How much do tax accountants charge to prepare tax returns?

Question

And what does the charge depend on? I'm married with no house or kids, but high income and medical expenses.

Answer 1

I am in a similar situation, and we pay around $ 150.00 for a real CPA

Answer 2

Tax prep fees are generally based upon the time that it takes to prepare your return. A complex return takes time to prepare, and time = money.

If you have good records of your income -- especially if it's all from wages subject to withholding -- and your medical expenses, your return isn't all that complex and your return won't be overly expensive to prepare.

Although it isn't proper to base the fee upon your income (and it's illegal to base it on the amount of any refund) someone with high income may be subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax and a tax preparer MUST run the AMT calculations to see if they apply. That will cost extra and is unavoidable.

Answer 3

I have worked in the tax field for a while. My companies specialize in high net worth clientele. The minimum fee at each of them has been about $2,500. The most a client has been charged is over $100,000. Don't worry, he can afford it. That return takes hundreds of hours to prepare and nearly as much for someone to review.

Answer 4

Long form in oregon runs any where from 65-120. If you have them do state to. I did turbo tax this year you can get it at walmart for 39.99 and it works great. Its cheap and it walks you through every thing. Good Luck!