Early Engagement Discount
2026 tax returns — business and individual
Sign your proposal on or before December 15, 2026 and your 2026 business return is 20% off — along with the individual return of every owner who comes with it. Nothing is due when you sign.
One rule, every return. The discount applies to any 2026 return we prepare — Form 1065, Form 1120-S, Form 1120, Schedule C, Form 990, Form 1041 and individual returns alike. It covers preparation, year-end bookkeeping, setup and catch-up work; ongoing monthly bookkeeping and payroll are billed at our standard rates. Clergy already receive 20%, and discounts do not stack — you get 20%, not both.
86 days left to sign
How it works
- Get your estimate. Answer a few questions about the business and see a real number, not a range. The code
EARLY20is applied for you. - We talk it through. A short call to confirm the scope and agree what your engagement covers.
- Sign your proposal by December 15. That locks your rate. Nothing is due that day.
- January 1, 2027. Your invoice arrives. A signed engagement letter plus a paid invoice opens your appointment schedule — book a Tuesday between January 19 and March 2, and work starts from there.
Get my business return estimate Estimate an individual return
What a business return costs
Our fee is driven by owner compensation plus profit — not by how many owners you have, and not by who is asking. Two situations, because they are genuinely different amounts of work.
If we are not keeping your books
Most businesses new to us start here. Year-end bookkeeping is what makes a set of books filable, so it is priced with the return rather than hidden inside it.
| Owner compensation + profit | Return | Year-end books | Standard | Signed by Dec 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to $150,000 | $950 | $450 | $1,400 | $1,120 |
| $150,001 – $250,000 | $950 | $650 | $1,600 | $1,280 |
| $250,001 – $500,000 | $1,300 | $900 | $2,200 | $1,760 |
| $500,001 – $1,000,000 | $1,650 | $1,200 | $2,850 | $2,280 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $2,150 | $1,600 | $3,750 | $3,000 |
If we keep your books monthly
The year-end line disappears, because the books are already right. Monthly bookkeeping and payroll are billed at standard rates and are not discounted.
| Owner compensation + profit | Standard | Signed by Dec 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $250,000 | $950 | $760 |
| $250,001 – $500,000 | $1,300 | $1,040 |
| $500,001 – $1,000,000 | $1,650 | $1,320 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $2,150 | $1,720 |
Bring the owners' returns with you
Every owner's individual return added to the same engagement takes the same 20% off. Once we have prepared the entity return we already hold your K-1 — doing your 1040 at the same time is faster for us and cheaper for you.
| Band | Typically | Standard | Signed by Dec 15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | W-2 and retirement income, standard deduction, maybe a dependent or basic interest. | $550 | $500 |
| Standard | A few lighter items — investments, children, itemizing, or one state return. | $800 | $640 |
| Plus | One clear heavy item — a rental, a business, or a K-1 — or several lighter items plus a state. | $1,050 | $840 |
| Comprehensive | Two heavy items together, or one heavy item plus a full stack of lighter ones and a state. | $1,300 | $1,040 |
| Advanced | Three heavy items, or a genuinely involved return. | $1,550 | $1,240 |
| Custom | Beyond Advanced. This is a starting point — we will confirm after reviewing your documents. | $1,800 | $1,440 |
No discounted return falls below $500. Most owners of an S corporation or a partnership land in Plus or Comprehensive, because a K-1 is a substantial item on its own.
Choosing your level of service
Every business client gets Compliant. Proactive and Strategic add planning work on top, for owners who want more than a filing. Tax and bookkeeping are chosen separately — you can take Strategic tax with Compliant bookkeeping, or any other combination.
Tax service
Added to the return price the estimator gives you. Payable annually or monthly.
| What is included | Compliant | Proactive | Strategic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Added to your calculated fee | Included |
+$8,000 +$6,400 or $560/mo |
+$18,000 +$14,400 or $1,200/mo |
| Preparation and filing of your federal return, plus any state returns | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bookkeeping assistance so the financials are tax ready | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| The option to review the finished return together | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Your tax documents stored in the client portal for up to seven years | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Assessment and explanation of any tax notice you receive | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Year-round tax advice and support | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| We estimate the tax impact of changes before you make them | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| A written report of this year’s taxes and planning ideas | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| A recorded walkthrough of your tax overview and planning ideas | – | – | ✓ |
| An annual tax forecasting and planning appointment | – | – | ✓ |
| We prepare the response to any IRS notice you receive | – | – | ✓ |
Bookkeeping service
Chosen separately from your tax level. Added to the monthly bookkeeping fee the estimator gives you.
| What is included | Compliant | Proactive | Strategic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Added to your calculated fee | Included |
+$8,000 +$6,400 or $560/mo |
+$18,000 +$14,400 or $1,200/mo |
| Transactions posted to your general ledger | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bank accounts reconciled in the accounting software | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Financial reports prepared for management use | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| A dashboard summary with the KPIs that matter to you | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Financial insight drawn from those reports | – | – | ✓ |
| A quarterly meeting to talk through the numbers | – | – | ✓ |
Not included: Catch-up bookkeeping and accounting system setup are quoted separately and are not included in any tier.
The 20% early engagement discount covers all three service levels, on business and individual returns alike, along with return preparation, year-end bookkeeping, setup and catch-up work.
Why the date matters
Three deadlines make an entity return a December decision rather than a March one.
- December 31, 2026. If your business is an S corporation, your own payroll has to be paid inside the calendar year. Wages paid in January belong to next year's W-2, and taking distributions without wages is the fastest way to have the election questioned.
- February 1, 2027. Forms W-2 and 1099-NEC go out to recipients, which means payroll has to be running in January.
- March 15, 2027. Forms 1065 and 1120-S are due, or extended on Form 7004. Filing late costs $255 per owner per month, for up to twelve months — and it applies even when the business owes no tax.
The terms, in full
- The discount applies to every 2026 return we prepare, business or individual.
- A signed proposal dated on or before December 15, 2026 earns the discount. Nothing is due that day.
- Your appointment is a Tuesday between January 19 and March 2, 2027, booked from the schedule your engagement letter and paid invoice open.
- Your invoice is issued on January 1, 2027 and is payable in full.
- A signed engagement letter plus a paid invoice opens your appointment schedule. Until both are done, no time is held.
- Documents are due 10 calendar days before your appointment.
- The discount covers preparation, year-end bookkeeping, system setup, catch-up work and all three service levels. Monthly bookkeeping, payroll and your QuickBooks subscription are billed at standard rates.
- Your estimate is based on the figures you give us. If the real numbers land in a different band, the difference is billed or credited at the same 20%.
- Discounts do not stack. If more than one applies to you, you get the better of them, never both.
- Work begins once you have signed your engagement letter, paid your invoice and put your appointment on the calendar. If you cancel before that appointment is scheduled, half your fee is refunded and half is a non-refundable deposit. Once the appointment is on the calendar, the fee is no longer refundable.
Get my business return estimate
About this estimate. These figures come from the same pricing model we use internally, and they are an estimate rather than a quote. The final fee is set once we have reviewed your actual documents and is confirmed in a signed engagement letter before any work begins. If your situation turns out to be simpler than you described, the price comes down.
