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:
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
