How Much Does a CPA Cost?
Real fee ranges for tax preparation, business returns, bookkeeping, and tax planning — and how to tell when the fee is an expense versus an investment.
A guide by Taxstra Tax & Accounting — CPA-led tax strategy for business owners
Quick Answer
Most CPAs charge $250–$800 to prepare an individual tax return, $800–$2,000 for a business return (S-corp or partnership), and $150–$400 per hour for advisory work. Proactive tax planning engagements run $2,000–$10,000+ — and are the only category where the fee is routinely smaller than the tax savings it produces. Complexity, record quality, and whether you want a once-a-year filer or a year-round advisor drive where you land in each range.
The Short Answer
Fees track complexity — and what you're actually buying
"How much does a CPA cost" is really two questions: what does it cost to get your return filed, and what does it cost to stop overpaying tax. The first is a compliance expense — comparable across firms, driven mostly by how many forms your life generates. The second is an engagement with a return on investment, and comparing it on price alone is how high earners end up with a cheap preparer and an expensive tax bill.
The one-question test
Ask any CPA you're evaluating: 'What did you proactively recommend to your clients before year-end last year?' A preparer talks about deadlines. An advisor talks about entity elections, retirement plan design, and depreciation timing. Their answer tells you which fee category you're shopping in.
CPA Costs by Service Type
Typical 2026 ranges
| Service | Typical Range | What Moves the Price |
|---|---|---|
| Individual return (W-2, standard deduction) | $250 – $450 | Number of states; investment activity |
| Individual return with Schedule C or E | $450 – $1,200 | Number of businesses/properties; record quality; depreciation schedules |
| S-Corp or partnership return (1120-S / 1065) | $800 – $2,000 | Payroll cleanup, shareholder basis tracking, multi-state apportionment |
| Monthly bookkeeping | $300 – $1,500+/mo | Transaction volume, number of accounts and entities, payroll |
| Hourly advisory | $150 – $400/hr | Credential level and specialization |
| Tax planning engagement | $2,000 – $10,000+ | Income level, entity complexity, strategies implemented |
If your situation involves rental real estate, equity compensation, or 1099 income in multiple states, expect the upper half of each range — those returns carry more forms, more elections, and more ways for a generalist to leave money on the table.
What Drives the Fee Up (or Down)
Four levers, two of which you control
- Complexity you can't avoid: each additional state, entity, rental property, or K-1 adds forms and professional judgment. This is the honest core of the fee.
- Record quality you can control: clean books through the year cost meaningfully less at filing time than a March cleanup project. Firms price shoeboxes accordingly.
- Service model: a once-a-year filer and a year-round advisor are different products at different prices. Paying filer prices and expecting advisor outcomes is the most common mismatch we see.
- Timing: organized records in January beat a drop-off in April — for the fee and for the quality of the work.
Hourly billing surprises
An hourly engagement with an unclear scope is how a $500 estimate becomes a $2,000 invoice. Ask for flat-fee pricing with a defined scope before work begins — reputable firms will give it to you.
Want an exact number instead of a range?
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Preparation Fees vs. Planning Fees
An expense versus an investment
Preparation reports what already happened — the fee buys accuracy and compliance, and the cheapest accurate option is a reasonable choice. Planning changes what happens next: entity elections made before year-end, retirement plans designed around your income, depreciation strategies timed to acquisitions. Those decisions are worth real dollars, which is why planning is priced as an engagement rather than a form fee.
A worked example: a consultant with $200,000 of net self-employment income pays roughly $28,000 in self-employment tax as a sole proprietor. An S-corp election with a defensible salary can cut that by five figures a year, net of payroll and compliance costs. The planning engagement that sets it up correctly costs a fraction of the first year's savings — run your own numbers in our S-corp savings calculator.
Not sure which one you need? Our guide to what a tax strategist does breaks down the difference between filing, advising, and planning in detail.
When a CPA Pays for Itself
The situations where the fee is the cheapest thing in the room
Software is fine for a single W-2 and a standard deduction. The economics flip when any of these show up:
- Self-employment or 1099 income above roughly $75,000 (entity election territory)
- Rental property — especially short-term rentals, where classification decides whether losses offset your W-2 income
- Equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs) or a liquidity event
- Income in more than one state
- A year with a major event: business sale, home sale converted to rental, large capital gain
In each of these, a single decision — an election filed on time, a properly documented strategy, the right entity — is typically worth more than a decade of preparation fees.
How Taxstra Prices
Flat, quoted upfront, no hourly surprises
We quote flat fees before work begins. As reference points: individual tax preparation engagements typically start around $1,200, preparation combined with a proactive strategy engagement averages about $5,000 in the first year, and monthly accounting starts around $750/month. Complex, multi-entity, multi-state situations price higher — and we tell you the number on the front end, not on the invoice.
We serve about 1,500 clients nationwide, fully remote, with a CPA-led team that specializes in high-income earners, real estate investors, physicians, and business owners. The consultation is free, and it ends with a number.
FAQ
Common questions about CPA fees
Get your exact number
Thirty minutes, free, and you leave with a flat-fee quote for your actual situation — plus an honest read on whether planning would pay for itself in your case.
Find Out What You're Overpaying in Taxes
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