Pricing
What this costs, and why it depends
Fixed quotes, agreed in writing before any work starts. Here is what drives the number.
How pricing works
Every engagement is quoted as a fixed fee for a defined scope, agreed before work begins. Not hourly — hourly billing gives you no way to predict the cost and gives us no reason to be efficient.
If something material surfaces partway through — an account that was not mentioned, a prior year that turns out to need correcting — we stop, explain it, and quote that work separately before doing it. The number you agreed to is the number you are invoiced.
What moves the number
Five things, mostly
- How many returns
- A federal return alone is not the same job as a federal return plus two part-year state returns after a mid-year move.
- How the income arrives
- One W-2 is quick. A W-2 plus equity compensation, two rentals, and self-employment income on the side is several schedules and a basis reconstruction.
- Whether prior years need fixing
- Amending a prior year is a different kind of work from a current-year return, and is quoted separately so you can see which is which.
- Whether an entity is involved
- A sole proprietorship on Schedule C is not the same job as an S corporation return with a reasonable-compensation position and a payroll reconciliation behind it.
- The state of the books
- For business returns, most of the cost sits in bookkeeping that is not closed. If cleanup is needed we quote it separately so you can see which is which.
Common questions
Why are there no prices on this page?
Because a single number would be misleading. A return with one W-2 and a return with a rental, equity compensation, and an S corporation behind it are both "a tax return" and are not remotely the same job. Rather than publish a figure most people would not actually pay, we quote your specific situation in writing before starting.
How do I find out what mine would cost?
A short intake — what income you have, whether a business or rental is involved, which states, and how many people are on the return. That takes about ten minutes and is enough to produce a fixed quote. There is no charge for it.
Is the quote fixed?
Yes, for the scope agreed. If something material turns up mid-engagement — an account that was not mentioned, or a prior year that needs correcting — we stop and re-quote that additional work before doing it. You will not receive an invoice larger than the number you agreed to.
Do you charge for the first conversation?
No. An initial consultation to scope the work is free. Standalone advisory sessions on a specific decision — whether to make an S corporation election, how a property sale will be treated — are paid, because that is the deliverable rather than a preliminary to one.
Are you cheaper than consumer tax software?
No, and it would be strange to claim otherwise. Software is inexpensive and competent at the ordinary case. The reason to use a credentialed practitioner is that your case is not the ordinary one — and a decision made a year too late usually costs more than the difference.
How do I pay?
Card, bank transfer, or cheque. An invoice is issued for the agreed scope, and payment is due when the work is delivered rather than up front.
Get a quote
A ten-minute intake is enough to produce a fixed number. There is no charge for it and no obligation.