How our flat-fee model actually works.

It means the price you see is the price you pay, full stop. No hourly billing, no per-form upcharges, no surprise emails in April. When you engage at a tier (say, Standard at $525), you pay $525. That covers all preparation work, internal review by the second preparer, draft delivery, Form 8879 signature collection, e-filing, federal + one state return, year-round support, and a permanent copy in your portal.

Three reasons: (1) Hourly billing punishes you for our learning curve. (2) Hourly billing creates the wrong incentive — taking longer pays more. (3) Hourly billing means surprise bills. The number-one complaint about traditional tax firms is the April bill larger than expected.

Three scenarios: (1) Scope changes mid-engagement (discovering an unmentioned K-1, side business, foreign account, or 1031 exchange) — we quote a flat adjustment in writing before doing additional work. (2) Add-on services (multiple state returns beyond included, additional K-1s, prior-year amendments). (3) Specialty engagements outside tax prep (audit representation, Tax Court referrals).

Any state return (Federal Only is for residents of AK, FL, NH, NV, SD, TN, TX, WY), itemized deductions, investment income beyond simple interest/dividends, self-employment income, rental property, K-1s.

Itemized deductions, investment income above $1,500, self-employment / Schedule C income, rental property, K-1s. Multi-state filing requires additional states at $75 each.

Self-employment income above $50,000 gross, more than one rental property, K-1s, equity compensation, foreign income. First state is included; additional states $75 each.

K-1s beyond 3 (additional $50 each), rental properties beyond tier limit (additional $100 each), Tax Court representation, bookkeeping or financial planning.

Three 10% discounts are mutually exclusive: Early-Engagement (engagement letter + organizer by Feb 15), Multi-Year Loyalty (4th+ consecutive year), Active Military (ID required). The $75 Referral Credit stacks with everything — both parties (referrer and new client) receive a $75 credit.

Stacking three 10% discounts on a $1,150 Premium return would push the discount to ~27% — past the point where the engagement makes economic sense for a small practice. Pick the one that benefits you most.

Before any work has started: full refund. After work has started: we provide a written accounting of work performed within 14 business days, and any portion not yet earned is refunded. The trigger for "work started" is when we begin extracting data from your source documents.

Minor changes (e.g., a single late 1099) are absorbed into the existing flat fee. Material changes (new K-1, side business, 1031 exchange, foreign account) trigger a pause and a written flat-adjustment quote you approve before we proceed.

Add-on: +$100 (individual) or +$150 (business) to your base tier price for each prior year. So a Standard ($525) return for tax year 2023 prepared in 2026 would be $625.

Amended individual (TaxOwl prepared original): $300. Amended individual (another preparer): $450. Amended business (TaxOwl original): $600. Amended business (other preparer): $850. The higher fee reflects time needed to understand someone else's work product.

Free with an active engagement. We file Form 4868 (individual) or 7004 (business) at no additional charge. If you're not yet engaged and just want extension filing, that's a separate engagement.

Standard tier includes one IRS notice response. Premium tier includes first audit-stage IRS response. Outside tier coverage: $225-$600 per notice depending on type (math error $225, verification $300, balance due $375, abatement letter $400, CP2000 underreporter $600).

We're deliberately small and run lean. Two preparers, no admin overhead, no office, automation-heavy prep workflow. A regional CPA firm pays for partners, associates, junior staff, office space, and 35-year track records — real costs that get passed to clients.

Chain preparers are built for high-volume W-2 returns. They're faster and cheaper than us for genuinely simple returns. We're built for complex returns where the value isn't speed — it's catching the cost-basis adjustment, the K-1 footnote, the multi-state apportionment, the prior-year carryforward. For those returns, the chain preparer's cheap fee is the most expensive part of the transaction.

Full refund if no work performed. Once work has started, fees for completed work are non-refundable. We provide a written accounting and refund any portion not yet earned.