Tax Preparation Pricing
If you read one thing on this page it’s this: Tax returns we prepare have ranged from a few pages to more than a hundred pages, not including worksheets and attachments. That makes quoting our work before preparing the return impossible and unethical because we routinely uncover thousands of dollars in additional credits, deductions, and other items. Anyone who quotes prices for tax prep before fully interviewing a client is unethical or incompetent. But we’re fair and want to give you a heads-up on what to expect. Here’s three 1040 scenarios:
Scenario 1: You were a W-2 employee with no dependents, and after a tax professional spends time reviewing your case and– after expanding upon the many other potential tax items you might not know you’re entitled to receive or report– finds nothing else you’re eligible to claim or are required to file besides a basic 1040, you can sleep soundly that a pro has made sure you’re not leaving any money on the table yet still pay for our lowest priced tax prep which is about $125.
Scenario 2: You have a few forms or credits, may or may not itemize your deductions, and perhaps you have one or two bit-more-complicated things for us to include in your return. This the profile of something like half of our 1040 tax prep clients. You can expect to pay a tax professional at our firm around $175-$300.
Scenario 3: You have one or more rental properties, a Schedule C (small business), and/or some items to depreciate. You probably itemize and maybe there were some tax credits on top of that. These types of tax returns are prepared by a tax professional for around $300-$700 and rarely go past $700 unless there are a combination of items such as several rental properties, a depreciation mess to clean up, multiple state tax returns to prepare, etc.
Our tax return preparation services are priced by type, schedule, form, and degree of complexity. We reserve the right to extend discounts to our clients on a case-by-case basis, and often do such when requested information is provided to us in a timely and clean format. If you have a lot of time-consuming work such as bookkeeping right before a deadline, or IRS representation work with a deadline that’s only days away, you may be accepted as a client contingent upon a higher rate for the 11th hour work. You’re always welcome to walk away and pay nothing until after you’ve engaged us for our services.
Since every case is unique please contact us if you need additional pricing information.
Here’s how to get started:
Tax Prep: New Clients
Tax Prep: Returning Clients
| Form | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Form 1040EZ | Base fee for Form 1040EZ | $95 |
| Form 1040A | Base fee for Form 1040A | $110 |
| Form 1040 | Base fee for Form 1040 long form | $125 |
| Form 1040X | Amended return (req'd forms/schedules are extra) | $175 |
| Form 4868 | 6-month filing extension; 1040 | $75 |
| Form 7004 | 6-month filing extension; corp. & partnership 6-month e | $75 |
| Form 1116 | Foreign tax credit | $18 |
| Form 2106 | Employee Unreimbursed Expenses | $32 |
| Form 2555 | Foreign earned income, page 3 | $20 |
| Form 2555 | Foreign earned income, pages 1 & 2 | $60 |
| Form 3903 | Moving expense adjustment | $35 |
| Form 4562 | Depreciation schedule | $40 |
| Form 4684 | Casualty & theft loss | $45 |
| Form 4797 | Sale of business property | $44 |
| Form 5695 | Residential energy credits | $28 |
| Form 6198 | At-risk limitations | $20 |
| Form 6251 | Alternative minimum tax (AMT) | $44 |
| Form 8283 | Non-cash charitable contributions | $18 |
| Form 8379 | Injured spouse allocation (when filed with 1040) | $42 |
| Form 8582 | Passive activity loss limitation | $25 |
| Form 8615 | Tax for child with investment inc. >$1,900 | $30 |
| Form 8824 | Like-kind exchanges | $59 |
| Form 8829 | Home office as business expense | $32 |
| Form 8857 | Innocent spouse relief (when filed with 1040) | $42 |
| Form 8867 | Earned income credit 4 pg checklist | $32 |
| Form 8889 | Health savings account | $40 |
| Form 8891 | Certain Canadian retirement accts | $36 |
| Form 8919 | Uncollected FICA Tax | $36 |
| Form 8959 | Additional Medicare tax | $20 |
| Form 8962 | ACA premium tax credit (healthcare) | $40 |
| Form 8965 | Health coverage exemptions | $20 |
| Other Worksheets, Schedules & Reports | Varies by complexity | $0, seldom more |
| Per additional | Per additional depreciable asset | $5 |
| Per additional | Per additional asset | $15 |
| Per additional | Per additional Sch B & D item | $2 |
| Schedule A | Itemized deductions | $60 |
| Schedule B | Interest & dividends | $30 |
| Schedule C | Sole proprietorship (small biz) base fee | $74 |
| Schedule D | Capital gains & losses | $25 |
| Schedule E Part I | Rental income base fee, per property | $35 |
| Schedule E Part I | Per additional rental property | $35 |
| Schedule E Part II | Supplemental income/loss | $25 |
| Schedule EIC | Earned income credit (only for EIC w/ kids) | $50 |
| Schedule H | Household employment taxes | $63 |
| Schedule SE | Self employment tax | $0 |
| State Income Tax | State tax prep for | $50, seldom more |
| FBAR | Foreign Bank Account Report | $200, seldom more |