Most accounting firms will not put a number on a web page. Ask what a return costs and you get “it depends on complexity,” which is true and also useless when you are trying to work out whether to call at all.
So here are the actual numbers this firm charges, what moves them up, and what a CPA costs generally — including the honest answer about when you do not need one.
What a CPA costs, at a glance
These are Whetzel CPA’s published fees for the Houston market, current for the 2026 season. They are starting prices for a return in good order; the drivers that push a fee above the floor are listed further down.
Individual and trust returns
| Return | Fee |
|---|---|
| 1040 — W-2 income, standard deduction | from $500 |
| 1040 with Schedule E or K-1s | from $850 |
| 1041 trust return | from $750 |
| Each additional state | $150 |
Business returns
| Return | Fee |
|---|---|
| 1120-S — S-corporation, single owner | from $1,200 |
| 1065 — multi-member LLC or partnership | from $1,400 |
| 1120 — C-corporation | from $1,800 |
| Late S-election (Form 2553 relief) | flat $750 |
Monthly bookkeeping
| Scope | Fee |
|---|---|
| Starter — under 150 transactions a month | from $450/mo |
| Growth — 150 to 500 transactions | from $900/mo |
| Rental portfolio, 3 to 10 doors | from $750/mo |
Rental property work
| Scope | Fee |
|---|---|
| 3 to 10 doors in a single LLC | from $1,800/yr |
| 10 to 25 doors | from $3,200/yr |
| 1031 exchange documentation | flat $850 per swap |
How much does a fractional CFO cost?
Different question, different order of magnitude, and the one people are most often quoted vaguely on.
- From $4,000 a month — monthly close plus a KPI dashboard.
- From $7,000 a month — adds a rolling cash forecast and board-standard reporting.
- From $12,000 a month — deal work: capital raise, acquisition, or sale preparation.
For context, a full-time CFO in Houston costs $200,000 to $300,000 all-in once benefits, bonus and equity are counted. A business between roughly $1M and $20M of revenue usually needs 15 to 40 hours a month of that judgment, not 160. That gap is the entire reason fractional exists. More on how the engagement works.
What actually moves a fee above the floor
“From” prices assume a return with records in reasonable order. Six things push a fee up, and they are worth knowing because most of them are within your control:
- Books that need fixing first. The single biggest driver. A year of uncategorised bank feed is bookkeeping work billed before any tax work starts.
- Entity count. Each additional return is its own engagement. A holding company with three operating subsidiaries is four returns and the intercompany work between them.
- States. Texas has no personal income tax, which lulls people. Own property or employ someone in another state and that state wants a return.
- Rental doors. Each property carries its own depreciation schedule and basis tracking.
- K-1s received. A partnership K-1 with entries in a dozen boxes takes real time to read correctly.
- Late or missing information. A return assembled twice costs more than a return assembled once.
Hourly or flat fee?
Most of the fees above are flat, and that is deliberate. Hourly billing creates a bad incentive on both sides: the firm earns more when a problem takes longer, and the client hesitates before picking up the phone because the meter is running.
A flat fee moves the risk of an inefficient hour onto the firm, where it belongs, and makes the answer to “should I call about this?” always yes. The trade is that the scope has to be written down properly at the start — which is a discipline worth having anyway.
If a firm will not quote you a number before starting work, the question to ask is not “why not” but “what would have to be true for you to be able to?” The usual honest answer is that they do not yet know the state of your books — which is itself a scoping conversation worth having before either of you commits.
When you do not need a CPA
Worth saying plainly, because it decides whether any of the above is relevant to you.
A W-2 job, a standard deduction and no side income does not need a CPA. Consumer tax software handles it correctly and costs a fraction. Paying $500 for a return the software would get right is not a good trade.
A single-member LLC in its first year with minimal activity is usually fine with software plus a one-off conversation about entity choice and estimated payments.
The line is usually crossed when one of these becomes true: you own rental property, you have partners, you have employees, your entity is taxed as an S-corp or partnership, you operate in more than one state, or the decisions you are making during the year are worth more than the return itself. At that point the return stops being data entry and starts being a set of positions somebody has to be willing to defend.
CPA, accountant, or bookkeeper?
These are three different jobs and the prices above reflect that.
- A bookkeeper records what happened. Accuracy and timeliness are the whole job.
- An accountant may prepare returns and financials but is not necessarily licensed.
- A CPA is licensed by a state board, carries continuing education and ethics requirements, and can represent you before the IRS. That last one matters only occasionally, and matters enormously when it does.
Most small businesses need bookkeeping monthly and a CPA annually, plus a conversation or two during the year. Buying CPA hours for data entry is expensive; buying only bookkeeping when the decisions are complex is a false economy that shows up later.
Common questions
How much does a CPA cost for a small business?
For a straightforward S-corporation or partnership return, expect $1,200 to $1,800 as a starting point in the Houston market, before bookkeeping. Add monthly bookkeeping at $450 to $900 and most small businesses land between $6,000 and $12,000 a year for everything. The largest variable is whether the books need cleaning up before the return can be prepared.
How much does a fractional CFO cost?
Retainers start around $4,000 a month for monthly close and KPI reporting, $7,000 with a rolling cash forecast and board-standard reporting, and $12,000 or more where there is deal work in flight. A full-time CFO in Houston runs $200,000 to $300,000 all-in, which is the comparison that matters.
Is a CPA worth it compared to tax software?
Not always, and it is worth being honest about that. If you have W-2 income and take the standard deduction, software is the better buy. The value shows up when you own rental property, have partners or employees, are taxed as an S-corp or partnership, operate in more than one state, or are making decisions during the year that are worth more than the return itself.
Do CPAs charge hourly or a flat fee?
Both exist. The fees on this page are flat, deliberately. Hourly billing means the firm earns more when a problem persists and the client hesitates to call. A flat fee puts the risk of an inefficient hour on the firm and makes the answer to ‘should I call about this?’ always yes.
Why do CPA fees vary so much between firms?
Market, scope and the state of your records. A Houston fee and a Manhattan fee for the same return are not comparable. Within one market, the biggest single driver is bookkeeping condition — a year of uncategorised transactions is bookkeeping work billed before any tax work begins.
What is the difference between a CPA and an accountant?
A CPA is licensed by a state board, carries continuing education and ethics requirements, and can represent you before the IRS. An accountant may do similar work without that licence. The representation right matters only occasionally, and matters a great deal when it does.
Getting a number for your situation
The fees above are real and they are starting points. What a return actually costs depends on the six drivers listed earlier, and the only way to know is to look.
Book a free 30-minute call and bring last year’s return. You will get a scoped flat fee in writing within two business days, or an honest answer that your situation does not need this firm.