Tax advisory
One defined tax question, scoped and quoted in writing before any work begins. Entity choice, residency, estimated payments, and the tax result of a decision you have not made yet.
Who this is for
You are choosing between a sole proprietorship, an LLC, and an S corporation election.
You are moving into or out of the United States and want to know what it does to your filing position.
You have a sale or a distribution coming and want the tax result before you commit to it.
You want your estimated payments worked out rather than guessed at.
If your situation is close to one of these but not quite the same, describe it and you will get a straight answer about whether it is a good fit.
What is included
- The question scoped in writing, with a fixed fee agreed before any work starts
- The analysis, naming the rule, section, or test the answer rests on
- A written answer, rather than a conversation you have to remember a year later
- Follow up needed to close out the question that was agreed
What it costs
Starting fees for this service, confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Service | Forms | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Tax advisoryOne defined question, scoped and quoted in writing before any work starts. | Not form based | from $250 |
See the full table for every service and for what changes a price.
What is not included
Stated plainly, because an unclear scope is what turns a fixed fee into an argument. Anything below can usually still be done, and is quoted separately before it starts.
- Preparing the return itself, which is quoted separately
- Bookkeeping, or reconstructing records before a question can be answered, which is a separate service
- A formal tax opinion written to be relied on by a lender, an investor, or any other third party
- Representation in an audit or an appeal
- Legal, immigration, or investment advice of any kind
Common questions
How is an advisory engagement priced?
As a fixed fee for a question defined in writing before the work starts. There is no hourly rate and no open ended retainer. If answering the question turns out to require work that was not in the scope, the additional fee is agreed with you before that work is done.
Do you have to prepare my return for me to advise on it?
No. Advisory work is available on its own. Where the question depends on what is already on a filed return, a copy of that return is needed before the question can be answered, whoever prepared it.
What do I actually get at the end?
A written answer to the question that was scoped, naming the rule, section, or test the answer rests on. It is written to be kept and re-read rather than delivered only in conversation, because a decision made on tax advice is usually revisited a year later.
Is this a formal tax opinion?
No. It is advice to you on your own facts, and it is not written to be relied on by a lender, an investor, or any other third party. A formal opinion is a different product with a different standard behind it, and it is not offered here.
Can you tell me what I will save?
No outcome is promised before the facts are known, and no figure is quoted to win the work. Where a question has a number attached to it, that number comes out of the analysis and is shown with the assumptions it rests on.
Start here
Describe your situation and you will have a fixed fee in writing within one business day. Do not send documents or identifying numbers until that fee is agreed.