How I work...

I charge by the hour. During the calendar year 2024, my hourly fee is $200, with a one-hour minimum. 

• W-2-only Dependent returns are $200 an hour, while Dependent returns with more complexity are charged at my regular hourly fee. 
• Information returns—W-2 & 1099 series—are $100 each.
• This fee includes up to $1,000,000 of Tax Audit Defense services from Tax Protection Plus, LLC to resolve notices, inquiries, and/or audits associated with your federal or state returns, as well as other services.
• Prior Year Returns are $99, paid upfront.

Here’s how I work: I’m going to start working on your return a few days before your appointment date. Then I’ll contact you with a list of missing items or questions I have, and I’ll expect you to be able to gather those items/answers quickly or reschedule until you can. I’m not going to start and stop your return multiple times: it takes extra time each time I open your return for me to remember what I’ve done already and what needs to be done next; you can see how that will add up on an hourly fee. So be watching your email during the week before your appointment for emails from me!

To help you, your Secure File Pro account will have both our contract and an organizer. Before I can start working on your taxes, I need a signed and dated copy of the Tax Prep Engagement Letter and the completed Organizer. The required organizer is short, with only the information IRS requires. I also have a second organizer for you if you prefer to have something more substantial to organize your documents. Please remember that I do require your actual documents scanned into Secure File Pro , faxed to me, or copies mailed to me. 

I don’t want your receipts. What I really want are subtotals of types of expenses. For example, if you are adding up housing expenses, subtotal by the categories on the Clergy Housing Exclusion Items list; or if you are adding up expenses for your Schedule C business, subtotal by the categories on the Schedule C, Part II, Expenses section. 

Ask me questions about how best to do this. We’re partners here! Plus it’s worth it to me to help you organize yourself in the first couple of years we work together to make the rest of the years go super smoothly!

Finally, get your documents to me safely. There are multiple methods for doing this which can be found on the bottom of every page of my website. chameleon.securefilepro.com

Ideally, I want you to get all your documents to me and then make your appointment.