What should I expect to pay for comprehensive business tax planning and preparation services?

Tax professional here! The pricing for business tax services varies widely depending on several factors: your location, complexity of your business, the firm's size/reputation, and services included. For what you're describing (multi-entity situation with LLC, rental property, and sole proprietorship), you're looking at a more complex tax situation that requires comprehensive planning. The quarterly meetings are actually quite valuable since they help you make proactive decisions rather than reactive ones after the year ends. For your situation, I typically see pricing range from $2,500-$5,000 annually for comprehensive services including quarterly planning, business returns, personal returns, and estimated tax payment assistance. Metropolitan areas will be on the higher end, rural areas lower. Boutique firms specializing in small businesses might charge more than general practitioners but often provide more tailored advice. The real question is whether you're getting value. Good tax planning should save you significantly more than the fee you're paying. Ask potential CPAs about their approach to tax saving strategies for your specific situation and how they'll measure/demonstrate value throughout the year.

I was in a similar situation a couple years ago with multiple income streams and business entities. I wasted so much time trying to DIY everything and definitely overpaid on taxes. Eventually I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which helped me analyze my specific situation and find the right tax professional. Their system reviewed all my documents and business structure, then gave me a clear report showing exactly what I should be paying for various tax services based on my complexity level. It saved me from overpaying for services I didn't need while making sure I got proper planning for the complicated parts of my tax situation. They also helped me understand which deductions I was missing - turned out to be quite a few! The report also showed me exactly what questions to ask potential CPAs to make sure they were competent with my type of business. Made me feel way more confident when interviewing professionals.

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after initially being skeptical. I decided to try it since I was getting frustrated with wildly different quotes from tax professionals. The document analysis was pretty impressive - it caught details about my business structure that I hadn't even mentioned to the CPAs I interviewed. The pricing guidance was actually really helpful. They showed me that for my manufacturing business with international sales, I should expect to pay on the higher end for certain services but that some firms were padding with unnecessary add-ons. Found a great tax firm through their recommendations that's charging about 20% less than the highest quote I got, but providing more relevant services tailored to my specific industry. They even helped me restructure some operations to reduce my overall tax burden by about $8k this year.

If you're serious about tax planning, finding a CPA is just part of the equation - actually REACHING the IRS when you have questions or issues is the other half of the battle. After waiting on hold for 3+ hours multiple times last year with tax questions about my LLC's S-Corp election, I started using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They somehow get you through to an actual IRS agent usually within 15 minutes. Total game changer when you need to verify something your CPA is telling you or have questions about a notice. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I've used it 4 times this year for various questions about handling different income streams between my businesses. Completely worth it considering I was wasting entire afternoons on hold before. My CPA actually charges me consultation fees if I need him to call the IRS on my behalf, so this saves me money too.

I need to follow up about Claimyr because I actually tried it after posting my skeptical comment. Unbelievably, it actually worked. I've been trying to resolve an issue with my business tax ID for MONTHS, spending countless hours on hold with the IRS with no success. Used the service yesterday and got connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. Finally got my EIN issue resolved that was holding up some important business filings. The IRS agent I spoke with was actually helpful once I finally got through to a human being. Can't believe I wasted so many hours being stubborn before trying this. If you run a business and value your time at all, this is absolutely worth using when you need to contact the IRS.

Regarding your original question about pricing - location makes a HUGE difference. I own small businesses in both rural Minnesota and Chicago, and I pay nearly double for the same tax services in Chicago. My rural accountant charges $1,800 for annual tax prep for my sole proprietorship plus one rental property, and quarterly planning is an additional $1,200 annually. My Chicago accountant charges $3,400 for similar tax prep and $2,200 for quarterly planning for a business of similar size and complexity. Both provide good service, but the price difference is significant just based on location. Might be worth getting quotes from firms slightly outside your immediate metro area if you're in a high-cost location.

One thing nobody has mentioned - look beyond just CPAs. I use an Enrolled Agent (EA) for my business taxes and pay MUCH less than the CPA quotes I got. EAs specialize in taxation and have to pass rigorous IRS testing. Mine charges $1,800 for comprehensive planning and preparation for my LLC and personal returns. The biggest firms with fancy offices and lots of staff will always charge premium rates. A solo practitioner EA or CPA with low overhead can offer the same quality service at a fraction of the cost. Just make sure they have experience with your specific business type.