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WageProof vs RCReports

The same defensible report as RCReports — for less than half the cost per report.

WageProof runs the same three IRS-recognized approaches — Cost and Market on published BLS wage data an examiner can verify line by line, plus the Income (Independent Investor Test) approach. Each report covers one approach, for roughly $40 a report vs $100 at comparable volume. Here’s the full side-by-side on price, methodology, and firm workflow.

~$40 /report

vs ~$100 on RCReports (25 clients)

100%

BLS-sourced wages, cited per figure

$199

single report, no annual plan

Generate your first report — $199See a free sample report

No annual commitment — test it on one real client.

Last reviewed: June 2026 · Pricing verified from rcreports.com on June 26, 2026.

Short answer

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 clients, ~$30 vs $96 at 50; RCReports prices per client, assuming one report per client — tier features differ) and publishes its full methodology with BLS source citations on every wage figure.

Choose WageProof if

you want transparent, source-traceable methodology at a lower price.

RCReports may fit if

you run several reports per client and lean on its longer track record or adjacent firm tools.

At-a-glance

  • Price per report

    WageProof≈$40 at 25 clients, ~$30 at firm volume; $199 singleRCReports≈$75–$150 at volume; $499 single

  • Wage data source

    WageProofBLS OEWS, cited per figureRCReportsProprietary; underlying data sources and calculations confidential (per RCReports)

  • Methodology

    WageProofPublished at /methodologyRCReportsProprietary; methodology report in litigation

  • Cost / Market / Income

    WageProofAll three; Income at every pro tierRCReportsAll three (see RCReports pricing for tier inclusion)

  • White-label PDFs

    WageProofProfessional ($999) and Firm ($1,499)RCReportsHigher-tier plans (see rcreports.com)

  • Audit support

    WageProofMethodology Q&A as standard customer supportRCReportsAudit & litigation support included in all plans

  • CPE training

    WageProofNot offeredRCReportsRCReports University

  • Reliance history

    WageProofNewer to market (launched 2025)RCReportsEstablished history in IRS exams and litigation (per RCReports)

  • Multi-user firm accounts

    WageProofSingle userRCReports2–4 users (Professional plans)

The pricing gap, in plain numbers

Both tools sell the same primary deliverable — a reasonable compensation PDF defensible under the IRS Job Aid’s three approaches. WageProof prices per report; RCReports prices per client. To compare like with like, the table below normalizes both to an effective cost per report, assuming one report per client per year.

  • 1 (one-off)

    WageProof$199RCReports$499Difference$300 lower

  • ~10 clients

    WageProof$499 ($50/report — Starter, 10 reports)RCReports$1,500 ($150/report — Premium, up to 10 clients)Difference$100 lower per report

  • ~25 clients

    WageProof$999 (~$40/report — Professional, 30 reports included)RCReports$2,500 ($100/report — Professional, up to 25 clients)Difference$60 lower per report

  • ~50 clients

    WageProof$1,499 (~$30/report — Firm, 60 reports included)RCReports$4,800 ($96/report — Professional, up to 50 clients)Difference$66 lower per report

  • ~100 clients

    WageProofCustom (above Firm tier — contact us)RCReports$7,500 ($75/report — Professional, up to 100 clients)DifferenceContact us for high-volume pricing

Effective per-report cost; tier features differ. RCReports is priced per client, not per report — figures assume one report per client per year, so a firm running multiple reports per client would see a lower effective RCReports per-report cost. RCReports Professional plans bundle 2–4 user seats and the Entity Planning Tool, which WageProof does not include. See the feature comparison below before deciding on price alone.

The two products serve overlapping but not identical customer profiles. RCReports has been in market longer and bundles more adjacent tooling at higher tiers; WageProof prices the report itself rather than a bundled platform. The features-per-dollar trade-off is real and depends on which adjacent tools your firm uses.

See the difference on a real report — generate one for $199, no annual commitment.

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Methodology: published vs. proprietary

Both tools follow the IRS Reasonable Compensation Job Aid and produce a number using one or more of the three approaches:

  1. Cost Approach— task decomposition (the “Many Hats” method)
  2. Market Approach— single occupational comparable
  3. Income Approach— Independent Investor Test, per Exacto Spring Corp v. Commissioner

The difference is what’s underneath the number.

WageProof: methodology published end-to-end

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — public federal data
  • Seven-level geographic fallback chain documented at /methodology
  • BLS Employment Cost Index forward-adjustment
  • 1–5 proficiency mapping to BLS percentiles published
  • Every figure traces to a SOC code, percentile, geography, and year

RCReports: proprietary methodology

RCReports describes its estimates as generated by a “proprietary, statistically validated methodology,” backed by a team of data scientists, and states that its underlying data sources and calculations are confidential (per rcreports.com).

RCReports states that a methodology report is available on request to support a figure challenged in an audit or litigation, and that its methodology has been relied upon in IRS examinations and litigation.

Two valid postures, different defensive shapes. The IRS Job Aid points to BLS-published wage data among its comparable wage sources. A WageProof report points the examiner directly at BLS.gov for verification — the SOC code, percentile, geography, and data year. RCReports’ methodology has been relied upon in IRS examinations and litigation (per RCReports), but its underlying data sources and calculations are confidential. Both are defensible postures — the difference is that one lets the examiner check every figure against a public source, and the other rests on reliance history. Tax pros sign their names on the return either way; for most firms, traceable public data is the easier posture to stand behind.

See the difference for yourself

The WageProof PDF reads like a finished audit-defense package.

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 BLS source citations on every figure — designed to be handed directly to an examiner without additional context.

Compare the deliverables side-by-side before you commit. RCReports’ sample reports are available on rcreports.com; the WageProof sample below is a white-labeled Cost Approach report from a fictional tax and accounting firm (“Ocean Tax Advisors”) — the same brandable PDF your firm gets on Professional and Firm plans.

Download white-labeled sample (PDF)or browse the sample online →See RCReports’ sample →

Feature-by-feature comparison

Report generation

  • Cost Approach (task decomposition / Many Hats)

    WageProofRCReports

  • Market Approach

    WageProofRCReports

  • Income Approach (IIT)

    WageProofIncluded at every pro plan tierRCReportsAvailable — see RCReports pricing for tier inclusion

  • Save & resume drafts

    WageProofRCReports

  • Duplicate prior report (year-over-year)

    WageProofRCReports

Data and methodology

  • Wage data source

    WageProofBLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), public federal dataRCReportsProprietary; RCReports states its underlying data sources and calculations are confidential

  • Source citation in report

    WageProofSOC code and percentile per task; geography and BLS year at document levelRCReportsMethodology report provided when reports are used in litigation

  • Geographic granularity

    WageProofMSA-based with seven-level fallback chain; QCEW provides geographic contextRCReportsMethodology not publicly disclosed

  • Inflation adjustment

    WageProofBLS ECI, forward-adjustedRCReportsNot publicly disclosed

  • Methodology page

    WageProofPublicRCReportsProprietary; methodology report provided in litigation contexts

Professional workflow

  • Client management

    WageProofRCReports

  • Shareable client questionnaire (no client login)

    WageProofRCReports

  • White-label / custom branding

    WageProofProfessional ($999/yr) and Firm ($1,499/yr)RCReportsHigher-tier plans — see rcreports.com for current details

  • Multi-user firm accounts

    WageProofSingle userRCReports2–4 users (Professional plans, by client tier)

  • Entity Planning Tool / scenario modeling

    WageProofRCReportsProfessional tier and above

  • Standalone Wage Lookup tool

    WageProofRCReportsProfessional tier and above

  • API access

    WageProofRCReportsEnterprise tier

Audit and compliance support

  • Methodology documentation in PDF

    WageProofIncluded by defaultRCReportsIn-report summary; full methodology report on request (per RCReports)

  • Standard audit support (methodology Q&A)

    WageProofYes — included in all plansRCReportsYes — included in all plans

  • Paid 1:1 audit-defense add-on

    WageProofNot offeredRCReportsNot a separate add-on — audit & litigation support is bundled in all plans

  • Published reliance history

    WageProofNewer to market (launched 2025)RCReportsEstablished history in IRS examinations and litigation (per RCReports)

  • CPE / CE training courses

    WageProofRCReportsRCReports University

  • Sample report available

    WageProofYesRCReportsYes

Both vendors answer methodology questions for customers facing IRS examinations. RCReports includes audit and litigation support in all of its plans; WageProof answers methodology questions as part of standard customer support.

Where WageProof wins

  • Lower per-report cost at every comparable tier. At ~10 clients, WageProof Starter is $50/report ($499) vs $150/report ($1,500, RCReports Premium) — $100/report lower. At ~25 clients, ~$40 (WageProof Professional, $999) vs $100 (RCReports Professional). The per-report margin recovery compounds.
  • Methodology you can show the IRS line by line. Every wage figure traces to a SOC code and BLS percentile, with geography and data year stated at the document level. An examiner can verify any number on BLS.gov in a few minutes.
  • Income Approach included at every pro tier. Available on the $199 Pay-Per-Report plan, the $499 Starter, the $999 Professional, and the $1,499 Firm.
  • White-label included. Custom branding is included starting at $999/year (WageProof Professional and Firm); RCReports offers branding on its higher-tier plans.
  • Single-report price for owners.A self-employed S-corp owner pays $199 to generate their own report on WageProof vs $499 on RCReports. (Owner $199 covers the Cost and Market approaches; Pro Pay-Per $199 gives access to all three — one approach per report.)

Where RCReports wins

  • Established platform with a long reliance history. In market for over a decade; RCReports states its methodology has been relied upon in IRS examinations and litigation.
  • Per-client pricing with no per-report cap. Firms that run more than one report for the same client get more value per dollar under RCReports’ per-client plans.
  • Multi-user firm accounts.2–4 users on Professional plans.
  • CPE/CE training. RCReports University offers continuing education credit.
  • Adjacent tooling. Entity Planning Tool, standalone Wage Lookup, Batch Send, and a CYA Log are RCReports-only.

Which one should your firm pick?

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 want all three IRS approaches at every pro plan level
  • • You’re an S-corp owner who doesn’t want to pay $499 for a one-off

Pick RCReports if:

  • • You run multiple reports per client and prefer per-client pricing
  • • You value RCReports’ established platform and longer methodology reliance history
  • • You need multiple users on one firm account
  • • You use Entity Planning Tool, Wage Lookup, or earn CPE through RCReports University

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, $50/report) is the lowest-friction commitment for a firm running 5+ reports per year.

Switching from RCReports to WageProof

Migration is straightforward because the inputs are similar:

  1. Data you already have.Client name, business type, hours, geography, primary SOC, and proficiency level all transfer directly. You won’t need to re-collect from clients.
  2. 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.
  3. Year-over-year duplication. WageProof supports duplicating a prior report and rolling forward to the new year.
  4. No data export needed.Reports are independent year by year — there’s no historical archive to migrate.
  5. Trial run. Use the $199 Pay-Per-Report (Pro) or $199 Owner tier to generate one report on a current client. Compare the PDF, methodology, and number against your most recent RCReports run.

A typical evaluation cycle is 30–60 days: one trial report, one audit-readiness review, one full quarter.

Run your first report — $199

FAQ

Yes. WageProof uses the same three approaches the IRS Job Aid for Valuation Professionals recognizes: Cost (task decomposition), Market (occupational comparable), and Income (Independent Investor Test). All wage data comes from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), a publicly available federal source cited on every figure in the report PDF.

RCReports has been in market longer and serves customers with multi-user accounts, 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 plans. WageProof answers methodology questions as part of standard customer support for every plan.

Yes. WageProof's Income Approach is the Independent Investor Test as articulated in Exacto Spring Corp v. Commissioner. It is included at every pro plan level. RCReports also supports the Income Approach; see their pricing page for tier inclusion.

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.

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 or your most recent plan change.

Looking for a broader roundup? This page covers WageProof vs RCReports head-to-head. If you want to see all available options — including Paychex, DIY BLS lookup, and industry surveys — the RCReports alternatives roundup covers the full landscape with pros, cons, and pricing for each option.

See the difference on a real report.

Generate a reasonable compensation report on WageProof for $199. Compare the methodology, source citations, and PDF deliverable against your current RCReports output. No annual commitment, no negotiations.

Generate your first report — $199See a free sample report

Prefer to see the numbers first? See full pricing →