Cost for income tax services, standard form no deductions

[Cujet]

What should I expect to pay a professional (and large) CPA firm for income tax service?

Married, no children, I have no tax/interest deductions, no mortgage, only IRA contributions and I take the standard deduction. I have a middle class income, no income from stocks/investments and a token earnings from a saving account. No state income tax and no other contributions/deductions.

Simple enough, and I normally do it myself. However, I did use this firm last year to amend my last return and they were reasonable. But this year $1000! That's not reasonable in my mind.

 

[kschachn]

Honestly that price made me laugh. Even the old H&R Block at Walmart starts at something like $70, I can't imagine your return would be significantly more. $1000 is a gross ripoff. You should have been invited over to the owner's home for dinner and drinks on the lake for that.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

OP "What should I expect to pay a professional (and large) CPA firm for income tax service" ?
I would say $1,000

DIY and the answer would be <$100.

 

[Brybo86]

If I were you I would use freetaxusa.com
Costs are free for federal and state is like $10.
They don't not have extra charges like TurboTax or tax act if you have an HSA for example.

Your taxes and lack of complicated forms means paying someone any more than $30 is not necessary.

 

[maximus]

I do the cheapest or free turbotax option. I see it as paying for the convenience of not having to mail a tediously hand written 1040. And this year I did have a question about deducting property tax that I couldn't find the answer to on my own.

When I was married, my then wife and I went to H&R block in person once. I recall it was about $230 for the preparation. I felt thoroughly duped and learned a lesson. It was like paying $36 for a jug of Mobil 1 at AZ. It's sad there are people who don't know better and pay that much for preparation on a simple return.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Yes, a CPA costs more than H&R Block, Liberty Tax, or Turbotax DIY

 

[Lyman]

The most I ever paid was $500. That was when I owned a Small Business and had a ton of paperwork.

 

[OilReport99]

$1000! That's not reasonable in my mind.

Agree with that. Seems as though your income tax return is not too complex to pay someone else. At least not $1000.00!

 

[97prizm]

I had two W2's and paperwork from student loans and it was $130 or so out the door at H&R Block. Standard was $99 I think.

 

[Hall]

Is this the price they quoted you to do them or they did your taxes and gave you the bill ?

 

[mrsilv04]

Just think... you helped pay for someone's new boat...

 

[RhondaHonda]

For your situation I’d expect $250-$400 to have a CPA do it, if that includes a state tax return too. Yours would be so simple you could do it in minutes with online tax prep software or just follow the worksheet and instructions and be done in a half hour. $1000 is way too high for something that took them less than 10 minutes plus a few pieces of paper.

 

[Tdbo]

Jeez. That is unreal.
I have a CPA do mine, and even factoring all the extra paperwork with investments, state and local taxes, etc pay $275.
And I thought that was outrageous. You need to go CPA shopping.

 

[Tdbo]

Yes, a CPA costs more than H&R Block, Liberty Tax, or Turbotax DIY

The last time that HR Block touched (actually screwed up) my taxes, I got audited and had to pay an additional $3800 in taxes.
For all that fun, I was charged $240.
The next year, I went to a CPA, had my taxed prepared correctly, and paid $175.

 

[csandste]

If I were you I would use freetaxusa.com
Costs are free for federal and state is like $10.
They don't not have extra charges like TurboTax or tax act if you have an HSA for example.

Your taxes and lack of complicated forms means paying someone any more than $30 is not necessary.

My tax package of choice and I have two rental properties and rotating (they usually get injured and retired) race horses--or part of one. Went to H&R Block in 1969. Long story but got charged while the preparer got in a screaming match with her husband. That was it for me! FreeTax is wonderful although I think the state cost (from memory) is up to $14.95.

 

[Leo99]

My old tax lady charged $90. She retired and then I got a letter from the IRS that I didn't include some side gig income. Thought it was a scam but I checked my file and IRS was right and $5000 income was added in. She forgot. Did my own taxes a couple years and then sold some employee incentive stock options and TurboTax couldn't handle it. For some reason it was very complex and coworkers told me that their tax people made mistakes with it. My employer deducted taxes from some sales and not others. TurboTax was asking me questions I didn't know and my tax liability was changing by $12000 depending on which box I checked. I filed an extension and mailed in a check. My tax guy was impressed that I was within a few hundred of what I really owed. He charged me $350. I thought that was high but I needed some expertise. $1000 for basic stuff is crazy.

 

[Cujet]

My mistake was not asking the price. I've questioned the reasonableness of the cost, with no response.

 

[Rand]

I use freetaxusa. For basic stuff its totally free, then I goto ohio's tax website and fill out the state return for free.
then the CCA website for local taxes(total pain to do correctly) and figure that out... free.

I stopped turbotax and hr block when they wanted to charge me $50 to file a w-2g gambling winnings form.

 

[dinofish]

~$200 for a professional CPA for the simple tax stuff. Goes up from there.

 

[928]

If you already did it, the bright side is the fee will be deductable on the following years taxes (or at least at one time it was)
If given the info provided, it should have taken no more than a half hour at an H&R Block type tax preparer. Absolutely no need for a cpa