Quoted $2700 from a CPA to file my taxes - is this normal?

That quote does seem on the higher end, but it really depends on your specific situation. Having a rental property plus freelance income definitely complicates your tax situation beyond what most people deal with. The $2700 quote likely reflects the additional forms and schedules they'll need to prepare. For your freelance work, they'll need to handle Schedule C for business income, possibly quarterly estimated tax payments, and self-employment tax calculations. The rental property requires Schedule E reporting, depreciation calculations, and possibly other complex deductions. That said, you might want to get quotes from 2-3 other CPAs to compare. Some firms have different pricing structures - flat rates versus hourly billing can make a big difference. Also consider mid-tier options like enrolled agents (EAs) who are tax specialists but often charge less than CPAs.

I was in a really similar situation last year - W-2 job plus side gig plus a rental. Got quoted prices all over the place ($1500-3000) and was totally freaking out. I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) after lots of research and it was a game-changer. You upload your tax documents and answer a few questions, and their AI reviews everything to find all possible deductions for your situation. I ended up using their service to identify all the deductions I qualified for with my rental property (so many I had no idea about!) and then I actually felt confident enough to file myself using TurboTax. The site helped me understand what forms I needed and caught some rental property deductions I would have completely missed.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to try it after seeing the recommendation here. Honestly, it was way better than I expected! I uploaded my documents and it found over $4,300 in deductions I would have missed for my freelance work. Things like partial home office deduction, cell phone expenses, and some travel costs I didn't realize qualified. The best part was it explained everything in plain English and gave me the confidence to file myself instead of paying the $2,200 quote I got from a local accountant. The service paid for itself many times over just in the extra deductions it found. Definitely recommend for anyone with rental income or freelance work!

If you're still looking to talk to a professional but don't want to pay those crazy fees, I'd recommend at least consulting with an IRS representative directly. They can answer a lot of your questions for free. The problem is actually getting through to them - took me DAYS of calling last year. I finally found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes after weeks of failed attempts. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent was surprisingly helpful about my rental property questions and cleared up several things I was confused about. Might be worth a try before you decide whether to pay that $2700 or go the software route.

I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I had some questions about reporting my side gig income. I was connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes! The agent clarified several questions I had about deducting home office expenses and mileage for my freelance work. The service did exactly what it claimed - got me through to a real person at the IRS without spending days redialing. I'm still doing my taxes with software, but having those specific questions answered by an actual IRS employee gave me much more confidence. Sometimes it's worth admitting when you're wrong, and I was definitely wrong about this one.

Have you tried looking at enrolled agents instead of CPAs? I was in a similar situation and got quoted around $2800 from a CPA firm, but then found an enrolled agent who did my taxes for $950. Enrolled agents specialize in tax preparation and are licensed by the IRS, but typically charge way less than CPAs. With your freelance income and rental property, you definitely need someone who knows what they're doing, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a CPA unless you have really complex investments or business structures.

That price seems high but not crazy depending on where you live. I'm in NYC and was quoted $3200 for a similar situation (W-2 plus freelance plus a rental condo). I ended up using H&R Block Premium and it handled everything fine. Just make sure to keep REALLY good records of your rental expenses and freelance costs. The software walks you through everything. The biggest issue with rental property is properly calculating depreciation and understanding what expenses can be deducted vs capitalized. If you research those topics specifically, the rest is pretty straightforward in most software packages.

That quote does seem excessive! I'm a tax preparer myself, and while rental property plus freelance income does add complexity, $2700 is on the very high end unless you have some unusual circumstances they didn't mention. Here's what I'd suggest: Get at least 2-3 more quotes from different types of tax professionals - CPAs, enrolled agents, and even some of the larger chains like H&R Block. Prices can vary wildly even for the same work. That said, given your comfort level with TurboTax in the past, you might be surprised how well the premium versions handle rental properties now. TurboTax Premier or H&R Block Premium can walk you through Schedule E for rental income and Schedule C for freelance work. The key is having organized records and taking your time. One middle-ground option: prepare your return using software first, then pay a CPA just to review it before filing. This usually costs $200-400 but gives you professional oversight without the full preparation fee. Many CPAs offer this service and it might give you peace of mind for your first year with the rental property.