CPA Fees · Verified Directory
What you'll actually pay for a CPA
Typical CPA fee structures for tax, audit, advisory, and ongoing accounting engagements. Hourly rates, fixed fees, and value-based pricing explained.
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Vetting checklist
Questions to ask before hiring cpa fees
- 1Are you a licensed CPA or EA, and in which states are you registered?
- 2What does engagement scope, pricing, and turnaround actually look like?
- 3Who on your team will do the work, and how do we communicate month to month?
- 4How do you handle deadlines, IRS or state notices, and audit support?
- 5Can you share two references from clients similar to my business?
CPA fee structures
How CPAs typically price their work
Fee structure usually depends on the type of work — recurring engagements are often flat-fee, project work is usually hourly.
Hourly
$150–$650
per hour
Project work, audit, litigation, ad-hoc advisory.
- Staff $150–$250
- Senior / Manager $250–$400
- Partner $350–$650+
- Detailed time-and-billing reporting
Fixed fee
$500–$5,000
per engagement
Annual tax prep, scoped advisory projects, business formation.
- Predictable price up front
- Defined deliverables and scope
- Common for tax returns and reviews
- Scope-change orders are explicit
Monthly retainer
$500–$5,000+
per month
Ongoing advisory, fractional CFO, year-round tax planning.
- Defined scope of recurring work
- Quarterly tax planning
- Year-end return included
- Unlimited email / scheduled calls
By business size
What you'll likely pay
Ranges reflect typical U.S. market pricing. Your CPA or provider will scope a specific number.
| Business size | Monthly range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual tax planning + return | $500–$2,500/yr | Annual return + 1–2 planning meetings |
| Small business advisory | $500–$1,500/mo | Monthly check-in + year-end return |
| Mid-market client | $2,500–$8,000/mo | Controller-level oversight + planning |
| Audit / review engagement | $8,000–$50,000+ | One-time, scoped by revenue and complexity |
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Hiring a verified cpa fees vs. going it alone
| Factor | Verified CPA Fees | DIY / generalist |
|---|---|---|
| Specialized expertise | Trained in cpa fees | General-purpose advice |
| Time investment | 1–2 hours to onboard | 10+ hours per filing cycle |
| Audit defense | Represents you to the IRS | You handle correspondence |
| Year-round planning | ||
| Typical cost | $150–$650 | $0 software + your hours |
| Risk of missed deductions | Low — proactive review | High — software only flags what you enter |
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By city
Find CPA Fees by city
CPA Fees in Houston, TX
Houston CPAs serve energy, healthcare, and the city's vast small-business community.
CPA Fees in Dallas, TX
Dallas accounting firms anchor finance, real estate, and corporate headquarters across DFW.
CPA Fees in Los Angeles, CA
LA's accountants specialize in entertainment, real estate, and creative-industry tax planning.
CPA Fees in San Francisco, CA
San Francisco CPAs serve startups, venture-backed companies, and complex equity-comp clients.
CPA Fees in New York City, NY
NYC's accountants cover Wall Street, media, real estate, hospitality, and the small businesses of all five boroughs.
CPA Fees in Miami, FL
Miami's CPAs specialize in international tax, real estate, hospitality, and Latin American business.
CPA Fees in Chicago, IL
Chicago accountants serve professional services, manufacturing, logistics, and the Midwest's largest corporate base.
CPA Fees in Atlanta, GA
Atlanta's CPAs support film, fintech, logistics, and one of the country's most dynamic small-business scenes.
CPA Fees in Boston, MA
Boston-area accountants serve life sciences, higher education, financial services, and innovation-economy startups.
CPA Fees in Seattle, WA
Seattle CPAs serve tech, aerospace, and the Pacific Northwest's deep entrepreneurial bench.
CPA Fees in Washington DC, DC
Washington DC accountants serve federal contractors, nonprofits, associations, and the law firms that anchor the capital's economy.
CPA Fees in Baltimore, MD
Baltimore CPAs serve healthcare systems, port and logistics operators, biotech, and the city's deep nonprofit and higher-ed community.
CPA Fees in Richmond, VA
Richmond CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, banking and insurance, tobacco-to-tech manufacturers, and Virginia's state-capital legal and government economy.
CPA Fees in Birmingham, AL
Birmingham CPAs serve banking, healthcare, steel, and the Magic City's small-business economy.
CPA Fees in Anchorage, AK
Anchorage CPAs serve oil and gas, fisheries, federal contracting, and the state's tourism economy.
CPA Fees in Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix CPAs serve semiconductors, real estate, healthcare, and one of the country's fastest-growing small-business markets.
CPA Fees in Little Rock, AR
Little Rock CPAs serve healthcare, logistics, agriculture, and the state's government and legal economy.
CPA Fees in Denver, CO
Denver CPAs serve tech, aerospace, cannabis, and the Front Range's outdoor and energy economies.
CPA Fees in Hartford, CT
Hartford CPAs serve insurance, reinsurance, manufacturing, and the broader Connecticut River Valley economy.
CPA Fees in Wilmington, DE
Wilmington CPAs serve banking, corporate trust, pharma, and the Fortune 500 entity-formation economy.
CPA Fees in Honolulu, HI
Honolulu CPAs serve tourism, military contracting, real estate, and the islands' small-business community.
CPA Fees in Boise, ID
Boise CPAs serve tech, agriculture, manufacturing, and a fast-growing relocation-driven small-business economy.
CPA Fees in Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis CPAs serve manufacturing, life sciences, logistics, and motorsports.
CPA Fees in Des Moines, IA
Des Moines CPAs serve insurance, agribusiness, biofuels, and the state's growing tech economy.
CPA Fees in Wichita, KS
Wichita CPAs serve aviation, aerospace, energy, and agriculture.
CPA Fees in Louisville, KY
Louisville CPAs serve bourbon, equine, automotive manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics (UPS Worldport).
CPA Fees in New Orleans, LA
New Orleans CPAs serve maritime, tourism, oil and gas, and the city's film and hospitality economies.
CPA Fees in Portland, ME
Portland CPAs serve tourism, fisheries, forestry, and the state's growing remote-work and craft economies.
CPA Fees in Detroit, MI
Detroit CPAs serve automotive, mobility, healthcare, and the broader Southeast Michigan manufacturing base.
CPA Fees in Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, medical devices, agribusiness, and finance.
CPA Fees in Jackson, MS
Jackson CPAs serve manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and the state's government and legal economy.
CPA Fees in St. Louis, MO
St. Louis CPAs serve agribusiness, defense, biosciences, financial services, and logistics.
CPA Fees in Billings, MT
Billings CPAs serve agriculture, energy, healthcare, and Montana's tourism economy.
CPA Fees in Omaha, NE
Omaha CPAs serve insurance, financial services, agribusiness, and the Berkshire Hathaway ecosystem.
CPA Fees in Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas CPAs serve gaming, hospitality, entertainment, real estate, and a fast-growing logistics base.
CPA Fees in Manchester, NH
Manchester CPAs serve advanced manufacturing, biotech, healthcare, and a thriving small-business community.
CPA Fees in Newark, NJ
Newark CPAs serve pharma, financial services, logistics, ports, and the NYC-metro small-business economy.
CPA Fees in Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque CPAs serve federal labs and defense, oil and gas, film, and tourism.
CPA Fees in Fargo, ND
Fargo CPAs serve agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and the Red River Valley's tech and healthcare economy.
CPA Fees in Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma City CPAs serve oil and gas, aerospace, agriculture, and the state's growing healthcare and bioscience industries.
CPA Fees in Portland, OR
Portland CPAs serve tech, athletic apparel, forestry, and the Pacific Northwest's craft beverage and outdoor industries.
CPA Fees in Providence, RI
Providence CPAs serve financial services, healthcare, defense manufacturing, and tourism.
CPA Fees in Charleston, SC
Charleston CPAs serve ports, aerospace, automotive, hospitality, and a growing tech economy.
CPA Fees in Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls CPAs serve financial services, credit card processing, trust administration, and healthcare.
CPA Fees in Brookings, SD
Brookings CPAs and QuickBooks ProAdvisors serve South Dakota State University-area businesses, agribusiness, and the city's growing tech and biotech employers.
CPA Fees in Nashville, TN
Nashville CPAs serve healthcare, music and entertainment, hospitality, and the state's franchise and excise tax compliance.
CPA Fees in Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City CPAs serve the Silicon Slopes tech corridor, outdoor recreation, mining, and financial services.
CPA Fees in Burlington, VT
Burlington CPAs serve craft food and beverage, tourism, healthcare, and outdoor brands.
CPA Fees in Charleston, WV
Charleston CPAs serve coal and natural gas, chemicals, healthcare, and state government.
CPA Fees in Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee CPAs serve manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, and the Lake Michigan industrial corridor.
CPA Fees in Cheyenne, WY
Cheyenne CPAs serve energy, ranching, trust administration, and a growing data-center and tech economy.
CPA Fees in Charlotte, NC
Charlotte CPAs serve the second-largest U.S. banking center, plus energy, healthcare, motorsports, and one of the fastest-growing relocation markets in the country.
By state
Find CPA Fees by state
Common questions
About cpa fees
How much do CPAs charge per hour?+
Staff/associates: $150–$250. Senior/manager: $250–$400. Partners: $350–$650+. Metro markets (NYC, SF, LA) sit at the high end of each band.
Do CPAs charge flat fees or hourly?+
Tax prep and recurring bookkeeping are usually flat-fee. Audit, litigation, and advisory work are typically hourly. Some firms offer monthly retainer models for ongoing advisory.
Why are CPA fees so much higher than a regular accountant?+
CPAs hold a state-issued license, have passed the Uniform CPA Exam, and carry malpractice insurance and continuing education requirements. You're paying for licensure, liability coverage, and deep technical expertise.
This information is general and does not constitute professional advice. Consult a licensed professional for guidance specific to your situation.
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2026 CPA Pricing Guide
Real fee benchmarks for tax prep, bookkeeping, payroll, and advisory — by service and business type.
Download free guideAdvisor-grade guides
Downloadable ebooks & templates
CPA-ready playbooks and templates you can use today — instant downloads, no signup required.
The Small Business Tax & Profit Playbook
A CPA-ready guide to deductions, quarterly taxes, S-Corp strategy, owner pay, cash flow, and year-round tax planning.
Business Tax Deduction Checklist
A CPA-curated checklist of 80+ business deductions most owners miss — organized by category so you can sweep it before filing.
The Definitive Bookkeeping Cleanup & Recovery Guide
The CPA's step-by-step playbook for diagnosing messy books, reconstructing missing history, and restoring a clean, audit-ready ledger.
The Freelancer Tax Guide
The practical tax playbook for freelancers, contractors, and solo creatives — deductions, quarterly estimates, and self-employment strategies.
The Year-End Tax Planning Guide
The CPA's December playbook — practical strategies to reduce your tax bill before the year closes.
The Premium Bookkeeping Template Pack
Automated dashboards, multi-account reconciliations, and CPA-ready reporting workbooks for serious owners and bookkeepers.
Tax & Bookkeeping Resource Library
Our complete advisor-grade collection — every premium asset an owner needs to run clean books, lower taxes, and recover messy ledgers, in one bundle.