How Much Does an Accountant Charge for Tax Filing and Bookkeeping?
“Accountant” covers a spectrum-from bookkeepers who close your month to CPAs who file and advise. Here’s how pricing typically separates.
Need accurate, tax-ready books? Our CPA bookkeeping services offer monthly reconciliations, flat-rate pricing from $150/month, and your first month free-no contracts or hourly fees.
Average Cost Of Tax Preparation
Bookkeeping vs. tax filing: different work, different fees
- Bookkeeping (monthly): flat packages or hourly for reconciliations, categorization, and basic reporting.
- Tax preparation (annual): priced by entity type and complexity (forms, states, deductions, depreciation).
Typical ranges (non-binding; vary by market & complexity)
- Bookkeeping: low-hundreds to ~$1,500+/mo based on volume and scope.
- Annual tax prep: a simple Schedule C may be a few hundred; multi-state S-Corp/Partnership returns with depreciation and K-1s can run into the low thousands.
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When you truly need a CPA
- Year-end tax prep and planning.
- Entity changes, ownership/partner adds, or state nexus questions.
- IRS/state notices and representations.
How to lower total accounting spend
- Keep books tax-ready monthly (clean balance sheet = cheaper tax prep).
- Maintain fixed asset schedules and receipts.
- Resolve sales tax and payroll filings during the year-not at year-end.
RBO handles the books; your CPA handles taxes-clean division = lower fees and fewer surprises.
Dedicated bookkeeper