Best Questions to Ask Before Hiring a CPA

Credentials and fit

• What state are you licensed in, and is the license active?
• How many clients in my industry do you currently serve?
• What entity types do you most commonly file (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, partnership)?
• Do you handle multi-state filings?
• Who on your team will actually do my work — you or staff?

Services and scope

• Do you offer tax prep only, or also planning?
• What does monthly bookkeeping include in your firm?
• Can you represent me in an IRS audit?
• Do you handle payroll directly or refer it out?
• What advisory or strategy work is built into the engagement?

Pricing and engagement terms

• Is the fee flat, hourly, or value-based?
• What is included in the quoted price, and what triggers extra fees?
• How are out-of-scope requests billed?
• What is your year-end close fee?
• Do you require a retainer or upfront payment?

Communication and responsiveness

• What is your typical response time to client questions?
• Do you offer scheduled planning calls, or only ad-hoc?
• Who is my main point of contact?
• What client portal or software do you use?
• How do you handle communication during tax season?

Process and red flags

• What is your client onboarding process?
• How do you handle prior-year cleanup if my books are messy?
• What software do you require me to use?
• Can you provide two references from current clients?
• What does it look like if we decide to part ways?

Bonus: questions a great CPA will ask YOU

A good CPA interviews you back. Expect questions about your entity, owners, revenue, multi-state activity, prior-year issues, planned changes, and your goals. If they don't ask, they're quoting blind — and the quote will likely change after engagement.