How Much Does a Startup Tax Return Cost?
We’ve put together this calculator to help you estimate the cost of preparing your startup’s tax return.
KRUZE CONSULTING
Is your startup ready to work with Kruze Consulting? Do you want to know how much it will cost and what you will get in return? We’ve put together this calculator to help you estimate the cost of preparing your startup’s tax return.
Remember, your startup is unique and this tool is intended to be a guide. Please contact us for a free consultation.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- Why work with Kruze Consulting?
- What's it like to work with Kruze?
- Who will I work with?
- What clients do you work with?
- Once we've signed our Engagement Letter, how do we get started?
- Is there anything you don't do?
- What does a startup tax return cost?
- Those rates are expensive! Why do you charge that for hourly rates?
- What if I can't afford the $500/month minimum?
- What about inDinero and Bench?
Why work with Kruze Consulting?
We believe in disrupting an industry and space that’s been long thought of as a cost center, boring, sterile, and cloistered. So here’s what we did:
- We published our pricing.
- We published our knowledge, templates, and calculators that others charge for.
- We provide value and partnership.
- We’re young, hungry, and passionate about our craft.
We’re just like you.
What's it like to work with Kruze?
We provide 3 main services to venture backed startups:
-
Historical Financials and Analysis: Most of our clients start out on a monthly recurring Dashboard Deliverable then move to a weekly recurring Dashboard Deliverable.
- All work goes through our three levels of review: Staff, Controller, & CFO.
- If you’re a monthly client, we deliver these packets by the 10th or the 20th of every month, depending on your preference.
- If you’re a weekly recurring client, we deliver these packets on the day of the week of your preference.
-
Tax Compliance.
- Annual Tax Returns
- R&D Tax Credits
- Local Tax Compliance
-
Consulting.
- CFO Advisory
- Tax Advisory
- Financial Modeling
Who will I work with?
- a Staff Accountant
- a Controller
- a CFO/CPA
What clients do you work with?
We cater to a very niche market: we only work with DE C-Corps that are angel or venture backed. Many of our startups come from Y Combinator, 500 Startups, StartX, Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, a16z, and First Round Capital. Above all, we only work with smart nice people. We have - and we will - turn new clients away when we don’t have the bandwidth.
Once we've signed our Engagement Letter, how do we get started?
We kick off the engagement right by scheduling a full hour Kruze White Glove Onboarding Appointment with you where we will walk you through all necessary procedures, retrieve all documents, and perform a tax compliance diagnostic. We prefer in person, but over the phone works too. Here is the agenda:
- Complete New Client Questionnaire
- Complete the Kruze Tax Compliance Diagnostic
- Gain access to all company bank accounts and credit cards (view-only)
- Gain access to all systems: QBO/Netsuite/Xero, payroll, benefits, etc.
- Set up Bill.com and Expensify
- Collect any previous tax returns and sales tax returns
- Collect any expense reports (from personal accounts)
- Collect Articles of Incorporation, FEIN letter (and any other legal documentation that you’ve received from Fed/state)
- Collect most current cap table
Is there anything you don't do?
We don’t work with LLCs or S-Corps or individuals. We’re also not a broker-dealer and cannot fundraise on your behalf.
What does a startup tax return cost?
Our proprietary tax software lets us offer startups tax returns starting at:
- Federal Return: $1,500
- Additional State Returns: $500
- First State Return: included with Federal
Additional tax consulting is charged separately, and the starting prices listed above are for companies without any major complexities. For companies with unusual complexity, high transaction volumes, international operations, etc. Kruze reserves the right to add an additional fee which will be discussed with the Client before beginning the engagement.
Kruze’s prices are so low because of our proprietary tax software, which we’ve combined with an experienced tax team. This new service combines our CPA’s expertise with a cutting-edge user interface, and we think it makes getting your startup’s taxes done simple and fast. We charge fixed prices per returns, depending on the complexity of your startup’s tax return. Visit our Startup Taxes page to learn more.
Those rates are expensive! Why do you charge that for hourly rates?
We leverage software as MUCH as possible so that any time we do bill is value-add. Also keep in mind that Accounting/Finance Services are a lot like hotels: you get what you pay for. You can definitely find firms overseas who charge $2, but the quality won’t be on par. I can’t even tell you how many times a client has come to us after using a “competitor” only to discover that the “discounted” service they got was really no service at all! We’ve had to recreate SO many financials from scratch. After we showed a recent client exactly what was wrong with their books, they said “A drunk toddler could have done better… I wasted so much time and money working with someone else.”
I stand by our rates, quality, and service.
What if I can't afford the $500/month minimum?
That’s OK! I’m not here to sell you something you don’t need (yet). When you’re starting out, the most important thing is to focus on product/market fit. Once you feel that having a finance team is of value to you (likely your investors will request it), that’s when it’s time to engage. Until then, you can manage the books yourself. Here’s how:
- Setup QBO now. It’s cheap! Connect your company bank accounts and credit cards.
- Setup “The Holy Trinity”: Expensify, Gusto, Bill.com. Yes, exactly those three. No exceptions. And use them. Using other methods can cost you THOUSANDS in accounting cleanup later. It’s not fun for work for us either. Here’s more info on exactly why those 3.
- Mind your tax compliance. This calendar with links walks you thru self-servicing tax compliance.
- Learn to reconcile the bank account: (thanks YouTube!)
Boom. Ya’ll welcome 🙂
What about inDinero and Bench?
A: Both interesting companies. But they have a completely different customer base than us. If you’re a venture backed startup, you will outgrow these platforms once you reach 5+ employees. Then you’ll need to move to QBO or NetSuite and reimport/redraft/restate ALL those financials. That’s a lot of wasted time and money. Also, you’re not paying for service or expertise, you’re paying for software. We love software and leverage it heavily(!)… but you still need a driver in the race car.
