Hi, I just had an argument with the accountant over fees and was wondering what you guys think. Normally I pay $1500 per year to do my S Corp tax return but for my final year tax return the fee went up to $3000 with the reason being " disposition of assets and closing books" But I provided a lot of the data. Is the final year tax return usually higher?
I could understand why a final year corporate return might cost more. So, to answer your question, yes. However, fees vary a lot, in some cases directly depending on overhead. If you want to meet with someone in formal business attire who has a nice view from his or her downtown office and a receptionist, you will pay one fee. If you hire someone working out of a home office who mostly deals with email and phone calls and online file transfers, I expect you would pay less.
To some extent, when you pay someone to sign your return as a paid preparer, you are paying to share the risk involved with being audited, or penalized for undisclosed positions later found to be wrong. The rest of your fee is basically what the market will bear. Your geographic location, line of work, and various other factors will determine that.
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