02 · CPA & tax advisory scope

Tax returns, entity strategy and financial reporting

From pass-through business filings and equity-compensation returns to lender-ready compiled statements, every engagement starts with a written scope letter. A price marked from is the starting fee for the simplest form of that service, confirmed in writing after the prior-year return is reviewed.

A mechanical adding machine on a desk, its numbered keys and plus bar in the foreground and the type bars behind. — A mechanical adding machine. Every fee on this page is quoted against a written engagement scope.

All six services

S-01

Individual & equity-comp returns

from $495

Modern personal returns rarely stop at a single W-2. Form 1040 and state filings bring in K-1 pass-through income, rental depreciation and passive-loss rules, brokerage gains and wash-sale adjustments, RSU, ISO and ESPP exercises with corrected cost basis, and backdoor Roth reporting on Form 8606.

Best for families, K-1 owners, landlords and equity-compensated professionals.

Fee basis Form 1040 plus state return, scaled by schedules.

Included

Federal and multi-state part-year or nonresident allocations
Equity-comp lots checked so vested shares are not taxed twice

Not included notice representation and business entity returns, each quoted separately.

Ask about individual returns

S-02

Business tax returns

from $1,250

Federal and multi-state returns for S-Corporations, multi-member LLCs and partnerships, C-Corporations and sole proprietors. The year-end balance sheet and trial balance are reconciled to tax basis, fixed-asset depreciation is optimised under Section 179, bonus depreciation and the de minimis safe harbour, and shareholder basis and Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) elections are tracked year to year.

Best for owners filing Forms 1120-S, 1065, 1120 or Schedule C.

Fee basis from $1,250 per entity return, quoted in the engagement letter.

Included

Federal and multi-state corporate and partnership filings
Schedule K-1 packages delivered on time to every owner
Section 179 and bonus depreciation schedules
A book-to-tax reconciliation of the year-end trial balance

Not included the personal return of any owner and compiled financial statements. Each is a separate service with its own fee.

Ask about business tax returns

S-03

Compiled & reviewed financials

from $1,650

When a commercial lender, SBA underwriter, licensing board or bonding company asks for CPA-prepared financials, an internal QuickBooks printout is not enough. Working under AICPA SSARS standards, the studio's licensed CPAs perform compilation and review engagements on a GAAP or tax basis.

Best for bank credit lines, SBA loans and surety bonding.

Fee basis an AICPA SSARS compilation or review engagement.

Included

Properly classified balance sheet, income statement and cash flows
Footnote disclosures, issued under a licensed CPA's report

Not included monthly bookkeeping. The studio works alongside your bookkeeper.

Ask about financial statements

A run of numbered archive boxes standing on green repository shelving, their reference labels reading 216 to 222 in sequence. — Numbered records in sequence. Returns and financial statements both begin with the prior-year documents in order, because a figure is only as sound as the record behind it.

S-04

Tax planning & S-Corp strategy

from $850

Real tax savings happen before the year closes. In autumn planning sessions the studio runs side-by-side projections on actual year-to-date profit, tests whether an S-Corporation election saves meaningful self-employment tax after payroll and compliance costs, documents reasonable officer compensation, and sizes retirement or equipment decisions while there is still time to act.

Best for owners and professionals who want their number before December 31.

Fee basis a standalone projection, or bundled into an annual plan.

Included

Q3 and Q4 tax liability projections
LLC versus S-Corp reasonable-salary modelling
Solo 401(k) or SEP structuring and calibrated quarterly vouchers

Not included filing of any kind. The projection informs the return; it does not replace it.

Ask about tax planning

S-05

New entity formation

from $750

A new venture or holding company starts on clean tax footing from day one. The studio models five-year tax outcomes across entity structures, obtains the federal EIN and state withholding and sales-tax accounts, and coordinates directly with your corporate attorney on the operating agreement's tax clauses.

Best for founders choosing between LLC, S-Corp, partnership and C-Corp.

Fee basis entity structure analysis, EIN and Form 2553 filing.

Included

Side-by-side entity tax modelling
Federal and state tax registrations
Form 2553 elections, including Rev. Proc. 2013-30 late-election relief where eligible

Not included state and federal registration fees, and legal drafting of the entity documents themselves.

Ask about entity formation

S-06

IRS & state notice resolution

$275 / hour

A certified letter from the IRS or the state department of revenue does not automatically mean the proposed balance is right. As licensed CPAs and Enrolled Agents with unlimited practice rights before the IRS, the studio files Form 2848 Power of Attorney, pulls your IRS transcripts, drafts substantiated written responses and speaks directly with revenue officers on your behalf.

Best for CP2000 mismatch notices, payroll inquiries and correspondence audits.

Fee basis hourly, or a scoped flat fee after the notice is reviewed.

Included

Form 2848 Power of Attorney filed and transcripts pulled
A substantiated written response to the notice
Eligible first-time penalty abatement requests

Not included a promised outcome. The response is built on the records; the agency decides the result.

Ask about notice resolution

Filing calendar

The federal deadlines our year is built around

Jan 31Wage and contractor statements reach the people named on them.
Mar 15Partnership and S-corporation returns.
Apr 15Individual returns, and the first estimated payment of the year.
Jun 15Second estimated payment.
Sep 15Third estimated payment, and extended partnership and S-corporation returns.
Oct 15Extended individual returns.

Where one of these dates falls at a weekend or a public holiday the filing date moves to the next working day. State dates are confirmed against the calendar that applies to the entity rather than assumed from the federal one.

Reading the calendar

Individual returns and business returns answer to the rows above; tax planning sits beside the estimated-payment rows, with projections run in the third and fourth quarters. Financial statements, entity formation and notice resolution run to the lender's, the founder's or the agency's timetable.

Complete organisers received after the late-February cutoff go on a protective six-month extension, with an accurate April payment calculation so late-filing penalties are avoided.

Side by side

Six engagements, compared at a glance

Every engagement letter quotes the exact fee after the prior-year return is reviewed, so there is no open-ended billing surprise in April.

Six services compared by starting price, timing and first step
Service	Starting price	Usual timing	First step
S-01 Individual & equity-comp returns	from $495	By Apr 15, or extended to Oct 15	Share last year’s return
S-02 Business tax returns	from $1,250	By Mar 15 or Apr 15	Share the year-end trial balance
S-03 Compiled & reviewed financials	from $1,650	Set by the lender’s date	Name the lender or bonding request
S-04 Tax planning & S-Corp strategy	from $850	Q3 and Q4, before Dec 31	Share year-to-date profit
S-05 New entity formation	from $750	Before the venture starts trading	Describe the venture and owners
S-06 IRS & state notice resolution	$275 / hour	Inside the notice’s response window	Upload every page of the notice

03 · Process

How contact works

01

Tell us what you need

Name the service and the one question or deadline that matters most. Please leave Social Security numbers and tax PDFs out of the form; an encrypted portal link follows once a call is confirmed.

02

Prior-year return diagnostic

Last year’s return goes through the secure link ahead of a 30-minute consultation, so missed elections can be spotted and the fee quoted accurately.

03

Approve the engagement letter

Work begins once you approve a written scope and fee. Quick questions during the year do not trigger surprise hourly bills.

04 · Suitability

If two services look equally suitable

Many clients need more than one engagement: an S-Corp owner usually needs a business return, a personal return and an autumn projection. If you are unsure where your situation falls, name the services that look close, describe the year in a sentence or two, and a CPA or Enrolled Agent will say which scope fits and what it would cost.

Ask which service fits

Also useful

Taxpayer questions answered
Meet the CPAs & Enrolled Agents
How the studio works

05 · Contact

Schedule a tax consultation

Name the service and the studio will confirm the scope and the fee in a written engagement letter before any preparation begins.

Book Send an enquiry

Or write to hello@northlinetaxstudio.example and the studio replies Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.