Fees, stated plainly
Hourly billing against a retainer, under a written engagement letter. No contingent fees, no percentage-of-savings fees, no "flat fee that grows."
Per hour, billed in six-minute increments, itemized as work proceeds.
Applied against hourly work; any unused balance is refunded.
Depending on the completeness of your records and IRS response times.
Why hourly, and only hourly
Dr. Dion Gouws, CPA bills hourly, against a retainer, under a written engagement letter. Treasury Circular 230 restricts contingent fees for this work for licensed practitioners; more to the point, hourly billing keeps our advice honest — we have no incentive to file an offer that shouldn't be filed.
| IRS costs (paid to IRS, not us) | $205 application fee plus a required initial offer payment, unless you qualify for the low-income certification |
|---|---|
| Billing increments | Six minutes, with itemized statements as work proceeds |
| Unused retainer | Refunded |
What the retainer covers first
Early work is diagnostic: reviewing transcripts, verifying balances and collection statute dates, and computing your Reasonable Collection Potential. If that analysis shows an offer is not viable, we tell you before further costs accrue — that conversation is the single most valuable thing you can pay a preparer for.