learn what other users had to say about

the Cost of Personal Accounting Services

Price 
Location 
Submitted by  
Description
$ 510
Mar 2008
New York, NY
Long standing relationship with accountant  more... close row
$ 450
Mar 2008
Seattle, WA
State and Federal Tax Preparation for a 1099 Contractor  more... close row
$ 500
Mar 2007
Blue Bell, PA
Tax preparation services  more... close row
$ 500
Mar 2007
Forks, Washington
Expensive but adequate tax preparation  more... close row
$ 250
Feb 2008
Tustin, CA
Payment for preparing state and federal returns  more... close row
$ 150
Apr 2007
San Diego, CA
Personal tax filing and amendment  more... close row

Description of service

On a referral from a friend, I had an accountant do my taxes for the first time ever. It was my first year as a contractor, so it seemed like a good idea.

She provided forms to be filled out and asked that I arrive prepared with a bunch of information.

When I got to her office, she walked me through as she filled out all the documents, made recommendations, and asked questions. In addition to filing my 2006 taxes, she amended and re-filed my 2005 taxes because of some errors I had made.


Review of Service

This accountant calls herself discount, and I believe that is the case. I was very satisfied with the way she handled my 2006 taxes, as everything was very straightforward. She handed me a copy of the filing that she sent, and the stub to be sent with my payment. It was easy and simple.

The amendment and re-file of my 2005 taxes was a little more complicated. She left that until after the end of the 2006 filing season and wasn't very responsive when I would call to ask for status reports, since I was continuing receiving letters from the IRS. Scary!

Anyway, she finally got the amendment filed, and sent me copies of the forms, along with my pay stubs and her invoice for both filings. Her original charge was much more, but she reduced her fee by the amount of interest I owed as a result of the lateness in filing. This seemed a very fair consideration, and I was happy to pay her the $150 for her services.


Tips

As always, referrals from friends or associates are the best way to pick an accountant. In this case, I had a good idea what to expect and so I wasn't surprised by unreturned phone calls or the like.

If budget is really an issue for you, look for someone who will check your work, rather than generate their own tax forms.

My opinion is that paying someone else to do your taxes is well worth the money for getting it done right.


$ 180
Mar 2007
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
E-filing taxes through a CPA  more... close row
$ 106
Mar 2006
Columbus, OH
Tax Accountant
Tax preparer made life much easier  more... close row
$ 125
Apr 2008
Myrtle Beach, SC
Preparing tax returns and reviewing old ones  more... close row
$ 175
Mar 2007
Clarksburg, WV
Accounting firm for tax return  more... close row
$ 120
Feb 2008
WIchita, KS
Accounting service for income taxes  more... close row
$ 125
Jan 2007
Northeast Arkansas
Local accounting service for income tax filing  more... close row
$ 115
Feb 2008
Richmond, MN
Possibly overcharged for tax preparation  more... close row