An accountant costs about $150–$450 an hour, or roughly $200–$600 for a simple tax return and $1,500–$5,000 a year for small-business bookkeeping plus taxes. The number lands where it does because of three things: how complex your situation is, whether you hire a CPA or a bookkeeper, and how clean your records are when you hand them over.
We run our own service companies and pay for this every year, so these are real ranges, not a brochure. Below is what each tier buys, what moves the price, and the cases where tax software is genuinely enough.
A W-2 and the standard deduction rarely need a human. Software walks you through it for free to around $130. The cost is an hour of your evening, and for simple situations that's the right call.
A pro who files for you. Simple returns at the low end; itemized, rental, or self-employment returns at the high end. Good value when your return is more than a W-2 but you don't need year-round advisory.
Monthly bookkeeping, the business return, and advice on entity choice, payroll, and tax planning. This is where a good accountant saves you more than they cost — but only if your books are kept current.
We're a marketing company, not an accounting firm, so we have no reason to push you either way. Skip the pro for now if:
Hire the professional the moment a mistake gets expensive — self-employment, an S-corp, rental income, or a business with real revenue. There, the fee almost always beats a missed deduction or an IRS penalty.
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Commonly $150–$450/hour, with CPAs at the higher end. Many firms now quote flat or monthly fees, which makes budgeting easier.
A simple individual return runs $200–$600; itemized or self-employment $500–$1,200; a small-business return $800–$2,500.
For a W-2 and the standard deduction, yes — software for $0–$130 is enough. Hire a pro once self-employment, rentals, or an S-corp make a mistake costly.
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