCReports run.
When our previous provider changed their pricing, it just got too expensive, so we looked at several options. We settled on WageProof because it was the closest to the product we’d been presenting to our clients, and the transition was truly painless. It’s white-labeled with our brand, just as professional, and easy for our clients to use. Josh was responsive every step of the way. It’s been a good experience all around.
Run the trial before your RCReports renewal date: RCReports plans renew automatically each year and its Terms say subscription fees are non-refundable. If you plan to switch at year-end, our year-end guide for CPA firms covers which clients to review before the last payroll.
Questions
A documented basis for the salary figure, not a guaranteed outcome: no report can promise how an audit turns out, and every WageProof report says so. The report uses the three approaches the Reasonable Compensation Job Aid for IRS Valuation Professionals describes: Cost (task decomposition), Market (occupational comparable), and Income (Independent Investor Test). Every wage in a Cost or Market report comes from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), a public federal source, and the report prints where each wage came from, so an examiner or your accountant can look it up. WageProof's view is that for most small S-corp owners, a report built on public data is the better choice. Whether a salary is reasonable still depends on all the facts of the business, so review the report with a tax professional.
RCReports has been in market longer and serves customers with CPE training and bundled audit and litigation support. WageProof prices the report itself, not a bundled platform. The features-per-dollar trade-off depends on whether your firm uses RCReports' adjacent tools.
Both WageProof and RCReports answer methodology questions for customers facing IRS examinations. RCReports includes audit and litigation support in all of its annual plans. Subject to our Terms, we’ll support you in an audit. Every WageProof report includes audit support at no extra charge: if the IRS or a state tax agency asks about the salary in a finalized report, contact us at help@wageproof.com and our team will explain how the report was built, the BLS data it used, and how each figure was calculated. It’s available for four years after you finalize the report, whether or not you still subscribe.
Yes. WageProof's Income Approach is the Independent Investor Test, articulated in Elliotts, Inc. v. Commissioner, 716 F.2d 1241 (9th Cir. 1983) and prominently adopted in Exacto Spring Corp. v. Commissioner, 196 F.3d 833 (7th Cir. 1999). It is included at every pro plan level. RCReports also supports the Income Approach; its pricing page lists all three approaches on every annual plan.
Yes. White-label custom branding is included with WageProof Professional ($999/year) and Firm ($1,499/year) plans. RCReports offers custom branding on its higher-tier plans — check rcreports.com for current tier details.
See a sample with your brand →WageProof offers single reports for $199 with no commitment. You can test on one client before committing to an annual plan. Annual plans renew on the anniversary of purchase.
Looking for a broader roundup? All the options, including Paychex, DIY BLS lookup and industry surveys, with pros, cons and pricing for each.
RCReports alternatives roundup →See the difference on a real report.
Prefer to see the numbers first? See full pricing →
WageProof is not affiliated with or endorsed by RCReports. RCReports is a trademark of its owner.