2021 Fee Increases
Posted Sunday, May 16, 2021
No one likes price increases, but they are a fact of life. WCG takes fee increases very seriously, and only after a lot of reflection and analysis. So many crusty old CPA firms simply add $25 every year to the tax preparation fee… or 5%… or some other arbitrary number. While that seems to work for some, it does not sit well with us. Arbitrary numbers to an accounting firm??!!
And! We commonly hold fees steady for two years and sometimes three years because we understand the perception of annual increase as it relates to being arbitrary. In other words, we believe a fee increase is only warranted because of changes in economic conditions (or of course changes in your tax and accounting world) which move at glacial speeds.
Well, the time has come and WCG is increasing its tax preparation fees for 2021 tax returns (due in 2022) and business advisory fees for 2022.
Historical Economic Data
What we are about to demonstrate probably doesn’t make anyone feel better. And that’s OK. But we hope to provide a foundation for our analysis.
Housing
The median sale price of a home in Denver was $215,000 in 2009. In 2020, that number is $450,000. This represents a compounded annual increase of 6.3% each year. Sure, lower interest rates have increased buying power and therefore prices, but going from 4.0% to 3.0% mortgage rates can’t push needles that much.
Consumer Price Index
Early 1980’s is used as a baseline at times for comparison when reviewing consumer price index (CPI) figures as generated by the Bureau of Labor Statics. In 2010, the U.S. as a whole had an index of 218 where Colorado was 212… basically, Colorado was cheaper to live in as compared to the U.S. average. In 2019, these numbers were 256 and 267 respectively which tells us that Colorado is now more expensive to live in versus the U.S. as an average. Over 300 sunny days a year and no bugs seems to appeal to a lot of people.
Tax Accountant Salaries
According to Robert Half, an employment agency for the accounting and finance industries, a senior tax accountant earned $56,250 to $ 74,500 in 2010. Today that range is $68,820 to $128,205. What is interesting is the ceiling is increasing at a much faster rate than the floor. The floor has seen an increase of 22% which is standard inflation (see below), but the ceiling has increased 72%. We are not sure what to make of this, but our Senior Tax Accountants earn between $80,000 to $100,000 as published on our careers page.
Inflation
The cumulative U.S. inflation from 2010 to 2021 is 22.5% which suggests that a $500 tax return today would have been $408 in 2010.
Ok… you’ve had enough of this. The challenges that WCG faces, and most tax and accounting firms, is hiring qualified talent and being able to pay wages that are commensurate to skill with an underlying cost of living tone. Our industry is probably not alone. Let’s not get started on the whole “nobody wants to work” complaint or the “minimalist” generation.
Do you want another fun fact?
WCG’s wages, excluding partner compensation, is about 40% of revenue. If we add in health benefits and our decent 401k match, our wage budget starts to hit closer to 42%. Most professional services such as attorneys, accountants, architects and perhaps some engineers try to earn revenue that is 3 x wages. Said in another way, wages should be 33% of direct billings. WCG has seen this percentage increase over the years. Salary budgets for qualified tax accountants, as a percentage of revenue, have accelerated recently primarily due to cost of living (including housing).
We are not trying to complain… just highlight some realities that we face. Ok, perhaps a little bit of complaining.
The Competition
The speed and volume which data comes to us is blazing. Even as recent as 20 years ago it was tough to know if you are paying too much for something… is the product or service that you are receiving worth the price being paid? Consider this- large durable goods, such as automobiles, could not enjoy a geographical price adjustment. The manufacturer often published prices in sales literature, and it didn’t matter if the automobile was sold to someone in Los Angeles or someone in Toledo, Ohio (humor us and assume that Toledo has a much lower overall cost of living than the City of Angels). As such, a person in Los Angeles might have a purchasing power advantage because their wage base might be higher than other locations.
So what has the internet done to the practice of tax and accounting. Two things-
- It has presented a landscape for a firm like WCG to pioneer and improve the online tax accountant, and
- It has created the automobile phenomenon above where our fees to someone in Los Angeles seem reasonable and perhaps highway robbery to someone in another geographical area. Interesting enough, our primary client base is in Colorado, California, Texas and the eastern seaboard. CA, NY, TX and FL round out the top four states in terms of economic and contributors to the nation’s GDP… so… do our fees seem reasonable to these areas based on local economic conditions, or is simply a population equation? We digress…
What we are perhaps clumsily trying to say is that our little boutique firm tries to find a fee range that makes sense to most people. Another sidebar, a huge part of our success has been found in the publishing of our fees on our website. This too has done two things-
- Gives the prospective client forward-looking cost structure to the services they need, and
- Takes fees off the table. Far too often the discussion of fees comes up after the deliverable (tax return). That is insane. Imagine buying a car without a sticker price? At time of delivery, the associated fee should be a distant memory.
Back to the subject… It is often said that competition validates your product, so naturally looking to the competition is a great litmus test of where you fit in. In a 2018-2019, a survey conducted by the National Society of Accountants found the following fees for tax preparation-
- Form 1040 + Schedule C (small biz), $630
- Form 1040 + Schedule E (rental), $539
- Form 1040 + Both, $766
WCG’s fee range for individual tax returns (Form 1040) is $600 to $800. Frankly, we believe surveyed accountants are a bit puffy on these surveys and don’t necessarily count for discounts or write-downs… oh well. The survey remains telling.
What is also fun is when we see a receipt or invoice from the previous accountant… and what is even more fun is when the previous accountant is H&R Block. A store manager for Sam’s Club told us a long time ago; a third of our stuff is cheap, a third is the same price, and a third is higher… while in aggregate we have the same profit margins as anyone. But the perception is that everything at Sam’s Club is less expensive than the competition. Not true. Southwest Airlines has similar magic. $39 one way to Las Vegas… $329 to get home… but all you see is $39.
Back to H&R Block… they certainly have lower fees for the basic individual tax return (Form 1040). Sure, but we’ve seen some crazy high fees for a small business owner who also happens to have rentals coming out of H&R Block. They only advertise the basic tax return fee, and just like Sam’s Club or Southwest, the public assumes everything falls in line. “If a basic tax return is only $39, then it can’t be much more for a rental.” Test that logic… you’ll only do it once.
By the way, we are not bagging on H&R Block. We are glad they exist since they fill a need in the accounting industry, and do it well.
You Got a Raise
What is a bit humorous is when a client pushes back gently on a fee increase but we can see that they have received pay increases each year. Sure, people change jobs and typically get a sizeable bump in pay. But what really gives us a giggle is when we see rental income increase year after year, and we say to ourselves, “oh… hmmm… interesting… you’re increasing your fee to align with current economic conditions.” We probably don’t say that aloud since it sounds completely nerdy, but you get the idea.
We Gotta Deliver
When a company increases prices or fees, they better deliver. They should have always been delivering a quality product or service, but now the scrutiny is increased… at least in the short-term. WCG had a rough 2020 tax return season. Some of it was like a natural disaster, and some of it was completely within our control. Each year we perform a postmortem analysis on our tax season, and this year we sent out an email to all clients outlining some of the issues with our client experience. You can read that here.
As any thoughtful business does, WCG is continuously improving our client experience, and a part of that process is communicating to you our mistakes and challenges.
Tax Patrol Services
We also have Tax Patrol! This is a wonderful tax service for those who don’t need all the business advisory bells and whistles above, but from time to time want some love from an experienced tax consultant and business advisor. Have a quick tax question? Need to know the depreciation rules as you buy that new car? Wondering what your April tax bill is going to be in August? Tax Patrol is like ski patrol… you might not use it, but you sleep better knowing you have it.
A la Carte* | Keystone | Copper | Breck | |
Individual Tax Return Prep (Form 1040, joint filing) | $800 starting | |||
Business Entity Tax Return Prep (Form 1065, 1120, 1120S) | $1,500 starting | |||
Tax Planning, Tax Projection Worksheets [more] | $350 to $500 | Streamlined | Pro-Active* | Pro-Active* |
Estimated Tax Payments Calcs | Included | |||
Tax Resolution, Audit Defense [more] | NA | Add-On | Add-On | Add-On |
Complimentary Quick Chats (CQC) | $250 to $500 | Routine | Routine | Routine |
Annual Fee* | $1,500 | $2,400 | $3,360 | |
Paid Monthly | $125 | $200 | $280 | |
(prorated based on onboarding date) |
Real Estate Investors! We also have Investor Patrol Services for our real-estate minded clients who are building an empire and need tax return preparation, tax planning and comprehensive rental property related tax assistance.
*The Asterisk
Yeah, we all dislike the little asterisk. The gotcha! The fine print! Well, here is one of those situations. Pro-active and Pro-active Biz Tax Planning are different. Pro-active tax planning is limited (for individuals and households) and does not include business-entity tax planning and payments (California’s Franchise Tax, New Jersey’s BAIT, Portland’s overall madness, NYC, etc.), pass-through entity tax (PTET) calculations and payments, among other things. Not every business entity needs separate tax planning! Texas, No. California, Yes. Please see our Tax Planning Services page and Master Service Agreement for more information.
Our Telluride Business Advisory plan includes the pro-active business tax planning plus interfacing with lenders, attorneys and financial planners.
Afraid of bait and switch? Yeah, we think that stinks too. Our annual fee for Vail, as an example, is $4,500. What can make this fee go up? The most prominent reason is additional state tax returns (taxing jurisdictions). However, we will detail that in your proposal. Please see our individual and business entity tax return preparation pages for more information.
Quarterly financial statements analysis is an add-on service, however it is included automatically if you use our accounting services.
Our Way of Business
Here are some quickie FAQs to learn more about WCG CPAs & Advisors, and how we do business-
Do you extend a lot of tax returns?
Nope. We have a t-shirt that reads, “Hate extensions. Love our summers.” We file 70% of our tax returns by April 15, and only extend per the client’s request or if there is missing data such as a rogue K-1. We’ll go as quickly as you let us! Also, we don’t have A listers… we prepare tax returns in first-in first-out sequence. Sure, we leave room for emergencies or other issues that allow for jumping the line.
How often do we schedule meetings?
Up to you! In the past, we would pro-actively schedule quarterly meetings with all Business Advisory and Tax Patrol clients, but it was cumbersome for everyone. Today, we generally connect at least 3 times a year in a meaningful way. Once for tax return preparation, once for tax planning and then another for a myriad of reasons (“hey, I am buying a car” or “hey, we sold a rental”). This is all back-filled with emailed correspondence and touch-ups throughout the year. Having said that, with routine consultation offered above, your goal is to extract everything you need from us.
We prefer scheduled meetings over Teams. Check out our CPA Concierge Service as well. Priority boarding. HOV lane. Early check-in.
What is your communication style?
We rely heavily on emails and text message alerts. However, we do not have an allergy to the telephone. During friendly hours (let’s say 8AM to 7PM including weekends) we will usually call first if we have a question or need clarification. We are committed to responding to your email within 3 business days.
To get work chores done, the tax team responds to emails on Mondays and Thursdays only (what we call our “comms” days). Other teams such as payroll and accounting have similar email cadences.
Have an emergency or need an answer sooner? Call us! So much can be done in short order with a phone call (please keep in mind that scheduled meetings is still ideal to ensure availability and readiness).
Who will I be working with?
For tax, we have two-person teams so there is always a backup. Teams are assigned based on who first spoke with you, bandwidth and subject matter expertise. We also have accounting, payroll and business formation / governance. As such, you might have 4 people you work with. Yay! The two tax peeps, and if applicable, a payroll peep and an accounting peep (if you are using our Accounting Services team for bookkeeping + analysis). We also have dedicated Client Support and Tax Support teams to… well… support you and the other teams.
Additional Business Services
The following are additional business services to get your venture launched and on the way. Some of these are teased out separately as one and done fees like formation and onboarding stuff.
Accounting, Payroll | |
Monthly Accounting (bookkeeping + analysis) [more] | starting at $500 per month |
Bi-Monthly Accounting (bookkeeping + analysis every 2 months) | starting at $250 per month |
Quad-Monthly Accounting (bookkeeping + analysis every 4 months) | starting at $175 per month |
Annual Compliance Bookkeeping [more] | typically $1,200 annually |
Annual Accounting | starting at $1,800 annually |
Rental Property Bookkeeping [more] | starting at $1,200 annually |
Sales Tax, Personal Property Tax | typically $75 per month |
typically $150 per quarter | |
Employee Payroll (direct deposit, bi-weekly) [more] | 1 employee, $100 per month |
2-5 employees, $175 per month | |
6-10 employees, $250 per month |
Fine Print: Starting accounting service fees are based on 2 bank accounts (one checking account and one credit card is 2 accounts) with less than 250 monthly transactions. Our fee does not include the QBO subscription fee from Intuit. Custom quote is available if you have a lot going on such as third-party integrations (POS, time billing system), accrual accounting method, extensive benefits packages and / or industry specific issues (e.g, job costing in construction). The first step for Accounting Services is to do an accounting assessment with one of our experts to determine scope, service level and ultimate fee (see button below).
Even Finer Print: Employee payroll can be added only if already using our Business Advisory Service plans above (e.g, Vail). Custom quote for more than 15 employees and a referral to therapy or a script for Excedrin.
Business Formation | |
Articles of Organization or Incorporation, or Dissolution | $625 + state filing fee |
Initial Report (if required) | $125 + state filing fee |
Annual Report | $350 + state filing fee |
Employer Identification Number (EIN) | Included |
Single Member Operating Agreement (SMLLC) | Included |
MS Word Templated Bylaws Agreement (Corporations) | Included |
S Corp Election, Timely Election (made with formation) | Included |
Accountable Plan | Included |
Onboarding Fees (one and done) | |
Payroll Accounts Setup, Transfer, Closing | $550 to $650 depending on state |
Employee Data Transfer | $25 per EE, >5 |
Accounting Setup or Transfer (Fractional Controller) [more] | Varies |
QuickStart, QuickBooks Setup and Support (90 days) [more] | $750 |
S Corp Election, Timely Election (within 75 days) | $450 |
Late S Corp Election Back to January 2023 [more] | $600, $1,200 after Jan 1 2024* |
Examine Prior Tax Returns | Included |
For late S Corp elections back to January, we have a split fee of $600 or $1,200… and it depends on if we can file your S Corp by March 15. Ideally, we attach the late S Corp election to the tax return and file both electronically. Yay! Conversely, if we cannot file on March 15, we also cannot electronically extend the tax return. As such, when we file in June or July, it is now considered late. We can usually have the penalties abated, but it takes effort hence the additional $600 fee (the $600 v. $1,200). Be a hero, and get us your stuff right away to save a few bucks and trim down the anxiety.
Business Maintenance | |
Entity Relocation Package (payroll closure and opening, entity move) [more] | $800 (some are $1,050) + state filing fees |
Address Changes w/o Payroll (IRS, State Dept of Revenue, Secretary of State) | $250 + state filing fees |
Address Changes with Payroll (above + state and local payroll agencies) | $350 to $450 + state filing fees |
Our entity relocation package includes closing your current payroll accounts, opening shiny new ones, moving your entity with the Secretary of State (if applicable) and updating addresses as necessary.
Speaking of address changes… these are tough. Basic address changes require IRS, State Department of Revenue and Secretary of State notifications. Address changes that include payroll add another level of complexity since departments of revenue are not the same as departments of labor, and there might be local or municipal agencies as well.
Advisory Services Fine Print
A la Carte
A la Carte fee ranges are approximates. 80% of our clients fit into our published fees, but there are outliers. We have a handful of clients with over 30 rentals; their individual tax return is north of $4,000. We also are assuming one state; if your business spans the galaxy then additional fees will be discussed with you prior to payroll setup or tax return preparation. Typically, each state or tax jurisdiction is around $250 to $350 for tax preparation since it affects both your business and individual tax returns (frankly, state apportionment is a pain in the butt, but it is our pain… and states, especially California and New York, are crazy about it).
Prorated Fees
Some more things to consider- when a partial year remains, our usual annual fee is decremented to not charge you for services you didn’t use such as payroll processing. However, a large chunk of our annual fee is tax return preparation which is typically a built-in fixed amount of $2,300 (both business entity and individual tax returns) plus annual tax planning. Whether we onboard you in January, July or December, we have to prepare a full year tax return. This increases the monthly fee for the remaining months of 2024 but the monthly fee will later decrease in January of 2025 to reflect the amounts above. Yeah, we make it sound like 2025 is just around the corner.
Payroll Processing
We make very little profits on payroll processing… we offer it as a convenience to our clients. One throat to choke with a single call can be reassuring but if you want to run your payroll, go for it! Everyone thinks payroll is a piece of cake; write a check and done. Nope… we see a lot of mistakes being made by small business owners especially the handling of self-employed health insurance and HSA contributions since there are special rules for greater than 2% S Corp shareholders. Then again, we don’t mind fixing what was broken.
Tax Returns
You can prepare your own individual tax return as well… but the benefit WCG preparing both individual and business tax returns is that can we slide things around depending on income limitations, phaseouts, alternative minimum tax (AMT), Section 199A deduction optimization, pass-through entity tax deductions (PTET), etc. Having our arms around both worlds can yield some good tax savings!
Note: An individual tax return is what the IRS calls Form 1040 and refers to the entity filing the tax return (you, the individual, are the entity). However, a married couple are deemed to be one entity for the sake of an individual tax return. So, when we say we will prepare your individual tax return, it is meant to include your spouse in a jointly filed happy happy joy joy tax return.
Break-Even Analysis (does an S Corp make sense?)
Break-even analysis is based on our annual fee of $4,500 for our Vail package. If an S corporation saves you 8% to 10% (on average) in taxes over the garden-variety LLC, then $4,500 divided by 9% equals $50,000 of net ordinary business income (profit) after expenses and deductions.
This doesn’t factor in the lower audit rate of S Corps versus Schedule C activities, plus the ability to use business funds to pay for your state income taxes otherwise known as the Pass-Thru Entity Tax Deduction (PTET) or the great SALT workaround.
More sales pitch! Keep in mind that our fee of $4,500 includes your individual tax return which you might already be paying another tax professional to prepare. WCG CPAs & Advisors has a handful of clients who are right at the break-even point of $50,000 but leverage an S Corp and our services to get tax return preparation, tax planning and consultation.
No BS
We are not salespeople. We are not putting lipstick on a pig, and trying to convince you to love it, even if Tom Ford’s Wild Ginger looks amazing. Our job remains being professionally detached, giving you information and letting you decide.
Moreover, many CPAs and tax professionals thrust their risk aversion onto their clients. This is bad. At WCG CPAs & Advisors we must perform our due diligence and hurdle our ethical and professional standards. However, after those gymnastics we present a risk-based analysis to the tax return and let you, the client and taxpayer, decide how to proceed. Having said that, we don’t entertain tax scammers or those who can take down the ship. Arthur Anderson anyone? No thanks.
We also see far too many crazy schemes and half-baked ideas from attorneys and wealth managers. In some cases, they are good ideas. In most cases, all the entities, layering and mixed ownership is only the illusion of precision. Just because you can complicate the crap out of your life doesn’t mean you must. Just like Chris Rock says, just because you can drive your car with your feet doesn’t make it a good idea.
Next Steps
Here is a brief summary of the next steps should you want to engage WCG with Business Advisory Services or Tax Patrol-
1. We schedule an appointment to discuss your needs and ensure that we have the proper resources to help you.
2. We draft a proposal outlining the scope of services and our fixed annual fee.
3. If necessary, we schedule another appointment to review the proposal and perhaps tighten things up or make changes.
4. Once the proposal is signed, the fun begins with onboarding. We have an extensive checklist and internal task list to properly onboard you and your business. Some things are concurrent (such as gathering housekeeping docs and setting up payroll) and some things are sequential (for example, collecting financial data and then offering salary recommendations and creating a tax plan). Onboarding is like having a baby; a SWAT team shows up and does a zillion things, and poof, everyone is gone except for mom and baby.
5. After onboarding (usually 4-6 weeks), things settle down into a rhythm- Tax preparation in the spring, tax planning in the summer, with payroll and routine consultation bouncing along throughout the year.
Our Business Expertise
As mentioned elsewhere we primarily focus on small business owners and their unique consultation and tax preparation needs. With over 60 full-time consultation professionals including Certified Public Accountants, Enrolled Agents and Certified Financial Planners on your team, WCG CPAs & Advisors consults on custom business structures, multiple entity arrangements, S corp elections (even late S corp elections back to January), tax strategies, business coaching, industry analysis, executive benefits, retirement planning including individual 401k plans, exit strategies, business valuations, income tax planning and modeling, and tax representation.
We also work with business law attorneys for business owners who have additional needs such as drafting Operating Agreements, fee for service contracts, buying or selling a business including employee stock ownership plans and partner buy-ins. In addition, WCG coordinates with third party plan administrators create age-based profit sharing plans and cash balance (defined benefit) plans. We can run point on whatever your business needs to ensure that communication is effective and efficient allowing you to sell widgets.
Here are some additional resources you might find useful.
WCG CPAs & Advisors is a full-service yet boutique progressive tax, accounting and business consultation firm located in Colorado serving clients worldwide.
Jason Watson, CPA is a Founding Partner of WCG Inc., a business consultation and tax preparation CPA firm located in Colorado Springs and Denver, and is the author of Taxpayer’s Comprehensive Guide on LLC’s and S Corps which is available online and from average retailers.