Fee Policy

James Maertin, C.P.A.

U.S. Tax Preparation Worldwide

Corporation Formation

Fee Policy

My aim is to keep my fees as reasonable as possible, while being fairly compensated for my time and expertise.

Tax Returns

Rates are generally set to compensate as closely as possible for the time spent on your tax return. If a tax return takes longer than originally anticipated, the fee will increase. It will not increase, however, because of small or incidental additional time.

Included in the tax preparation fee:

Preparation of your tax return.
Review of completed tax return (up to 15 minutes; additional time billable)
Filing a tax extension, if needed.
Quick questions on tax topics by email year-round. Generally, “quick” means something I can answer in 5 minutes or less.
Correction of any errors.

Not included in the tax preparation fee:

Corrections made after tax return completion that are the result of inaccurate or incomplete information provided by the client.
Assistance with inquiries, examinations or audits of any kind by any tax authority. This service is available but is billable at $300 per hour, with a $75 minimum for 15 minutes. However, you may ask me quick questions at no charge. For example, if you email or fax me a letter that you received, I will give it a quick look over for free.
Initial consultation. This is available, but the time would be billable. It's generally enough though to explain anything unusual on the questionnaire or in your accompanying email. In addition, most issues get resolved through communication during the tax preparation process.

Fee Guidelines

Note: I don't charge flat fees. The fee can vary each year based on the information that you provide. One year could be more or less than the previous year. If you were a client last year and your tax information is very similar, then you can expect your fee to be close to or the same as last year's.

U.S. Resident Returns:

Form 1040, one full year resident state: $275 and up* (see rate increase information below)
Foreign Bank Report: starting at $25, increases based on number of accounts

U.S. Expatriate Returns:

Form 1040 with Form 2555: $300 and up*
Form 1040 with Forms 2555 (exclusion of income) & 1116 (foreign tax credit): $350 and up*
Foreign Bank Report: starting at $25, increases based on number of accounts

U.S. Nonresident Returns:

Form 1040NR, one state: $350 and up*
Dual Status Return (first year in U.S.): $350 and up*
Dual Status Return (last year in U.S.): $475 and up* (may be a bit lower if especially simple)

U.S. Company & Entity Tax Returns (Forms 1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041)

Corporation (C or S), Partnership (or multiple member LLC), or Trust Return, one state: starting at $450 for basic return with clean, well organized information. The fee could be significantly higher depending on complexity.

* The rates will increase with,

Married, two earners
Extra data entry from multiple Forms W-2 and/or 1099-R
Schedule B with many accounts, foreign tax credits, time spent calculating federal and/or state tax exempt interest and dividends
Schedule C/SE for self-employment
Schedule E for rental income
Extra states
State income allocations
Part year state income allocations
Schedule D
Forms K-1
Vehicle Expenses
Home Office
Application for ITIN
Elections, such as to file jointly, or to be treated as a resident
Tax treaty issues
AMT recalculation of prior year tax (relating to last year's state refund)
Education as a business expense
Temporary living expenses
Extra communication time
If new client, a lot of carryovers to enter from your prior year tax return including depreciation, passive losses, net operating losses, etc.
Long delays between information being requested and received
Complexity requiring research, additional communication, etc.
My having to ask for relevant information that was left blank on the questionnaire
Various other factors

A few things you can do to keep the fee down:

Provide me your complete tax information. This reduces my time having to ask for information that could have been provided on the questionnaire.
Send me your tax documents in a clear and well organized format (preferably one .pdf file). I work in a paperless office and prefer electronic copies of all documents (pdf or jpeg).
If you have trading activity, please either complete my trades worksheet in the questionnaire, or email me your gain/loss summary in .pdf format downloaded from your brokerage company. This saves my having to enter each trade for you.
Answer my open items promptly

Other Services

The following are billable at $300 per hour (minimum billing $75 for 15 minutes):

• Federal, state or local tax audit, examination or inquiry help.

• Writing letters.

• Consulting.

• Tax planning or projections.

• Accounting services such as write-ups, help setting up books, consulting regarding accounting issues.

Fee Quotes:

I hope the preceding information is sufficient that you won't need an upfront fee quote, but if you really need to have a more concrete idea of my fee before I start work on your return, please gather all of your tax information, fill out a questionnaire and then email or fax me your tax documents. In your email, please write in bold letters "NEED FEE QUOTE" and I will get back to you with an estimate before working on your tax return. Be aware that this will take extra time. Also, this is an estimate and could possibly change depending on the facts and circumstances of the actual tax return. Thank you.