Benchmark 1040 Fee Flattens Out at $233

Rates up only $4 in two years for “Main Street” firms.

Most tax professionals will be charging an average of $233 for a typical itemized return this year, relatively unchanged since the beginning of the recession, according to a new survey of National Society of Accountants members.

The new $233 benchmark represents barely a $4 increase in the two years since the last biennial survey, when accountants posted a 10% advance from the 2007 poll, which followed a scant 2% gain from $201 in 2005.

The survey of nearly 8,000 tax preparers by the NSA found that the average fee for preparing an itemized Form 1040 with a Schedule A and a state tax return cost taxpayers only $233 this year. Rates for non-itemized returns are also largely unchanged at $128 for a Form 1040 and state return without itemized deductions.

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