Flat fees, not an hourly meter.
You shouldn’t hesitate to call your CPA because the clock might be running. Nothing here is billed by the hour, and nothing here is billed for asking a question. The published minimums tell you where an engagement starts. What lands above a minimum is the work itself — the activities, the states, the condition of the records — priced on the job rather than on the clock. Like any job with unknowns in it, the final number reflects what the work turned out to be.
Three things determine every quote.
Scope
What the engagement covers: a single return, monthly books, payroll, planning, or a combination. Bundled engagements price better than the sum of their parts, because shared context is shared work.
Complexity
Entity count, states filed, transaction volume, and the condition of the records. A clean set of books and a shoebox are honestly different jobs — and the quote says so upfront rather than surprising you later.
Cadence
One-time projects (a clean-up, a migration, a consult) are quoted as projects. Ongoing work (books, payroll, planning) is quoted as a predictable monthly or annual fee you can budget around.
The floor, in writing.
Most firms make you call to learn what a return costs. Here are our minimums — what they cover, and what typically moves a quote above them. What moves a fee above a minimum is scope, never the clock.
Individual Return
$375 — the floor
W-2 income with the standard deduction — tax preparation by a CPA or Enrolled Agent and signed by our principal CPA, like every return here. This is the minimum engagement, not a typical fee.
What moves it up: itemized deductions, rental property, investment activity, K-1s, multi-state filing, and the condition of the records.
Individual — Business Owner / Advanced
from $675
Schedule C activity, K-1s, rental property, or multi-state filing — the owner’s return, done with the business in view.
What moves it up: number of activities, entity count, states filed, depreciation schedules, and the condition of the records.
Business Return
$1,250 minimum engagement
S-corp, partnership, and corporate returns. Most business owners bundle the personal return with it — one firm reading one ledger, priced together.
What moves it up: states filed, entity count, and whether the books arrive clean or as a shoebox.
Why a Minimum Engagement Fee?
A return with one W-2 carries less work than a complex one — but not a lower standard. It still moves through the same secure intake, the same licensed review, and the same signature. The minimum reflects the standard we hold and the resources it consumes, neither of which shrinks with the return.
The strategy consult: priced, and worth it either way.
It isn’t the first step — the free 15-minute consultation is, and it is often enough. But some owners want the diagnosis before they commit to anything. The paid, flat-fee strategy consult is that option: we review your prior return and current books, identify what’s costing you money, and deliver a prioritized action list you keep whether or not you engage us for the follow-on work. No hourly meter, no obligation beyond it.
Get your quote in one call
Pricing depends on your scope, complexity, and cadence — so honest numbers require a short conversation, not a menu that fits nobody. Book a meeting or call and describe how you run — we’ll scope the work from there. Simple individual returns are scoped just as directly.
What you’ll never see
Hourly surprise bills. Charges for phone calls. Fees buried in fine print. If a simpler or cheaper path fits your situation — including one that involves less of us — we’ll say so.
Pricing, answered.
Do I have to pay to become a client?
No. The first step is a free 15-minute consultation with Kevin Hemingway, CPA — we discuss your needs, determine whether our firm is a good fit, and you leave with an estimated fee range and next steps. The paid strategy consult is a separate, optional engagement for owners who want a full review of their prior return and books before deciding. Neither is required to become a client.
What exactly do the published minimums cover?
Each minimum is the starting point for the scope printed beside it — a Tier 1 fee, for example, covers a W-2 return with the standard deduction, prepared and principal-signed. The drivers listed are what typically move a fee above the floor: more states, more activities, rougher records. Two ‘S-corp returns’ can be entirely different jobs, which is why we publish where pricing begins rather than pretending every return costs the same.
Do you charge for phone calls and questions?
No. Flat-fee engagements exist precisely so you call when something comes up — before the equipment purchase, before the new hire — instead of after, when it’s more expensive to fix. Questions within an engagement’s scope are part of the engagement.
Is the strategy consult fee credited if I sign on afterward?
Ask when you book — arrangements can depend on the follow-on engagement. What you get either way is the deliverable: a written, prioritized action list from a licensed professional that’s yours to keep and act on, with us or without us.
Ready when you are. Virtual or in-office.
Every tax return prepared and signed by a licensed CPA or IRS Enrolled Agent. Everything runs through the secure portal and e-signature.
Free 15-Minute CPA Consultation
Fifteen minutes with Kevin Hemingway, CPA. We discuss your tax or accounting needs, determine whether our firm is a good fit, and you leave with an estimated fee range and next steps. This consultation is for engagement evaluation and does not include tax advice, tax planning, or detailed analysis of specific tax situations.
Book a Free ConsultStrategy Consult
A paid, flat-fee review of your prior return and current books, ending in a prioritized action list you keep either way.
Book a Strategy Consult