Simplified Fee Table

Posted Monday, November 10, 2025

Fee Structure (transparency)

Here is a consolidated fee table for all of WCG CPAs & Advisors typical services.

1040 Tax Return Preparation

For individual tax returns (Form 1040), our fee starts at $800 with most being $800 to $1,000. However, we also have FasTrac at $525 and a fee range of $250 to $400 for children and students depending on your tax footprint.

Typical Base Fee $800 to $1,000
Side Gig / Low Activity Business (Sched C) included
Complex / High Activity Business (Sched C or F)* $250 to $500 ea
First Long-Term Rental included
Additional Rental Stuff, Short-Term Rentals [more]
Additional States, Tax Jurisdiction, State Apportionment [more]
Brokerage Accounts (1-2) included
Brokerage Accounts (more than 2)* $50 to $75 ea
Complex Brokerage Accounts* $100 to $250 ea
Crypto Activities, Reporting Compliance $150 to $300
K-1s, PTPs, Real Estate Syndicates, Private Investment see below
Sale of Primary Residence (simple) included
Sale of Primary Residence (complex) $250

For more information and explanation, please visit our 1040 tax return preparation page.

1040 Expat Tax Return Preparation

Typical Base Fee $1,000 to $1,200
Form 2555 for one spouse included
Form 2555 for additional spouse $250
FBAR, Up to 5 accounts $350
Form 8938, Up to 5 accounts $350
Form 5471 $750 to $2,500 typical

For more information and explanation, please visit our expat tax return preparation page.

  • If you have extra brokerage accounts or K-1s, you might considered increasing base fee before “nickle and diming” with small add ons.
  • $250 to $400 for children 24 and under or students, otherwise typical fee above with discount.
  • Crypto activity can vary wildly between simple brokerage type stuff and crazy mining, staking, forks, airdrops, etc. See Tina as SME.
  • Simple primary residence disposition where you did not have to ask for improvements and work at reducing capital gains might be included at no charge but if the state does not provide for an exclusion, you are back to needing to reduce tax impact and charge accordingly.
  • Oregon should have a “$300 Portland / Multnomah County Local Taxes Add On.” Jason is SME
  • Ohio has $150 per city return. You could easily have two- where you work and where you live. Michelle is SME.
  • When charging for an extra jurisdiction on the business entity and the 1040, by mindful of the combined fee creep. However, do not stuff the business entity with 1040 fees. Each tax return stands on its own on fees.

Rental Property Setup Fees

If you are new to WCG CPAs & Advisors, or if you have recently acquired a rental property, here are typical set up fees-

Rental Setup, Existing Rental Prior to 2025 (unless nutty asset listing) $125 ea
Rental Setup, New Rental Purchased in 2025 (yay!) $200 ea
Rental Setup, New Short Term Rental Purchased in 2025 $250 ea
Add On: Cost Seg Setup, New Rental in 2025 $150
Add On: Rental Acquired in a 2025 1031 Exchange $250
Add On: Rental Acquired before 2025 in a 1031 Exchange $350
Add On: Commercial, 4-Plex, Apartments, Several Assets varies

Rental Property Tax Return Preparation

Here are typical rental property tax prep fees that might be added to your individual tax return (Schedule E reported on Form 1040) or partnership tax return (Form 8825 reported on Form 1065)-

Rental Tax Prep, Prepared Financials (Rental Bookkeeping) $100 ea
Rental Tax Prep, Clean DIY Records (The SRO Template) $150 ea
Rental Tax Prep, Complex or Messy Records (disguised disorganization) $200 ea
Add On: Existing Rental converting to STR $75
Add On: Streamlined State Tax Return (in addition to your resident state) $125 to $200
Add On: Complex State Tax Return (see below for what makes complex, complex) $250 to $400
Add On: Cost Seg Setup + 3115 / 481(a) Calc, Existing Rental Prior to 2025 $625
Add On: Short-Term Rental Activities (non-investor patrol) $75
Add On: Rental Property Sale $250
Add On: 1031 Like-Kind Exchange and New Setup $450
Add On: Complex 1031 (2:1, 1:2) and New Setup(s) $750

For more information and explanation, please visit our rental property tax return preparation page.

1065 Partnership Tax Return Preparation

Operating Base Partnership Fee (Form 1065) $1,500 to $1,700
Holding Company Base Partnership Fee (Form 1065) $1,200
Add On: Additional Members Beyond 2 $150 to $200 ea
Add On: Nutty Operating Agreement Calcs, Special Allocations varies
Add On: State Apportionment Calcs Only* $200 to $250 ea
Add On: State Tax Return w/ Apportionment $300 to $500 ea
Add On: Local Jurisdictions (city, county, school) $150 to $300 ea
Add On: Has Employees $250 to $500 typical
Add On: Changes in Ownership $250 to $500 per event
Add On: Business Sale varies
Add On: Foreign Interests, Connections $500 to $750 typical

Don’t freak out and snap your pencil trying to add all this up. This is only a guideline, and frankly we’re aiming high here. For example, an operating partnership with 5 partners conducting business in 3 states is looking at $1,950 to $2,200ish using the table above. We might be able to prepare the tax returns for less; just like snowflakes, each business is unique.

Partnership Setup Fees

Capitalization Table Setup, Special Allocation $125 per member
K-1 Setup (where your partnership receives a K-1) see K-1s below

Setup fees for partnerships are reserved for Operating Agreements where special allocations are being (and have been) calculated including unique ownership. This is where ownership interests vary between equity and economic (income), and / or profit, loss and capital splits vary (e.g., you own 10% but receive 80% of the profits and losses).

For more information and explanation, please visit our business entity tax return preparation page.

  • Before charging for accounting cleanup, you must inform the client of their options.
  • “Has employees” is not an automatic add on. Depends on the quality of their payroll entries including accruals for benefits, etc.
  • Short year fees are not listed, but need to be considered with change in owners. A change in owners requiring a short-year tax return or a short-year K-1 (versus a simple proration based on days) will be additional $500 to $1,000).

Corporate Tax Return Preparation

Operating Base S Corporation Fee (Form 1120S) $1,500 to $1,700
Operating Base C Corporation Fee (Form 1120) $1,500 to $1,700
Holding Company Base Corporation Fee (Form 1120) $1,200
Add On: Additional S Corp Shareholders Beyond 2 $150 to $200 ea
Add On: State Apportionment Calcs Only* $200 to $250 ea
Add On: State Tax Return w/ Apportionment $300 to $500 ea
Add On: Local Jurisdictions (city, county, school) $150 to $300 ea
Add On: Has Employees $250 to $500 typical
Add On: Changes in Ownership $250 to $500 per event
Add On: Business Sale varies
Add On: Foreign Interests, Connections (Form 5471, etc.) $750 to $2,500 typical

For more information and explanation, please visit our business entity tax return preparation page.

Expedite Fees

If we are-

  • beyond our document cutoff which is approximately 30 - 35 days prior to the filing deadline, and
  • you have not substantially provided your tax documentation to us (or they are not in good order such as your financial statements), and
  • you require a tax return to be completed and filed by the filing deadline, then
  • expedite fees varying between $500 to $1,000 depending on timing and complexity might be incurred.

We will always tell you prior to starting tax return preparation.

K-1 One-Time Setup Fees (PAL COs, Capital, Tax Basis)

If you are new to WCG CPAs & Advisors, or if you have recently acquired an investment or business interest that issues a K-1, here are typical set up fees-

K-1 Setup, Straightforward $25 ea
K-1 Setup, Complex (most are straightforward) $50 ea

K-1 Entry Fees

Those are one and done fees, and the following are tax preparation, or recurring, fees-

K-1 Entries, Low Activity, Trusts / Estates $25 ea
K-1 Entries, Moderate Activity, Publicly Traded Partnerhip (PTP), Rental HoldCo $75 ea
K-1 Entries, Complex, Real Estate Syndicate, Private Investment $100 to $150 ea
Add On: Streamlined State Tax Return (in addition to your resident state) $125 to $200 ea
Add On: K-1 Disposition, Sale, Final K-1, Gain/Loss Calcs $150 to $350 ea

For more information and explanation, please visit our 1040 tax return preparation page.

State Apportionment and Tax Returns

This is a two-step process-

  • calculate the apportionment and determine filing requirements, and then
  • prepare state income tax returns for the business (and possibly the owners too)

Tax Return Madness Level Fee Per State
Business Entity Apportionment Calcs Only* $200 to $250
Business Entity State Tax Return w/ Apportionment $300 to $500
Individual (1040) Apportionment Calcs Only* $200 to $250
Individual (1040) State Tax Return w/ Apportionment, Streamlined $150 to $250
Individual (1040) State Tax Return w/ Apportionment, Complex $250 to $400
Rental Property Streamlined $125 to $200
Rental Property Complex (see below) $250 to $400

For more information and explanation, please visit our state apportionment page.

Other Tax Returns

990-N $250
990-EZ $1,500 to $1,800 typical
1041 $1,500 to $1,800 typical
5500 $800 to $1,200 owner only

Tax Planning Services

Tax Projection Services, Estimated Tax Payments, One Household $600
Business Entity Tax Projection Services, Estimated Tax Payments, PTET Calcs $350
Tax Optimized Reasonable Salary Calcs, Payroll Planning $500
   Combo Platter: Household, Business and Payroll Planning (3 services above) $950
Add On: State / Local Tax Projections $150 to $250
Tax Advisory, Quickie, 40 minutes $250
Tax Advisory, Project quoted
Tax Strategy, Project quoted

* Tax projection services are automatically included in our business advisory and tax patrol including investor tax patrol services. Business entity tax projections are included with Telluride and Aspen, and reasonable salary calculations and payroll planning are included with all business advisory.

For more information and explanation, please visit our tax planning page.

Tax Planning Season

Tax planning season is here! Let's schedule a time to review tax reduction strategies and generate a mock tax return.

Tax Planning Services
Bookkeeping Services

Tired of maintaining your own books? Seems like a chore to offload?

Accounting Services

Is WCG A Good Fit For You?

Can the wonderful team at WCG CPAs & Advisors help you and your family? Will we be a good fit for each other? Let’s chat!

The tax advisors, business consultants and rental property experts at WCG CPAs & Advisors are not salespeople; we are not putting lipstick on a pig expecting you to love it. Our job remains being professionally detached, giving you information and letting you decide within our ethical guidelines and your risk profiles.

We 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. As Chris Rock says, just because you can drive your car with your feet doesn’t make it a good idea. In other words, let’s not automatically convert “you can” into “you must.”

Let’s chat so you can be smart about it.

We typically schedule a 20-minute complimentary quick chat with one of our Partners or our amazing Senior Tax Professionals to determine if we are a good fit for each other, and how an engagement with our team looks. Tax returns only? Business advisory? Tax strategy and planning? Rental property support?

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They've made my complicated business life simple and I'd recommend them to anyone with a slightly complicated-to-overwhelmingly complicated tax strategy!

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For nearly nine years, I have had the privilege of working with WCG and their team of exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced CPAs.

Alex Hickman

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Amanda - WCG CPA - You guys have been invaluable in helping us get this business and tax planning setup properly and executed correctly.

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They go beyond the call of duties to assist me not only with Tax return matters but with any questions on other personal and company tax matters.

Juan Mayorga

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I've always dreaded tax season, but WCG has made things so easy, even as we changed to an S corp. So happy we found them!

Paige de Kock

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It was great to find an accounting firm eager to take on new clients, answer initial questions in depth, and support our “keep it simple” philosophy.

Stuart B.

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Working with WCG was so easy, shout out to Sally Rhoades who handled my complicated tax situation this year wonderfully and was available for all my questions.

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I am so thankful to be a client of WCG CPAs & Advisors.

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It's a wonderful and rare treat to find a company like WCG these days with their high level of service, personal approach, and deep knowledge of accounting.

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