CPA Trendlines Research Cornerstone Reports deliver instant situational awareness on the day’s hottest topics.
By CPA Trendlines Research
Tax return pricing in 2026 is best understood as a structural repricing rather than a routine inflation adjustment. Firms are charging more, charging differently, and narrowing capacity.
MORE on Pricing.
In this Cornerstone Report, CPA Trendlines finds a 45.7% rise in the national average base fee for a 1040 with Schedules 1–3 (2023 to 2025); benchmark add-on prices for common schedules; national averages for entity and fiduciary returns; fee-increase cadence and the dominant 6%–10% increase band; a median typical-client fee level of $1,263; a common unbilled-work leakage estimate of 6%; and large-firm benchmarking metrics that show how higher rates interact with realization and income per partner.
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