One dedicated CPA. One clear price. Your return, fully handled.
The Tax Collective pairs you with a single CPA who personally prepares, reviews, files, and signs your individual return. No handoff to juniors. No call-center experience. Just a direct relationship with your own accountant.
Transparent from the start: you’ll see an estimated fee based on your forms. After you upload your documents, your CPA confirms the final price before any work begins.
HOW IT WORKS
We keep the process tight and predictable. You get a clear estimate up front, confirm the number, and then work directly with your assigned CPA through filing and beyond.
Use our document-based estimator to indicate your W-2s, 1099s, investments, self-employment, rentals, foreign items, and more. You’ll see a live estimated fee based on your mix of forms — no hourly mystery.
If the estimate looks good, you’ll upload your documents through our secure portal. A CPA reviews your file, confirms the final fee, and we send that to you for approval. Nothing moves forward until you sign off.
You’re introduced to your assigned CPA — a member of The Tax Collective team — who becomes your personal accountant. They answer your questions, request any missing items, and guide you through the rest of the process.
Your CPA prepares and signs your return, walks you through the results, and helps plan for next year. If you receive notices later, you already know exactly who to call — the same CPA who handled your file from day one.
WHY A CPA, NOT JUST SOFTWARE
For straightforward returns, software may feel “good enough” — until you factor in life changes, multiple states, equity comp, rentals, or foreign accounts. Our model is built for people who want a real accountant without a private-client price tag.
- Returns prepared, reviewed, and signed by licensed CPAs — not unlicensed preparers.
- Direct relationship with one CPA who knows your situation and history.
- Clear, document-based pricing instead of open-ended hourly bills.
- Coverage for all states, with in-person meeting options in New York.
Document-based pricing, not guesswork.
Most individual returns start with a base fee of around $300 for a straightforward wage-and-investment profile. More complex situations — self-employment, rentals, crypto, foreign filings — are priced by document type using the same estimator you see on this site.
The goal is simple: you should understand what you’re paying for, before we do the work.
For detailed form-by-form pricing, use the full estimator tool. Your final quote is always confirmed by a CPA after reviewing your documents.
ESTIMATOR & ONBOARDING
Use the estimator to get a live range based on your forms. If it works for you, you can immediately move into secure upload and onboarding — no phone tag required.
W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, Schedule C, Schedule E, foreign forms, crypto — pick what you have. If you’re not sure, the estimator page explains what each form looks like and when you’d receive it.
The calculator applies our standard schedule based on simple vs. complex versions of each item. You’ll see a total before you enter any payment details.
If the estimate fits, you’ll create a secure account, upload documents, and we’ll introduce you to your CPA. They confirm the final fee, and only then do we move ahead with the engagement.
ABOUT THE TAX COLLECTIVE
The Tax Collective is a curated group of CPAs who want to work directly with clients — not hide behind layers of staff. Each preparer takes ownership of their own clientele and stands behind the work under their name.
Our “collective” model gives you the personal attention of a small firm with the structure, technology, and backup of a coordinated team.
Stay the rainmaker. We handle the tax work.
If you’re a financial advisor, attorney, or other professional who wants a reliable tax outlet without building an internal tax department, we can be your back-end.
You keep the relationship. We take care of preparation, filing, and follow-through with your clients under a transparent referral structure.
CPAS · JOIN THE COLLECTIVE
We’re building a network where CPAs can own their book, keep client relationships personal, and plug into shared systems for intake, pricing, and compliance.
If you’re a practicing CPA interested in joining The Tax Collective, you’ll find more detail on our dedicated recruitment page — structure, expectations, and how client matching works.
Do the work. Skip the noise.
Focus on tax work and client advice while we centralize the front-end estimator, intake, and core systems. You keep control of your client list and signature.