Effective April 2026
Fees, not surprises.
Honest prep. Clear pricing. No surprises.
Every fee listed. Every engagement in writing. Every return prepared by an Enrolled Agent — enrolled to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. We quote before we start, so you know the number before the work begins.
01
We quote first
Every engagement starts with a written estimate. We confirm scope and fee before any work begins.
02
Flat fee for standard returns
Most personal and business returns have a set price. You pay what we quoted.
03
Hourly only when it fits
Bookkeeping, IRS representation, and unusual work are billed hourly — with an estimate in advance.
The Fee Schedule
Straightforward pricing. No surprises.
Prices below are starting fees for standard engagements. If your situation needs more work, we'll say so up front and quote the difference in writing. Federal and Massachusetts state returns are included together on every individual return, along with e-filing.
Individual Tax Returns
Your personal return. Done right the first time.
| Service | Fee | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Return — Standard (Form 1040) | $150 | W-2 income, one or two jobs, standard deduction. Federal and Massachusetts returns included. For most single filers and couples without dependents. |
| Personal Return — With Dependents (Form 1040) | $175 | Same as above, with up to three dependents — and we walk through child tax credit planning with you. |
| Personal Return — Itemized Deductions (Form 1040 + Schedule A) | $200 | You own a home, donate meaningfully, or carry significant medical expenses. We account for every deduction you qualify for. |
| Self-Employed Return (Form 1040 + Schedule C) | $250 | Freelance, contractor, or side-business income. Includes self-employment tax calculation and a careful review of your expenses. |
| Rental Property — One Property (Form 1040 + Schedule E) | $235 | Income, expenses, depreciation, and the passive-loss rules — all in one place. |
| Rental Properties — Two or Three (Form 1040 + Schedule E) | $325 | Same careful work, scaled to your portfolio. Each property gets its own depreciation schedule. |
| Investment Return (Form 1040 + Schedule D) | $210 | Stock sales, mutual funds, ETFs — up to 20 transactions. More than that, we'll scope it before we start. |
| Crypto Return (Form 1040 + Form 8949) | $250 | Every trade reconciled. Works with Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, and most exchange CSVs. |
| Pass-Through Income — One to Three K-1s (Form 1040) | $225 | You received K-1s from a partnership, S-corp, or trust (one to three of them). We make the numbers match your return. |
| Pass-Through Income — Four or More K-1s (Form 1040) | $275 | More K-1s, more basis tracking. We keep your partnership and S-corp interests reconciled year over year. |
| Expat Return (Form 1040 + Form 2555 / Form 1116) | $345 | Living abroad? We handle the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, the Foreign Tax Credit, or both. Foreign account reporting (FBAR / Form 8938) is listed below as an add-on. |
| Nonresident Return (Form 1040-NR) | $305 | Non-U.S. citizen with U.S. income. Federal and Massachusetts nonresident returns prepared, with treaty positions applied where applicable. |
Business & Entity Returns
Your business return is part of a bigger conversation.
| Service | Fee | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| S-Corporation Return (Form 1120-S) | $850 | Federal S-corp return with K-1s for every shareholder. Massachusetts corporate excise return included. Assumes clean QuickBooks or equivalent records. The owner's personal return is separate — see the bundle below. |
| S-Corporation Return — With Balance Sheet (Form 1120-S + Schedule L / M-1) | $1,050 | Adds the balance sheet, M-1 reconciliation, and shareholder basis tracking. Recommended once your S-corp crosses $250K in gross receipts or when the IRS requires a balance sheet. |
| Partnership / Multi-Member LLC Return (Form 1065) | $750 | Federal partnership return with K-1s for every partner. Massachusetts composite filing included where applicable. Assumes clean records. |
| C-Corporation Return (Form 1120) | $925 | Federal C-corp return with balance sheet and M-1 reconciliation. Massachusetts corporate excise return included. Multi-state apportionment is quoted separately. |
| Estate or Trust Return (Form 1041) | $595 | Fiduciary income tax return for simple estates and trusts. Federal and Massachusetts returns included. Complex trusts (grantor, charitable-lead, multiple beneficiaries) start at $795. |
| Bundle — S-Corporation + Owner's Personal Return (Form 1120-S + Form 1040) | $1,450 | The business return and the owner's personal return, prepared together. Federal and Massachusetts for both. Standard deduction included; itemized adds $75. |
| Bundle — Partnership + One Partner's Personal Return (Form 1065 + Form 1040) | $1,225 | The partnership return and one partner's personal return, prepared together. Federal and Massachusetts for both. |
Nonprofit & Form 990 Series
501(c)(3) formation, annual 990 filings, and Massachusetts Form PC.
| Service | Fee | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Form 990-N e-Postcard (Form 990-N) | $295 | Annual filing for small organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less. Eight data fields, e-filed directly with the IRS. |
| Form 990-EZ (Form 990-EZ) | $750 | Short-form return for organizations with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000. Includes required schedules (A, B, O). |
| Form 990 — Full Return (Form 990) | $1,250 | Full return for organizations with gross receipts ≥ $200,000 or total assets ≥ $500,000. Parts I–XII and applicable schedules (A, B, C, D, G, L, M, O, R). Additional complex schedules quoted separately. |
| Form 990-PF — Private Foundation (Form 990-PF) | $1,450 | Required for all private foundations regardless of size. Includes excise-tax calculation, qualifying distribution analysis, and Part X minimum-investment-return computation. |
| Form 990-T — Unrelated Business Income (Form 990-T) | $650 | Add-on for organizations with unrelated business income of $1,000 or more. Includes silo-by-silo calculation under §512(a)(6). |
| Massachusetts Form PC (MA Form PC) | $295 | Annual Massachusetts charitable registration with the Attorney General's Non-Profit/Public Charities Division. Includes Schedules A-1, A-2, and RO. $195 when bundled with the federal Form 990. |
| Form 1023-EZ — Streamlined 501(c)(3) Application (Form 1023-EZ) | $1,250 | Streamlined application for organizations projecting annual gross receipts under $50,000 and assets under $250,000. IRS user fee ($275) paid by you separately. |
| Form 1023 — Full 501(c)(3) Application (Form 1023) | $2,450 | Full exemption application with narrative, three-year budget projections, conflict-of-interest policy, and all required attachments. IRS user fee ($600) paid by you separately. |
| Form 1024 — 501(c)(4)/(6)/(7) Application (Form 1024) | $2,150 | Exemption application for non-(c)(3) organizations (social welfare, business leagues, social clubs). Narrative, budget projections, and attachments included. IRS user fee paid by you separately. |
| Nonprofit Formation — Massachusetts (Articles + Bylaws + EIN) | $750 | Massachusetts nonprofit corporation: Articles of Organization, bylaws, conflict-of-interest policy, document retention and whistleblower policies, EIN (Form SS-4). State filing fee paid by you separately. |
IRS Representation
When the IRS has questions, you need answers — and someone between you and them.
An Enrolled Agent has unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service in all 50 states. That means audits, appeals, collections, and complex notices — we can handle them all.
| Service | Fee | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| IRS Representation — Hourly | $200/hour | Billed in 15-minute increments. Covers anything not listed as a flat-fee package: appeals, collection due process hearings, Tax Court preparation, complex audits, unfiled return reviews. |
| IRS Matching Notice Response (CP2000 Underreporter Notice) | $750 flat | You received a notice saying the IRS's records don't match your return. We review the notice, prepare a written response, and submit it — all for one tax year. Appeals or multiple years are quoted separately. |
| Audit Defense — By Mail (Correspondence Audit, one year) | $1,200 flat | An IRS audit conducted entirely by mail for one tax year, no business income. We prepare every response, assemble your documents, and handle all IRS contact. Appeals are separate. |
| Audit Defense — In Person (Office or Field Audit, one year) | $2,500 flat | An in-person IRS audit for one tax year on an individual return. We go to the meeting. We bring the documents. You don't have to face the IRS alone. Appeals are separate. |
| Audit Defense — Business or Multi-Year | $3,500 starting | Business income, multiple years, or a payroll tax audit. We quote the estimated hours up front and the $200/hour rate applies after the $3,500 retainer is used. Scope confirmed in writing. |
| Penalty Abatement — First-Time | $500 flat | If the IRS has hit you with a failure-to-file or failure-to-pay penalty and you qualify for first-time relief, we prepare and submit the request for one tax year. |
| Penalty Abatement — Reasonable Cause | $750 flat | You had a legitimate reason for missing a deadline. We build the written narrative and submit supporting documentation to the IRS — one year, one penalty type. |
| Installment Agreement Setup | $750 flat | You owe the IRS and need a payment plan. We negotiate and set up the agreement, including any required financial statements. Partial-payment plans and complex cases bill hourly. |
| Currently Not Collectible Status (CNC Hardship) | $850 flat | If you genuinely can't pay, we prepare the hardship application, the financial statement, and the IRS submission that pauses collections. |
| Offer in Compromise — Starting (Form 656) | $3,500 starting | Settle your tax debt for less than you owe, when you qualify. Most cases land between $3,500 and $6,000. Includes the financial analysis, the offer calculation, and full IRS negotiation. The $205 IRS application fee is paid by you separately. |
| Back Taxes — Prior-Year Returns | $195 / year (individual) • $650 / year (business) | Unfiled returns brought current so you can move on. Base pricing is for simple returns — more complex prior years follow the standard schedule above. |
Payroll Services
Paydays handled. Quarterlies filed. W-2s on time.
| Service | Fee | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Payroll — Up to 5 Employees | $150/month | Payroll runs, paystubs, payroll register, and employer tax reporting. Federal and Massachusetts withholding applied. Quarterly 941 and annual 940 filings are quoted separately. |
| Monthly Payroll — 6 to 15 Employees | $275/month | Same package, scaled to a bigger team. |
| Monthly Payroll — 16 to 30 Employees | $450/month | Payroll runs, employer tax reports, and the payroll tax deposit schedule. Multi-state payroll is available for $75 per additional state per month. |
| Additional Employees (over 30) | $12 per employee / month | Flat add-on for each employee beyond 30. |
| Quarterly Payroll Tax Return (Form 941) | $150/quarter | Prepared and e-filed each quarter, reconciled to your payroll records. Standalone pricing for clients not on a monthly package. |
| Annual Federal Unemployment Return (Form 940) | $125/year | Prepared and e-filed once a year. |
| Year-End W-2s & W-3 | $150 + $15 per employee | Every W-2 prepared and e-filed, with the W-3 transmittal. Example: 10 employees runs $300. |
| 1099s for Contractors (1099-NEC + 1096) | $75 + $20 per contractor | Every 1099-NEC prepared and e-filed, plus the 1096 transmittal. Example: 5 contractors runs $175. |
| New Client Payroll Setup | $250 one-time | Initial system setup, employee records, EIN verification, and a review of your Massachusetts withholding registration. |
Bookkeeping
Clean books year-round mean a clean return in April.
| Service | Fee | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping — Hourly | $65/hour | Categorizing transactions, reconciling accounts, pulling reports. For ad hoc work, catch-up projects, and anything not covered by a monthly package. |
| Monthly Bookkeeping — Starter | $400/month | Up to 100 transactions a month. Bank and credit card reconciliation, monthly profit-and-loss and balance sheet, and QuickBooks Online maintenance. Built for solopreneurs and very small teams. |
| Monthly Bookkeeping — Standard | $700/month | 101–300 transactions a month. Everything in Starter, plus accounts payable and receivable tracking and a quarterly financial review call. |
| Monthly Bookkeeping — Growth | $1,100/month | 301–600 transactions a month. Everything in Standard, plus job costing, class tracking, and a monthly strategy call. |
| Catch-Up or Cleanup | $75/hour | Behind on your books? We'll reconstruct them. You'll get an estimate in advance — most catch-up projects run $500 to $3,000 depending on months and volume. |
| QuickBooks Online Setup & Training | $200 | Chart of accounts built, bank feeds connected, and a one-hour training session so you can use it confidently. |
| Year-End Tax-Ready Financials | $750 starting | Year-end profit-and-loss and balance sheet, prepared so your tax return goes smoothly. This is a compilation — not an audit or review. |
Tax Planning & Advisory
The best return starts in October, not March.
| Service | Fee | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| First Conversation — 30 Minutes | Free | A complimentary call for new clients. We talk through your situation, whether we're a fit, and what an engagement would cost. By phone or video. |
| Tax Planning — Hourly | $200/hour | Strategy, entity analysis, estimated tax calculations, multi-year projections. Billed in 15-minute increments. |
| Annual Business Planning Package | $750 flat | A year-end planning meeting, a projected tax liability calculation, an action list, and a follow-up review call. Built for small business owners. |
| Entity Analysis — Should You Be an S-Corp? | $450 flat | A written analysis of which structure fits you — sole proprietor, S-corp, C-corp, or partnership — with the projected self-employment tax impact, payroll requirements, and a recommendation memo. |
| Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculation | $200 per projection | Your quarterly federal and Massachusetts estimates, calculated from year-to-date income so you pay the right amount on time. |
| IRS Notice Response — Non-Audit | $300 starting | Responses to IRS correspondence that isn't an audit — balance due, return processing, identity verification. Complex notices bill at the $200/hour rate. |
Additional Services & Add-Ons
The smaller pieces that round out a return.
| Service | Fee | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts State Return | Included | Always included with your federal personal return. No separate charge. |
| Additional State Return | $85 each | Each state return beyond Massachusetts. No-income-tax states (NH, FL, TX, and similar) are $50 each. |
| Amended Return (Form 1040-X) | $250 starting | Corrections to a previously filed personal return. If we prepared the original and the mistake was ours, we fix it at no charge. |
| Filing Extension (Form 4868 / 7004 / 8868) | $50 | Automatic extension filed for individuals, businesses, or trusts. An extension gives you more time to file — not more time to pay. |
| Prior-Year Personal Return | $350 per year | A previous year's unfiled return, brought current. Base pricing is for simple returns; complex prior years follow the standard schedule. |
| FBAR Filing — Up to 5 Accounts (FinCEN Form 114) | $150 | Required report of foreign bank and financial accounts for U.S. persons with $10,000 or more abroad in total. Filed separately from your return. Covers up to five foreign accounts. |
| FBAR — Additional Accounts | $25 each | Each foreign account beyond the first five in the FBAR base. |
| FATCA Reporting — Up to 5 Assets (Form 8938) | $250 | Reporting of higher-value foreign financial assets, attached to your personal return. Covers up to five specified assets. |
| FATCA — Additional Assets | $25 each | Each foreign asset beyond the first five in the Form 8938 base. |
| Foreign Earned Income Exclusion Add-On (Form 2555) | $300 | Claims the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion on your expat return. Covers one filer or a married couple filing jointly. |
| Foreign Tax Credit Add-On (Form 1116) | $125 | Claims credit for taxes you paid to another country. Simple cases (one country, passive income); multi-country or treaty-heavy situations are $200. |
| K-1 Basis Tracking Review | $75 per K-1 | For complex K-1s that need basis computations, at-risk analysis, or passive activity loss tracking. Applied per K-1 on your personal return. |
| Incomplete File Surcharge | $100 starting | Applied when documents arrive missing, disorganized, or less than two weeks before the deadline. We'll tell you up front if this applies so you can decide how to proceed. |
| Expedited Preparation | +25% | Added when a return is requested within five business days of the deadline. Waived for clients who reach out by April 1 during regular season. |
| IRS Identity Protection PIN Application (Form 15227) | $75 | We help you obtain an IP PIN from the IRS to protect against identity theft on your return. One-time service. |
| Extra Copy of Your Return | $25 per return | Additional paper or PDF copies of a return we filed for you. Your first copy is always free at filing time. |
| IRS Transcript Request (Form 4506-T) | $50 | We prepare and submit the request for your income, account, or return transcript with the IRS. |
What's always included
Every engagement, every return.
One flat fee. Unlimited follow-up. That's the point.
- Federal and Massachusetts state returns prepared together — no separate charge for MA.
- E-filing with the IRS and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
- Secure client portal access for uploading documents and retrieving your return.
- Year-round email and phone support on any question about the return we prepared.
- Written engagement letter — scope and fee confirmed in writing before work begins.
- Your records returned on request, consistent with Circular 230 §10.28.
Our fee commitment
Reasonable fees. Written scope. Records returned on request.
Transparent fees. Defensible work. Real relationships.
- Reasonable, flat or hourly fees — never contingent fees. We don't charge a percentage of your refund or tie our fee to any tax outcome on your return.
- Your records belong to you. We return your records on request, whether or not our fee is paid in full.
- If the work grows, we stop and check in. If the scope expands mid-engagement, we pause, quote the additional work in writing, and wait for your approval before proceeding.
This schedule is effective April 2026 and may be updated annually. Engagements in progress are honored at the rate stated in your signed engagement letter. Published in compliance with Circular 230 §10.27 (reasonable fees), §10.28 (return of client records), and §10.30 (solicitation).
Ready for straight answers?
Book a free 30-minute call or upload prior-year documents through the Client Portal for a precise quote. Either way, you'll get a written estimate before any work begins.