How to Price Your Services with Confidence (and Get Paid What You’re Worth)

Pricing is one of the most challenging parts of running a tax resolution business. Many professionals undercharge because they fear losing clients, while others overcomplicate their pricing structure and confuse prospects.

Here’s the truth: If you want to attract serious clients and build a profitable practice, you need to price your services strategically and confidently.

  1. Understand the Value You Provide

    Tax resolution isn’t tax prep. You’re not just filling out forms—you’re protecting your client’s finances, future, and peace of mind. When someone owes $20,000+ to the IRS, the value of proper representation is enormous. They’re not hiring you for time; they’re hiring you for peace of mind and results.

  2. Offer Flat Fees Where Possible

    Clients like clarity. Flat fees make it easier for them to say yes and easier for you to manage your time. Structure flat fees around case types—e.g., Offer in Compromise, Installment Agreement, Penalty Abatement, etc. This also makes invoicing and collection more straightforward.

  3. Provide Package Pricing Your Services

    Consider offering different service levels: basic compliance, representation-only, and full strategy packages. This gives clients options based on their situation and budget. It also helps you avoid scope creep, since each tier has defined boundaries.

  4. Don’t Compete on Price

    There will always be someone cheaper. Compete on expertise, responsiveness, and results. Build trust and authority with prospects before they even reach out. Use content, webinars, and social proof to show your value before a pricing conversation even begins.

  5. Anchor Your Prices to Outcomes

    Don’t price your service like a commodity. Re-frame your pricing in terms of results. For example, if a client is facing $50,000 in penalties and you can help settle it for $5,000, your $4,500 fee suddenly seems like a bargain.

  6. Avoid Hourly Billing (Whenever Possible)

    Hourly billing penalizes efficiency and makes clients question your time. Project-based pricing communicates confidence and value. Only use hourly rates for unique, open-ended engagements—and make sure the client understands the estimate upfront. Hourly billing is best for audit/exam related cases as it is difficult to judge the scale of the audit.

  7. Always Use Engagement Letters

    Pricing means nothing if it’s not formalized. Clear engagement letters that outline the scope, payment terms, and additional charges protect you and set expectations. This reduces pushback and ensures you’re paid on time.

  8. Revisit Your Prices Annually

    Inflation, demand, and your expertise all change over time. Review your pricing for ALL services you provide annually and raise your rates

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Tax Pros: Who’s Really Running Your Day?

Is Your Schedule Controlling You?

You sit down at your desk, ready to tackle the big projects that will move your business forward. But before you even get started, your day is hijacked.

Client emails. IRS notices. Last-minute calls. The “Got a minute!” quick questions that somehow take 15-45+ minutes to answer.

And just like that, the work you planned to do? It never even started.

The truth is, if you don’t control your time, someone else will.

The Difference Between Reactive and Proactive Work

Many tax professionals spend their days in reactive mode—responding to what’s in front of them instead of intentionally focusing on what will truly grow their business.

Common signs you’re stuck in reactive mode:

📌 You start your day by checking emails (and get sucked in for hours)
📌 You take calls whenever a client reaches out—no matter what you’re working on
📌 You feel like you’re always working, but never making real progress
📌 Your most important projects keep getting pushed to “later”

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. The good news? There’s a way to take back control.

The Time Block Rule: How Productive Tax Pros Stay Ahead

The most successful tax professionals don’t just work harder—they work smarter by following The Time Block Rule.

Here’s how it works:

✅ Pick 1-2 “protected work blocks” per day. Usually in the morning or when you are the most energized and productive. These are non-negotiable. No emails, no phone calls, no internal meetings, no distractions—just focused work.
✅ Communicate boundaries. Set response times for emails and calls—your availability shouldn’t be 24/7. This should be a normal thing. Remember, we are not doctors and there is no financial emergency that you need to deal with outside of regular business hours. Your time is your time.
✅ Own your schedule. You don’t need to answer client requests the moment they come in. Set the rules for when and how you engage. Train (or retrain) your clients on your schedule, not the other way around. Does your doctor, dentist, attorney take your call when you call or return your call immediately. Probably not. They have a schedule and return calls or messages according to that schedule.

This isn’t about ignoring clients—it’s about creating space to actually work on the things that will build a profitable, sustainable tax practice.

How to Implement Time Blocking in Your Business

If you’re not used to protecting your schedule, … Continue reading

You’re Busy—But Are You Actually Productive?

The Biggest Lie We Tell Ourselves: “I Don’t Have Time”

If you’re a tax professional, you probably start each day feeling like you’re already behind. Your calendar is packed, your inbox is overflowing, and your phone doesn’t stop ringing. You’re constantly working—yet somehow, at the end of the day, the most important tasks remain untouched.

You’re not alone.

We’ve all said it: “I don’t have time.”

But here’s the truth—being busy and being productive aren’t the same thing.

Why Being Busy Feels Like Progress (But Isn’t)

There’s a reason tax professionals fall into the “busy” trap so easily. We thrive on solving problems, responding to client needs, and handling urgent tasks. The problem? Urgent doesn’t always mean important.

Many tax pros spend their best energy on:

📌 Answering never-ending client emails, immediately when they hit the inbox.
📌 Attending meetings that could have been an email
📌 Handling administrative work instead of high-value cases. You know, that $10-20/hour work.
📌 Jumping between tasks without real focus

At the end of the day, you’re exhausted—but what actually moved your business forward?

If you feel stuck in a cycle of busyness without progress, it’s time to shift your approach.

The Productivity Hack: The Priority Filter

Instead of starting your day by reacting to emails and client requests, try this instead:

🔥 The Priority Filter 🔥

Before you start your workday, ask yourself one question:

“If I only get ONE thing done today, what would make the biggest impact?”

Not just on today’s work—but on your long-term business growth.

This could be:

✅ Following up with a high-value prospect who could become a premium client
✅ Streamlining a process that wastes hours of your time every week
✅ Working on marketing efforts that attract better clients
✅ Raising your fees to reflect the real value of your services
✅ Delegating a task to a VA, contractor or employee. Or hiring one of these if you do not have them

Once you identify that task, block out time for it first.

Do it before checking emails.
Do it before responding to client messages or returning phone calls.
Do it before distractions pull you in 10 different directions.

The Power of Focused Work

Most tax professionals don’t need more hours in the day—they need better focus.

Think about the last time you had a completely focused hour. No interruptions. No checking notifications. Just deep work on something that actually … Continue reading