Replies

1. 
   smllr | Apr 24, 2009 04:21am | #1

   Bill,

   Sounds really high to me. I paid a CPA $275 for the following:

   retirement and interest income, standard deductions
   Schedule D (for a timber sale)
   Schedule F (farm income)
   SC and NC state income taxes (I live in SC and own a farm in NC)

   IMO, you need to find a new tax preparer.

   PS. Or buy one of the tax preparation software packages.

   
   

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   Edited 4/23/2009 9:23 pm ET by smllr

1. 
   MissD | Apr 24, 2009 06:20am | #2

   I paid a CPA $110.00 for state and federal taxes.  $10.00 discount as a recurring customer.

   Deductions incuded retirement, medical, mileage, interests.  He also freely answers any questions I have.

   I agree with Bill.  Either find another CPA or try to use E-File. 

2. 
   frenchy | Apr 24, 2009 02:46pm | #3

   That's like paying for a ticket to see the ball game and only looking at the score board at the end of the game..

3. 
   mike_maines | Apr 24, 2009 05:00pm | #4

   If your return is that simple, you could do it yourself with a program like Turbotax. 

   DW and I paid $360 but she changed jobs, I have employment, business and investment income to sort out, and our accountant know which rules to pay closer attention to so we feel it's money well spent.  Plus he always answers quick questions throughout the year without charging us.

1. 
   davidmeiland | Apr 24, 2009 05:24pm | #5

   >>$360 but she changed jobs, I have employment, business and investment income to sort out, and our accountant know which rules to pay closer attention to so we feel it's money well spent.  Plus he always answers quick questions throughout the year without charging us.

   Same here. I couldn't touch it for what I pay. Been using the same guy for 20 years and will continue until one of us gives up.

1. 
   mike_maines | Apr 24, 2009 05:54pm | #6

   LOL, when I think about all the money I "saved" using Turbotax for days at a time trying to figure out how to classify everything and what risks were safe to take....  Now it's a quick spreadsheet summary of receipts and half an hour at his office...most of which is spent chatting about the years' events.  MUCH nicer! 

4. 
   Mongo | Apr 25, 2009 01:09am | #7

   It's all perspective.

   I married a tax wiz.

   So I get my taxes done for free. But man, has it ever cost me...<g>

   
   

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   Edited 4/24/2009 6:10 pm ET by Mongo

1. 
   frenchy | Apr 25, 2009 02:16am | #8

   Brave Man!

     If you mess up with her will she turn you into the IRS?

1. 
   Mongo | Apr 25, 2009 06:55am | #10

   She does the filing, she'd be turning herself in!We got audited a few years ago when we had a series of transactions. She's pretty conservative in her methods, so she was quite livid that they questioned her methods. Even more so with the aggressive and condescending attitude from the inspector.Not only did we come out on top, but she was so ticked off she refiled, was fairly aggressive in the refile, and we got a few thousand extra back. I married WAY better than I deserve. For a lot more reasons than just taxes. She's a keeper.

1. 
   frenchy | Apr 25, 2009 04:20pm | #15

   Congradulations  I agree with you!

    I hope you understood I was trying to be funny with my earlier post..Apprently I missed..

    Continueing that attempt though,  since she obviously married so far beneath her what will happen if she comes to her senses?   <grin> 

5. 
   mike4244 | Apr 25, 2009 03:27am | #9

   I used H&R Block online service. If I recall I paid around $45.00 for federal and state tax cmbined. I have been using it for several years now. I had used Turbo tax for a couple of years. I stopped using it because I had problems with it. Turbo tax could not download previous years information needed to do that years taxes. I suppose I could have got it straightened out ,but after three or four hours of futility I had to try something else.

   You will find that H&R Block  online tax service is quite easy to use. If I recall correctly I was done in about one and a half hours. Filed electronically and received rebate in a few weeks ( 4 weeks maybe).

   mike

6. 
   JeffBuck | Apr 25, 2009 07:46am | #11

   this year $550.

   company LLC filed.

   me and wife joint.

   and he helper her straighten out some chuch paperwork ... she's the new treasurer.

    

   I've paid as high as $850 on years with alot of 1099's.

   well worth every penny.

   he's not the cheapest around ... neither am I.

   Jeff

       Buck Construction

    Artistry In Carpentry

        Pittsburgh Pa

1. 
   JeffBuck | Apr 25, 2009 07:47am | #12

   btw ... $200 sounds fair to me.

   Jeff    Buck Construction

    Artistry In Carpentry

        Pittsburgh Pa

7. 
   brucet9 | Apr 25, 2009 10:27am | #13

   I'd say that $200 is way too much for the simple personal return you describe.

   My corporation taxes I have done by my accountant.

   For personal taxes I paid $45 for H&R Bloch Tax Cut software and spent one evening doing our joint return with:
   Form 1040
   Sched B
   Sched D
   Sched E - 7 copies (6 rental properties and S-corp K-1)
   Form 6251 AMR worksheet & form
   Form 4562 Depreciation
   Form 8582 Passive activity
   Form 1040 ES Vouchers for estimated tax payments

   Total over 20 pages for Fed and 7 for state.

   I then did my daughter's taxes the next evening in about an hour.

   BruceT
8. 
   brucet9 | Apr 25, 2009 10:45am | #14

   If your accountant is particularly creative, he might be worth the money.

   My accountant told me that one of his clients is a Las Vegas hooker. This year she complained to him that her friend's accountant found more deductions than she had. She showed him a copy of her friend's return, and sure enough, on similar income in the same line of business, the friend paid less taxes. Turns out that the friend's accountant was claiming a deduction for Depletion Allowance!

   BruceT