How preparers price
There are three common models, and each is reasonable. A flat fee per return is quoted up front for a defined scope. A fee per form or schedule builds up from the actual complexity of your situation. An hourly rate is more typical of CPAs and attorneys handling messier work.
The one model to refuse is a fee calculated as a percentage of your refund.
What moves the number
- Credential. A CRTP generally costs less than a CPA or enrolled agent for equivalent straightforward work.
- Complexity. Self-employment, rental property, investment sales, multiple state filings and equity compensation all add real work.
- Your paperwork. Organised records cost less to process than a carrier bag of receipts. This is within your control.
- Timing. Arriving in the first week of April costs more at some firms than arriving in February.
- Location. Bay Area and coastal metro rates run higher than inland California.
We deliberately do not publish a dollar figure. A single statewide “average fee” is the kind of number that reads as authoritative and is wrong for almost everyone. Get two or three written quotes for your actual situation instead — that is the only figure that means anything.
Comparing quotes fairly
Ask each preparer the same three things: what the quoted price includes, what is billed separately, and what happens if something needs amending later. Two quotes are only comparable once you know whether the state return, the extra schedules and a response to an FTB letter are inside the number or outside it.