1. Identify the work
Confirm the service, entity, tax periods, states, deadlines, and immediate goal.
Clear scope before engagement
Tax and accounting service pricing and scope guide
IntegraFin provides a written quote after reviewing the service, records, deadlines, entities, filing periods, and follow-up involved. This guide explains what may be included, what normally requires a separate scope, and what information is needed for a useful quote.
2. Review the records
Check record availability, bookkeeping condition, notices, prior filings, and open questions.
3. Define the scope
State deliverables, exclusions, responsibilities, timing dependencies, and third-party costs.
4. Approve in writing
Review the applicable proposal or engagement terms before work and payment begin.
Last reviewed: July 24, 2026
Compare service scope
Select a service to review its likely inclusions, separate work, quote factors, records, and timing dependencies. The final engagement—not this page—controls the actual service and fee.
Individual tax preparation
A written quote is based on the returns, schedules, states, filing years, and records involved—not only the number of tax forms.
Quoted after filing-scope review
May be included in the written scope
- • Document and prior-return intake for the agreed filing year
- • Preparation of the federal and state returns named in the engagement
- • Open-question list, taxpayer review, and filing authorization workflow
- • Electronic filing when the return and agency system are eligible
Usually separate unless stated
- • Amended or prior-year returns and additional states
- • Business, rental, foreign-reporting, estate, trust, or notice work
- • Bookkeeping reconstruction or missing-record cleanup
What affects the quote
- • Income types, schedules, entities, rentals, and investments
- • Number of states and filing years
- • Record completeness, deadlines, and unresolved tax questions
Helpful records for intake
- • Prior-year return and identity information
- • W-2, 1099, K-1, investment, retirement, and payment records
- • Deduction, credit, dependent, business, and state records that apply
Timing: The working timeline begins after the agreed records are received. Open questions, missing documents, filing-season volume, and agency availability can change completion timing.
Business tax returns
The quote identifies the entity, tax year, return type, states, bookkeeping condition, owner coordination, and filing deadline.
Entity-specific written quote
May be included in the written scope
- • Entity and filing-history intake for the agreed return
- • Review of available trial balance, financial reports, and tax records
- • Preparation, open questions, client review, and authorization workflow
- • Electronic filing when eligible and included in the engagement
Usually separate unless stated
- • Bookkeeping cleanup, payroll filings, sales tax, and owner returns
- • Amended returns, prior years, notices, elections, and extra states
- • Audit, review, assurance, legal, valuation, or transaction services
What affects the quote
- • Entity type, states, filing years, ownership, and activity
- • Bookkeeping quality and required adjusting work
- • Payroll, inventory, fixed assets, loans, and related-party transactions
Helpful records for intake
- • Prior return, formation and election records, and ownership details
- • Year-end balance sheet, profit and loss, and general ledger
- • Payroll, contractor, asset, loan, state, and owner-transaction records
Timing: Timing depends on tax-ready books, owner answers, third-party forms, extension status, and filing deadlines. Cleanup is scheduled separately when the books are not ready.
Monthly bookkeeping
Recurring scope is built from transaction volume, accounts, entities, reporting frequency, software, and the condition of the starting books.
Recurring scope after books review
May be included in the written scope
- • Agreed transaction classification and account reconciliations
- • Monthly open-question workflow and missing-document follow-up
- • Agreed bookkeeping reports after the monthly close
- • Defined software access and close-calendar responsibilities
Usually separate unless stated
- • Historical cleanup, catch-up work, migrations, and new-file setup
- • Bill pay, invoicing, collections, payroll, sales tax, and inventory
- • Controller, CFO, tax return, assurance, and advisory work
What affects the quote
- • Monthly transactions, bank and credit-card accounts, and entities
- • Software, integrations, classes, locations, and reporting detail
- • Close frequency, record quality, and client response time
Helpful records for intake
- • Accounting-file access and prior bookkeeping reports
- • Bank, card, loan, payment-platform, and payroll statements
- • Business activity, owner transactions, and reporting requirements
Timing: The close calendar is agreed after access and records are reviewed. Reports can be delayed by missing statements, unresolved transactions, or late client responses.
Bookkeeping cleanup
Cleanup is scoped by the months, accounts, entities, transaction volume, unreconciled balances, and reporting purpose.
Project quote after diagnostic review
May be included in the written scope
- • Diagnostic review of the agreed file, periods, and accounts
- • Agreed classification, reconciliation, and balance-review work
- • Open-question list and record requests
- • Closing summary and agreed bookkeeping reports
Usually separate unless stated
- • Tax returns, payroll corrections, sales-tax filings, and notices
- • Forensic accounting, fraud review, audit, or assurance
- • Ongoing monthly bookkeeping after the cleanup period
What affects the quote
- • Number of months, accounts, transactions, and entities
- • Missing statements, duplicates, unreconciled balances, and migrations
- • Payroll, inventory, loans, payment platforms, and owner activity
Helpful records for intake
- • Accounting-file access and the last reliable close date
- • Bank, card, loan, payroll, and payment-platform statements
- • Prior returns, financial reports, and known problem balances
Timing: A reliable timeline is provided after the diagnostic review. Missing records and unanswered transaction questions are the most common reasons a cleanup takes longer.
Payroll record and tax support
Payroll work is defined by employee count, pay frequency, states, filing periods, provider, missing filings, and notice history.
Quoted after payroll-status review
May be included in the written scope
- • Review of the payroll records and periods named in the engagement
- • Deposit, wage-summary, and filing-status organization
- • Agreed reconciliation, filing, or notice-support workflow
- • Clear client approvals and responsibility calendar
Usually separate unless stated
- • Human-resources, employment-law, benefits, and workers compensation
- • Historical corrections, multi-state registrations, and agency notices
- • Bookkeeping, business returns, and owner compensation planning
What affects the quote
- • Employees, states, pay frequency, entities, and filing periods
- • Provider access, missing returns, deposit history, and amendments
- • Notices, prior errors, and year-end reporting requirements
Helpful records for intake
- • Payroll-provider reports and employee/contractor summaries
- • Filed Forms 941, 940, W-2/W-3, state returns, and deposit records
- • Agency notices and bookkeeping payroll-liability balances
Timing: Recurring deadlines and agency response dates control the schedule. Correction work begins only after the affected periods and available records are confirmed.
IRS notice assistance
The initial scope is based on the exact notice, response deadline, tax periods, returns, records, transcript needs, and available professional authorization.
Quoted after notice and deadline review
May be included in the written scope
- • Review of the notice, deadline, tax periods, and available records
- • Comparison with the relevant return or filing history
- • Explanation of the initial response options and missing information
- • Preparation of the response work specifically named in the engagement
Usually separate unless stated
- • Missing or amended returns, bookkeeping, and transcript projects
- • Payment arrangements, penalty requests, appeals, or collection matters
- • Representation that requires separate authorization or another professional
What affects the quote
- • Notice type, deadline, tax periods, and procedural stage
- • Missing returns, records, transcripts, and financial disclosures
- • Required correspondence, calls, authorization, and follow-up
Helpful records for intake
- • Complete notice including every page and envelope date if available
- • Relevant return, supporting documents, payments, and prior correspondence
- • Timeline of IRS or state contacts and any approaching deadline
Timing: Deadlines are reviewed first. Agency processing and outcomes are outside IntegraFin's control, and no relief, settlement, response time, or result is guaranteed.
LLC formation tax setup
The quote separates formation support, tax classification, EIN readiness, bookkeeping launch, payroll questions, and first-year compliance work.
Quoted after owner and entity intake
May be included in the written scope
- • Owner, activity, formation-state, and tax-setup intake
- • EIN readiness and federal tax-classification workflow
- • Bookkeeping, banking, owner-transaction, and payroll-record checklist
- • First-year tax and accounting next-step summary
Usually separate unless stated
- • Government fees, registered-agent costs, and software subscriptions
- • Legal formation advice, contracts, licenses, and liability advice
- • Elections, payroll setup, bookkeeping, and returns beyond written scope
What affects the quote
- • Owners, formation state, activity, tax treatment, and launch stage
- • EIN, election, payroll, sales-tax, and bookkeeping needs
- • Existing formation work and first-year deadlines
Helpful records for intake
- • Owner and responsible-party details
- • Available formation, EIN, election, and registered-agent records
- • Expected activity, banking, payroll, contractor, and software plans
Timing: The plan is scheduled after the owner and formation facts are confirmed. Government approvals, legal work, and third-party processing times are outside IntegraFin's control.
Before you approve work
- Confirm the exact deliverables, entities, filing periods, states, and deadlines.
- Confirm what IntegraFin needs from you and when those records are due.
- Identify government, software, legal, and other third-party costs separately.
- Review payment, cancellation, refund, retainer, and change-of-scope terms.
- Do not rely on an oral estimate when the written engagement says something different.
Important limitations
Fees do not guarantee a refund, tax savings, penalty relief, agency approval, processing time, clean bookkeeping result, or other outcome. Tax, accounting, payroll, formation, and notice work depends on accurate records, timely client decisions, applicable law, professional authorization, agency systems, and the written engagement.
Pricing and scope FAQ
Why does IntegraFin not publish one fixed price for every service?
Tax and accounting work can differ by entity, filing year, state, transaction volume, record condition, deadlines, and required follow-up. IntegraFin reviews the relevant facts before issuing a written scope and quote.
Will I receive a written quote before work begins?
The service, deliverables, client responsibilities, fees, payment terms, and important exclusions should be stated in the applicable proposal or engagement letter before the agreed work begins.
Are government filing fees and software costs included?
Government charges, registered-agent fees, legal fees, software subscriptions, payment-processing costs, and other third-party charges are separate unless the written proposal expressly includes them.
Can the price change after work starts?
A change in records, entities, filing periods, deadlines, or requested deliverables can change the scope. Additional work should be identified and approved before it is added.
Is an initial consultation free?
Availability, whether an introductory scope call is complimentary, and what it covers are confirmed when the appointment is scheduled. A scope call is not a substitute for an engagement or individualized tax, legal, or financial advice.
How do cancellation and refund terms work?
The applicable proposal or engagement letter controls cancellation, refund, credit, retainer, and completed-work terms. Review those terms before authorizing work or making payment.
Request a scope review
Tell us the service, entity, filing periods, current records, and important deadline. Do not send Social Security numbers, tax documents, banking details, or account credentials through the public form.
Request a written quote