Stupid Question?

[Unregistered]

How do you determine the price of returns you file out? By the sheet or forms or your time or their income? The woman I worked for was way over board on her prices until they are coming to me now. I don't want to charge real high but not low either.
Can anyone give me ideas about this so I can be fair for me and the clients?

[BOB W]

Checking out your local preparers.....

... is the only way to be fair to yourself and your customers. National feed back will do nothing for you.

[Gretel]

How do you check out your local preparers, if you don't see returns from them brought in by clients who left them?

They, just like me, don't give any quotes over the phone.

[JoshinNC]

Google!

just keep searching until you come up with a fee schedule.

otherwise, take your hourly rate and multiply it by the average amount of time spent on a return, to come up with a number.

[Chief]

No Stupid Question

I struggled with the very thing you did. I was determined to attract people who were looking for something for nothing. They do not want to pay anything. I started out entirely too low. Now I charge by form and have had no one complain. The clients I have complex returns to file and would not do their own for anything. My prices are still lower than the national chains but yet high enough for me to be paid for my time.
I have quoted a few times over the phone, but think I will stop that. The prospective client never tells you the whole story. Through experience you will come to a satisfactory point of setting your charges. Dont set them too low because you can't increase them by much each year. Good luck.

[Unregistered]

I struggled with the very thing you did. I was determined to attract people who were looking for something for nothing. They do not want to pay anything. I started out entirely too low. Now I charge by form and have had no one complain. The clients I have complex returns to file and would not do their own for anything. My prices are still lower than the national chains but yet high enough for me to be paid for my time.
I have quoted a few times over the phone, but think I will stop that. The prospective client never tells you the whole story. Through experience you will come to a satisfactory point of setting your charges. Dont set them too low because you can't increase them by much each year. Good luck.

You are so right about starting out low, it is hard to raise prices after that. Thank you so very much for your input on this matter that bugged me. Appreciate it greatly!