Free Guide · TaxOwl Pro

The Solo Tax Preparer Pricing Guide

A no-fluff playbook for new and side-hustle tax preparers — what to charge, how to structure tiers, when to raise rates, and the pricing mistakes that quietly kill solo practices in year 1. Free. No upsell to a $2,000 mastermind.

What’s inside (12 pages, ~20 min read)

  • The “race-to-the-bottom” trap — why undercutting kills your year-2 retention
  • How to calculate your minimum viable price (real math, not vibes)
  • Flat fee vs hourly vs per-form: which works for solos and why
  • Pricing tiers that convert — Federal-Only / Essential / Standard / Premium framework
  • When (and how) to raise rates without losing clients
  • The 3 add-ons solos forget to charge for
  • Why “$50 cheaper than H&R Block” is the worst possible positioning
  • What CrossLink, Drake, and ProSeries pricing models actually mean for your margin
  • 5 niche-specific pricing benchmarks (real estate agents, restaurants, freelancers, retirees, S-corps)

Table of contents

  1. Why pricing is the #1 reason solos fail
  2. Calculate your minimum viable price
  3. Pick your pricing model (flat-fee, hourly, per-form)
  4. Build your tier structure
  5. The 3 add-ons you’re not charging for
  6. Niche-specific benchmarks
  7. How to raise rates without losing clients
  8. What software pricing actually costs you
  9. Pricing mistakes that kill year-2 retention
  10. Quick-reference pricing checklist

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12-page PDF · $0

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Who this is for

You’re a solo tax preparer or side-hustle preparer with PTIN in hand. You’ve prepared somewhere between 0 and 100 returns. You’re trying to figure out what to charge so you can actually pay yourself, retain clients into year 2, and avoid the “I made $8K and it killed me” outcome that hits most year-1 solos.

Who this is NOT for

You’re already running a $300K+ practice. Your pricing is dialed in. You don’t need 12 pages on minimum viable price. (You may, however, want to read our “TaxOwl Pro vs Drake” comparison — link below.)

What you get after you sign up

Why we wrote this

The #1 question we get from prospective TaxOwl Pro customers isn’t “how does the software work” — it’s “how do I price my services.” Drake and ProSeries don’t help you with this. Neither does any tax-software vendor. We’re filling the gap because we think solos who price well are solos who renew their software year after year. Aligned incentives, not a sales tactic.

Already a TaxOwl Pro subscriber? This guide is included in the TaxOwl Academy inside The Hub — no signup needed.