Last Updated May 18th, 2022
The average cost of a tax prep for an individual return is $372 in Los Angeles and ranges from $110 to $799. The actual cost will depend on the complexity of your tax situation, how many forms need to be filled out and if you have a schedule C (income or loss from a business you operated).
| Average cost | $372 |
| Typical range | $300-$500 |
| Cheapest price | $110 |
| Most Expensive price | $799 |
In this cost guide we will examine the cost of tax preparation for an individual tax return 1040 and the following:
We reached out to 13 leading tax preparation companies in Los Angeles to learn more about what factors influence the price and cost of tax prep for an individual return filing jointly. See below cost summary:
| Tax Preparer | Cost | What is Included |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes Done Eze | $110 | Our joint return cost is between $90-110 for a 2021 or 2022 return for next tax season |
| Salazar Services – Income Tax Services LA | $125 | Individual 1040 with schedule C would be $125 |
| Max Tax Agency | Max Tax Agency Miami Tax Preparation | $200 | What's included is a call to guide you on what we need to prepare the return, the return prep and a review call at the end. The price depends on complexity, if we see 2020 returns we can give a closer estimate or we usually prefer to have an intro call and then can give specific pricing. If you're interested, here's our calendar link. But in the meantime below are ranges. Individual Return (Joint) - if W2s only it would be around $200-250. If there's a Schedule C it would be closer to $350-400. But again could be higher if there are other things like capital gains, rental income, etc. |
| BenArtikov.com | Tax and Accounting Services | $250 | Individual 1040 return starts at $250, and $200 to $300 extra for schedule C |
| Pinnacle Tax Services | $250 | Our tax preparation fees start from $250 for personal returns. We will not charge you for the initial consultation. The actual price is based on the scope of work and we will be able to give you the exact price quotes once we have a consultation. We will also perform a full compliance check for your tax accounts to make sure you are in good standing with the IRS. |
| GUIDO INCOME TAX SERVICES, INC | $275 | Individual 1040 with a Schedule C roughly around $275 (prices vary depending on any other forms you may have like being homeowner or stock etc) |
| The Tax Squad | Free Estimate | California | $350 | For an individual tax return, the cost would be $350.00, which would cover you 1040, including the Sch C, and your CA return |
| Tax Plus | $380 | Joint Tax Return, $380 - $580. Schedule C would add $300. We believe that we are very competitive in terms of fees for our level of experience. We do not charge for tax planning during the year. We’ll dedicate up to 10 hours of audit response time without additional representation fees. |
| Alan Mehdiani, CPA, Tax Accountant | Los Angeles Accounting Firm | $425 | Single Filer Base Fee $400 Married Filer Base Fee $425 Dependents $25 each Itemized Deductions Analysis (Mortgage Interest, Property Tax, Vehicle Registration, State Taxes) $50 starting Noncash Charity Donations over $500 $25 each Most W-2s $25 each Most 1099s (complex additional) $15 starting Most K-1s (complex additional) $50 each Business Profit & Loss (Schedule C) (Including freelancers & gig workers) $50 Sch. C-EZ, starting $200 standard Sch. C QBI Deduction (Simple/Complex) $25/$100 starting Automobile Deduction $25 each Home Office Deduction $25 each Sale of Securities (Stocks, Bonds, etc.) (custom pricing for crypto reporting) $10 each or $100 to summarize statement Rental Property/ Royalties (Schedule E) $150 per prop/royalty Depreciation (Business/Real Estate) $25/$75 per item Child Care Expenses $25 each Tuition Statement $25 each Retirement/HSA Reporting $15 each Health Care Reporting/ Form 1095-A $25 starting/$50 Sale of Home $100 starting Alimony Reporting $15 each Most Prior Year Carryovers $25 each Advance Child Tax Credit Reconciliation $25 starting Extensions (Calculations Extra) $50 Additional States (1 included) $50 starting Additional Fee for Amendments $200 Working with us is simple. Our process includes electronically signing our engagement agreement and paying an upfront retainer deposit. You will also be able to upload all of your relevant documents to our Secure File Upload Portal. We're available every step of the way if you have questions, concerns, or just need some hand-holding. |
| LFC Accounting | QuickBooks Certified Pro Advisor and Tax Specialist | $475 | The fee for a 1040 with Schedule C approximately $475 but it will depend on the Schedules. We prepare an engagement letter for the services we will provide and use the Intuit Proconnect portal/tax organizer to collect the tax documents and information. |
| Tax Pro Plus | $600 | Our fees are form generated but the average tax return with a schedule C usually runs around $600-650 depending on what other schedules, forms that we need to prepare the return |
| Santa Monica, CA Accounting Firm | Robert Ricco, Inc, An Accountancy Corp | $600 | Around $600ish for a joint return with schedule C |
| Tax Preparation & Accounting Services | Robert Hall & Associates | $799 | To give you an idea of our fees; for tax preparation, the starting rate for an individual or joint filing is $799; We don't bill by the hour but rather based on the complexity of your tax return based on the additional forms or schedules needed. For example, if you file a Schedule C for freelance income, the fee would $899 for the personal filing sans any additional complexity. Please note, we collect a $400 service retainer for tax preparation appointments, this amount will be applied to your bill with us. |
Note that tax preparation pricing listed above can change.
Based on our outreach, the cheapest tax preparation costs $110 for an individual return to be professionally done. Other factors like schedule C, married filing jointly, having dependends, 1099s, and schedule Ks can increase the cost.
A professional accountant will save you time from having to go through TurboTax's interface, however if you have been using TurboTax for many years and have no issue using it, continuing to use TurboTax is probably the easiest option. TurboTax for individual returns costs about $60 and another $20 for e-filing your state return, bringing the cost to $80.