How much should it cost to do taxes for a small LLC business owner?

Hi everyone! I'm feeling pretty frustrated and need some advice. My husband and I paid $1950 last year to have our taxes done and I'm wondering if we got totally ripped off. I recently started a small pet sitting LLC (just me, no employees) and did some freelance work on the side, while my husband has a regular W-2 job. The tax prep company had really good reviews online, but they completely messed up our return! We ended up having to file an amended return and owed money back to the IRS. So basically we paid almost $2K for a service that created more problems than it solved. I've had friends tell me this price seems way too high for our situation, even with the LLC. Does this sound normal to other small business owners? What should we reasonably expect to pay? And any recommendations on where to go next year? I'm thinking of trying someone new but have no idea what fair pricing looks like or who to trust after this experience.

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19 comments

GalaxyGuardian

•8M

That price does seem quite high for your tax situation. As a reference point, a small business return with an LLC (Schedule C) plus a personal return typically ranges from $500-$1200 depending on your location and the complexity of your business finances. The fact that they made errors requiring an amendment is concerning, especially at that price point. Errors happen occasionally, but a quality tax professional should have offered some discount or assistance with the amendment at no additional cost. For next year, I'd recommend looking into: 1) A local CPA who specializes in small businesses (expect $600-$1000) 2) A mid-tier tax service like H&R Block's small business services ($400-$800) 3) If your books are well-organized, tax software with small business features like TurboTax Home & Business (~$150-$200) The key is finding someone who has specific experience with LLCs and freelance income, not just general tax preparation.

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GalaxyGuardian

•8M

For a small, straightforward LLC like pet sitting, a separate bookkeeper is usually unnecessary if you're keeping good records throughout the year. The most important thing is maintaining organized documentation of all business income and expenses, preferably in accounting software like QuickBooks Self-Employed or even a well-structured spreadsheet. If your business grows significantly, involves inventory, or has multiple revenue streams, then a bookkeeper might become more valuable. They typically charge $200-500 monthly, which is probably overkill for a simple service-based LLC with modest revenue.

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Amina Toure

•8M

It handles rental properties really well - that's actually one area where it excels because it catches all the depreciation details and expense categories that are often missed. It analyzed my rental documentation and found several deductions my previous accountant hadn't even mentioned. The main difference from TurboTax is it's not just a form-filler with some basic rules. It actually analyzes your specific documents and financial patterns to identify legitimate deductions unique to your situation. No constant upselling either - you get the full service upfront without surprise upgrade fees midway through your return.

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Natasha Volkova

•8M

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai based on the recommendation here. I was honestly skeptical but decided to give it a shot since I was frustrated with my previous tax person. Absolutely worth it! The system found legitimate business deductions I didn't even know I could claim for my photography side gig. The document analysis feature actually highlighted expenses in my bank statements that qualified as business deductions. Much more affordable than what I was paying before and actually got me a bigger refund!

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Javier Torres

•8M

If you're dealing with tax issues from the botched return, you might want to try Claimyr. I had a similar situation where I needed to talk to someone at the IRS about an amended return but kept getting the "call back later" message for weeks. Claimyr got me through to an actual human at the IRS in about 20 minutes! They have this system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line. I was skeptical but it worked perfectly. https://claimyr.com has all the details and there's a demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c that shows exactly how it works.

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Javier Torres

•8M

They don't just wait on hold - they actually navigate the entire IRS phone system for you. The IRS often disconnects callers when their lines are full, so you can spend hours trying to get through only to get disconnected and have to start over. Claimyr's system keeps trying until it gets through, then calls you when an actual agent is on the line ready to talk. I tried the speaker phone approach multiple times over several weeks, wasting hours each time only to get disconnected or told to call back another day. With Claimyr, I went about my day and got a call when an agent was actually on the line. Totally worth it when you're dealing with time-sensitive IRS issues.

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CosmicCaptain

•8M

I need to eat my words here. After posting my skeptical comment, I tried calling the IRS myself about an issue with my payment plan. Got disconnected THREE TIMES after waiting 45+ minutes each time. Out of frustration I tried Claimyr and no joke, I had an IRS agent on the phone within 35 minutes while I was grocery shopping. They texted me 2 minutes before connecting so I had time to get to my car for privacy. Saved me hours of frustration and actually got my issue resolved. Definitely not a scam as I incorrectly suggested.

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Malik Johnson

•8M

For a small pet sitting LLC with just you and your husband with a W-2, $1950 is absolutely highway robbery! I paid $650 last year for a similar setup (my woodworking LLC + spouse's W-2) through a local CPA firm. You definitely got overcharged. Honestly, if your business finances aren't super complicated (like under 100 transactions a year), you might even be able to handle it yourself with TurboTax Small Business or similar software for like $200. Just make sure to track all your business expenses carefully throughout the year.

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Malik Johnson

•8M

If you're not confident with numbers, the DIY route might cause more stress than it's worth. The software walks you through everything, but you still need to make judgment calls about business vs. personal expenses and understand some basic tax concepts. In your situation, I'd look for a reasonably priced professional - aim for $600-800 range. Ask specifically about their experience with small service-based LLCs. When interviewing potential preparers, ask them what common deductions they typically find for pet sitting businesses. Their answer will tell you a lot about their expertise with your specific industry.

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