Capture their words, not a summary. What broke, what stopped working, what finally made them pick up the phone.
This is the fit check. Listen for anything we can't or won't do so we can say so early.
Example: send organizer, schedule Books Evaluation call, request read-only QBO access, confirm prior-year returns uploaded.
Includes preparing and filing the federal return, digital organizer, review before filing, and post-filing support for questions.
Individual Tax Preparation Subtotal: $0
Business and nonprofit income tax returns, including the Form 990 series (990, 990-EZ, and 990-N).
Internal note for team: These prices assume the client is providing reasonably clean, year-end-ready financials. If the books need catch-up or cleanup before we can prepare the return, there will be an additional charge. In those cases, we normally start with a $250 Books Evaluation to see what’s needed and scope the cleanup work.
Note on 990-N: For organizations that only need a 990-N (e-Postcard), we typically charge a $100 one-time setup fee if this is a stand-alone service. If they already have other services with us (bookkeeping, tax prep, etc.), we usually just include them on our internal 990-N filing list for future years rather than quoting a separate ongoing fee here. Use the adjustment field if you need to add the one-time setup.
Business & Nonprofit Tax Preparation Subtotal: $0
Internal note for team: Use this section when the client wants proactive planning beyond standard tax prep or the Books Evaluation. You can choose Personal, Business, or both, and then select Past / Present / Future based on what they actually need.
Quick guide:
For both Personal and Business, Present and Future levels generally include a deeper strategy/planning call with a CPA.
When to use: The client wants clarity on their personal tax picture (current year and/or upcoming years), especially if there have been major life changes (marriage, kids, home, job, equity, real estate, etc.).
When to use: The client wants proactive planning around their business entity — not just filing the return. Think projections, year-end moves, and longer-term strategy around growth, compensation, real estate, or exit.
Internal tip: The Present and Future levels are usually best for businesses with prior-year taxable income over about $150,000, or where there are big upcoming changes. If they’re smaller or their situation is simple, recommend starting with Past – Current-Year Snapshot.
Tax Planning Services Subtotal: $0
Internal note for team: Use this section when we’re scoping ongoing bookkeeping/VFO work or doing a “checkup” on someone’s existing books. This is not tax planning or a tax projection.
Internal reminder: For ongoing bookkeeping, VFO, nonprofit budgeting & forecasting, or Finance Systems & Department Reviews, we start with a $250 Books Evaluation.
Structured “look under the hood” of the client’s books. We:
We use prior-year returns here only to check alignment with the books – this is not a tax projection or full tax planning session.
Services that typically start with a Books Evaluation:
Back work / cleanup projects: For large prior-year clean-up or catch-up bookkeeping (multiple years, very messy files, etc.), we also require a Books Evaluation first so we can understand scope and pricing. Many of these projects can be quite large, so don’t quote them off the cuff— use the Books Evaluation to size the work.
One-time, deeper review of the whole finance function: systems, processes, and reporting. Use this when the client is asking “Is our finance department set up the right way?” rather than “Can you just do my monthly books?”.
Pricing note for team: We normally perform a Books Evaluation first and then quote this as a separate one-time project. That’s why there is no separate price field for this service in the calculator.
Diagnostic Services Subtotal: $0
Individual Tax Preparation: $0
Business & Nonprofit Tax Preparation: $0
Tax Planning Services: $0
Books Evaluation & Diagnostic Services: $0
Adjustment: $0
Total: $0
Total Cost: $0