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
Houston, TX
Houston CPAs serve energy, healthcare, and the city's vast small-business community.
Dallas, TX
Dallas accounting firms anchor finance, real estate, and corporate headquarters across DFW.
Los Angeles, CA
LA's accountants specialize in entertainment, real estate, and creative-industry tax planning.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco CPAs serve startups, venture-backed companies, and complex equity-comp clients.
New York City, NY
NYC's accountants cover Wall Street, media, real estate, hospitality, and the small businesses of all five boroughs.
Miami, FL
Miami's CPAs specialize in international tax, real estate, hospitality, and Latin American business.
Chicago, IL
Chicago accountants serve professional services, manufacturing, logistics, and the Midwest's largest corporate base.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta's CPAs support film, fintech, logistics, and one of the country's most dynamic small-business scenes.
Boston, MA
Boston-area accountants serve life sciences, higher education, financial services, and innovation-economy startups.
Seattle, WA
Seattle CPAs serve tech, aerospace, and the Pacific Northwest's deep entrepreneurial bench.
Washington DC, DC
Washington DC accountants serve federal contractors, nonprofits, associations, and the law firms that anchor the capital's economy.
Baltimore, MD
Baltimore CPAs serve healthcare systems, port and logistics operators, biotech, and the city's deep nonprofit and higher-ed community.
Richmond, VA
Richmond CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, banking and insurance, tobacco-to-tech manufacturers, and Virginia's state-capital legal and government economy.
Birmingham, AL
Birmingham CPAs serve banking, healthcare, steel, and the Magic City's small-business economy.
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage CPAs serve oil and gas, fisheries, federal contracting, and the state's tourism economy.
Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix CPAs serve semiconductors, real estate, healthcare, and one of the country's fastest-growing small-business markets.
Little Rock, AR
Little Rock CPAs serve healthcare, logistics, agriculture, and the state's government and legal economy.
Denver, CO
Denver CPAs serve tech, aerospace, cannabis, and the Front Range's outdoor and energy economies.
Hartford, CT
Hartford CPAs serve insurance, reinsurance, manufacturing, and the broader Connecticut River Valley economy.
Wilmington, DE
Wilmington CPAs serve banking, corporate trust, pharma, and the Fortune 500 entity-formation economy.
Honolulu, HI
Honolulu CPAs serve tourism, military contracting, real estate, and the islands' small-business community.
Boise, ID
Boise CPAs serve tech, agriculture, manufacturing, and a fast-growing relocation-driven small-business economy.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis CPAs serve manufacturing, life sciences, logistics, and motorsports.
Des Moines, IA
Des Moines CPAs serve insurance, agribusiness, biofuels, and the state's growing tech economy.
Wichita, KS
Wichita CPAs serve aviation, aerospace, energy, and agriculture.
Louisville, KY
Louisville CPAs serve bourbon, equine, automotive manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics (UPS Worldport).
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans CPAs serve maritime, tourism, oil and gas, and the city's film and hospitality economies.
Portland, ME
Portland CPAs serve tourism, fisheries, forestry, and the state's growing remote-work and craft economies.
Detroit, MI
Detroit CPAs serve automotive, mobility, healthcare, and the broader Southeast Michigan manufacturing base.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, medical devices, agribusiness, and finance.
Jackson, MS
Jackson CPAs serve manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and the state's government and legal economy.
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis CPAs serve agribusiness, defense, biosciences, financial services, and logistics.
Billings, MT
Billings CPAs serve agriculture, energy, healthcare, and Montana's tourism economy.
Omaha, NE
Omaha CPAs serve insurance, financial services, agribusiness, and the Berkshire Hathaway ecosystem.
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas CPAs serve gaming, hospitality, entertainment, real estate, and a fast-growing logistics base.
Manchester, NH
Manchester CPAs serve advanced manufacturing, biotech, healthcare, and a thriving small-business community.
Newark, NJ
Newark CPAs serve pharma, financial services, logistics, ports, and the NYC-metro small-business economy.
Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque CPAs serve federal labs and defense, oil and gas, film, and tourism.
Fargo, ND
Fargo CPAs serve agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and the Red River Valley's tech and healthcare economy.
Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma City CPAs serve oil and gas, aerospace, agriculture, and the state's growing healthcare and bioscience industries.
Portland, OR
Portland CPAs serve tech, athletic apparel, forestry, and the Pacific Northwest's craft beverage and outdoor industries.
Providence, RI
Providence CPAs serve financial services, healthcare, defense manufacturing, and tourism.
Charleston, SC
Charleston CPAs serve ports, aerospace, automotive, hospitality, and a growing tech economy.
Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls CPAs serve financial services, credit card processing, trust administration, and healthcare.
Nashville, TN
Nashville CPAs serve healthcare, music and entertainment, hospitality, and the state's franchise and excise tax compliance.
Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City CPAs serve the Silicon Slopes tech corridor, outdoor recreation, mining, and financial services.
Burlington, VT
Burlington CPAs serve craft food and beverage, tourism, healthcare, and outdoor brands.
Charleston, WV
Charleston CPAs serve coal and natural gas, chemicals, healthcare, and state government.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee CPAs serve manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, and the Lake Michigan industrial corridor.
Cheyenne, WY
Cheyenne CPAs serve energy, ranching, trust administration, and a growing data-center and tech economy.
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.
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.