BUSINESS GUIDE
How to start an accounting business in 2026
Who may own a CPA firm and what the firm permit costs, state by named state; the PTIN, the EFIN and the written security plan the IRS requires; what a tax return and a monthly close actually sell for in dated surveys and on firms' own fee pages; the software and insurance priced from the sellers; what accountants earn — and how to sign the first clients. Written for the accountant with a license and no firm yet, not a designer.
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$280the average fee for a base 1040 at a CPA in the 2025 NATP fee study, $228 at an enrolled agent (Accounting Today)
$83,680the 2025 US median pay for an employed accountant — $40.23 an hour (O*NET)
$45/monthmedian professional liability for accountants (Insureon, 2025); cyber cover $80
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Is an accounting business worth starting — and what do clients pay?
It's a business you can start from a laptop with clients who come back every year, and the one trade where the letters after your name decide what you may sell. The work splits into tax — returns for people and businesses, planning, notices — paid in a spring rush; monthly accounting — the close, the statements, payroll filings — paid all year; and advisory, the fractional-CFO and planning work firms price highest. This guide is about the firm; if you'll keep books without a license, how to start a bookkeeping business is the path, and how to start a tax preparation business covers the seasonal office.
What clients pay. The 2025 fee study by the National Association of Tax Professionals, as Accounting Today reports it, puts “the average fee for a base Form 1040 (Schedules 1-3)” at “$280 for CPAs and $228 for EAs, versus about $185 for non-credentialed preparers,” $185 in towns under 10,000 people and $233 in cities over 50,000, with a Schedule C adding $123 to $135 — and “83% raise fees every one to two years, typically 6% to 10%” (Accounting Today, December 2025); CPA Trendlines reads the same series as $236 for a base 1040 with schedules, up from $162 in 2024, “a 45.7% nominal increase in two years” (CPA Trendlines, January 2026). Ignition — a software company — benchmarked firms' prices in 2025: individual returns most often $400 to $599, business returns $1,000 to $1,499 a year, monthly bookkeeping and accounting $250 to $499 a month, CFO services most often over $2,500 a month, “Only 3% charge hourly for tax prep services,” and four firms in five planned to raise prices 5% to 10% in 2026 (CPA Practice Advisor, August 2025). Intuit's 2021 rate survey — a vendor's, and that year's — put the average CPA at $126 an hour and a bookkeeper at $66 (Intuit, March 2022). The firms' own fee pages, seen October 2026: WCG CPAs in Colorado Springs starts a 1040 at $800, small-business bookkeeping at $190 to $500 a month and an entity return at $1,500 (WCG CPAs & Advisors, August 2024); Kruze in San Francisco prices startup accounting at $650 to $850 a month (Kruze Consulting); Xendoo's online bookkeeping is $395 and $695 a month (Xendoo); Straight Talk CPAs sells a startup package at $3,800 a year (Straight Talk CPAs).
The catch. Most of the money arrives between January and April, a missed deadline is a claim, and the title is regulated. As an employee, an accountant or auditor earned a 2025 median of $40.23 an hour, $83,680 a year, with growth faster than average to 2035 and about 115,300 openings a year (O*NET); a bookkeeping clerk $50,670, in an occupation projected to decline (O*NET). The last openable partner-income figure is a 2015 one: $392,000 per partner at firms billing $2 million to $20 million, in the Rosenberg survey (Accounting Today, September 2015) — firms many times a solo practice's size, and that year's dollars. The owner's income has to beat $83,680 after the software, the insurance and the summer. That's what the rest of this guide sets up.
How to start an accounting business, in plain English
Who may own the firm — and what the name may say. In the US anyone may call themselves an accountant: Washington's board rule says “Nothing in this chapter prohibits the use of the title ‘accountant’ by any person regardless of whether the person holds a license under this chapter,” while the titles “certified public accountant” and “CPA” are reserved (WAC 4-30-058). A firm that uses the letters, or sells audits, reviews and compilations, is a CPA firm, and each state says who may own one:
- Texas. A firm may be licensed if “a majority of the ownership of the firm, in terms of financial interests and voting rights, belongs to persons who hold certificates issued under this chapter or are licensed in another state,” with the non-CPA owners actively involved in the firm and tested on the rules of professional conduct (Texas Occupations Code §901.354). The board's own fee pages refused a crawler, so no Texas fee is printed here — read them before you apply.
- California. “Any firm lawfully engaged in the practice of public accountancy in this state may have owners who are not licensed as certified public accountants or public accountants if the following conditions are met” — licensees hold the majority, every owner is actively engaged, and a licensee answers for each attest engagement (California Business and Professions Code §5079). The board's fees: $250 to apply for the CPA certificate and, from July 1, 2026, $400 for the initial permit and $400 to renew; $250 to apply for a partnership or corporation registration and $520 for its permit and renewal (16 CCR §70).
- Florida. Any firm with an office in the state that performs attest services or uses “CPA” or “CPA firm” in its name must hold a firm license, applied for “upon the affidavit of a sole proprietor, general partner, shareholder, or member who is a certified public accountant,” renewed every two years (Florida Statutes §473.3101) — $145 for a partnership, corporation or LLC and $45 for a sole proprietor (Florida rule 61H1-31.010); the CPA's own license is $50 to issue (rule 61H1-31.005) and $100 every two years (rule 61H1-31.003). The statute itself sets no ownership percentage.
- New York. A firm registers with the state if it provides attest or compilation services or uses “CPA,” “Certified Public Accountant,” “PA” or “Public Accountant” in its name, renews every three years, and for a professional corporation or PLLC at least one owner must be a New York-licensed CPA (New York Office of the Professions); the CPA license and first registration cost $427 (New York Office of the Professions).
- Washington. “A simple majority of the ownership of the firm, in terms of financial interests and voting rights of all partners, officers, shareholders, members, or managers, shall hold and renew a license to practice” (RCW 18.04.195); a firm with an office in the state must hold a firm license if it performs or offers attest or compilation services (Washington Board of Accountancy), at $330 for the initial application and $230 to renew — “sole proprietorships with no employees are exempt from the fee” (WAC 4-30-038).
Those are five states' rules. Yours will differ in the fee, the renewal clock and the ownership test, so read your board's firm page before you print a card with the letters on it.
The federal layer: PTIN, EFIN, the enrolled agent, the security plan. “Anyone who prepares or assists in preparing federal tax returns for compensation must have a valid 2027 PTIN before preparing returns,” at $18.75 a year (IRS, October 2026); to e-file you need an EFIN — “Currently there is no fee to obtain an EFIN. You must apply and pass a suitability check” (IRS, October 2026), so apply before the season. Without a CPA, the enrolled agent credential — earned “by either passing a three-part comprehensive IRS test covering individual and business tax returns, or through experience as a former IRS employee” (IRS, January 2026) — gives the right to represent clients before the IRS: “a $317 fee per part” for the exam and $140 to enroll (IRS, October 2026). Practice before the IRS runs under Circular 230, which “governs practice before the IRS by setting forth mandatory rules of conduct for tax professionals” (IRS, May 2026). And before the first client's documents arrive: “Federal law requires tax and accounting professionals to create and maintain a Written Information Security Plan to help protect client information from identity thieves and data breaches” — Publication 5708 is the template (IRS, August 2026).
The software and the start, priced from the sellers. Drake's pay-per-return package is $379.99 for the 2026 tax year with ten individual returns included and $49.99 for each more, its unlimited Drake Tax Pro $2,495 for one user (Drake Software, October 2026); Intuit's ProSeries pay-per-return license is $539 plus $69 an individual return for the 2025 tax year (Intuit ProSeries). Practice management with a client portal: Canopy from $74 a user a month billed yearly (Canopy), Karbon from $59 (Karbon). Continuing education: Becker's one-year subscriptions are $329 to $799 (Becker); AICPA regular membership runs from $0 to $1,020 a year by tier (AICPA), and a Texas Society chapter adds $50 to $150 (TXCPA, 2026–27). The AICPA's insurance program puts a home-office start at “$1,000 to $3,000” and over $10,000 with commercial space, with six months of operating costs in reserve (CPAI); Thomson Reuters — a software vendor — says “Startup costs typically range from $2,500 to $25,000” (Thomson Reuters, February 2026).
How to price: fixed fees by return type, a package by the month. Build the fee schedule from the surveys above — a base 1040 around $280 at a CPA, a Schedule C add-on of $123 to $135, business returns most often $1,000 to $1,499, monthly accounting $250 to $499 — and from your own hours: track realization, the hours worked against the fee charged, and reprice the underpriced clients next year. Only 3% of firms still bill tax prep by the hour. The clients come by referral: in a TaxDome survey of 350 US businesses, “57% of businesses found their current accountant through a peer referral, while only 3% chose an accountant via advertising” (CPA Practice Advisor, August 2025). Our guide to how to get your business on Google covers the February searches.
Sales tax on accounting services. State by state, and in the states checked the answer is no. Texas lists sixteen taxable services and says “a bookkeeper or accountant is not performing taxable data processing services when applying knowledge of accounting principles to produce financial reports such as income statements, balance sheets, or profit or loss statements, or to prepare federal income tax, state franchise or sales tax returns” (Texas Comptroller, publication 96-259, January 2026); New York lists “personal and professional services” among services not subject to sales tax (New York Department of Taxation, July 2026); Florida's taxable services are investigative, nonresidential cleaning and nonresidential pest control, with accounting absent (Florida Department of Revenue). Washington has no sales tax on services but taxes the firm's gross receipts under its business and occupation tax at 1.5% for service businesses under $1 million (Washington Department of Revenue). Confirm your own state's list with — well, an accountant.
How to register the business. In the US it's the same four steps in every state, with different fees and, for a licensed firm, a professional entity. Form the business — an LLC is $40 in Kentucky (Kentucky SOS), $300 in Texas (Texas SOS) and $70 in California plus a $20 statement of information (California SOS), where every LLC also owes an $800 yearly tax (California FTB, March 2026) — in whichever entity your state board allows for a CPA firm — often a PLLC or professional corporation. Get the EIN — “You never have to pay a fee for an EIN” (IRS, October 2026) — open a business bank account, and register the firm with the board before the name goes on a sign. Our guide to whether you need an LLC walks through the choice.
Insurance. No board checked requires it; a missed deadline does. Insureon's medians for accountants and CPAs who quote with it are $45 a month ($537 a year) for professional liability, $80 a month ($964 a year) for cyber cover, $30 for general liability, $60 for a business owner's policy and $34 for workers' compensation (Insureon, June 2025); The Hartford says its small-business customers pay “about $76 a month” for standalone professional liability across all trades (The Hartford). Buy the professional liability before the first filing and the cyber cover before the first Social Security number.
Outside the US. In the UK an accountant, tax adviser or payroll agent who isn't supervised by a professional body must register with HMRC for money-laundering supervision (GOV.UK, March 2023): a £300 application fee, “£400 for each of the premises you include in your application” and £40 for each person tested in the approval process, with a £500 refund for businesses under £5,000 of turnover (GOV.UK, December 2025); an ICAEW practising certificate is £239 plus £254 for practice assurance and £61 for the OPBAS levy in 2027 (ICAEW); a sole trader registers for Self Assessment above £1,000 of income (GOV.UK) and for VAT at “£90,000 (the VAT threshold)” (GOV.UK). In Australia, preparing returns or BAS for a fee needs registration with the Tax Practitioners Board — $290 for an individual tax agent (TPB, July 2026) and $58 for a BAS agent (TPB, July 2026); the ABN is free (business.gov.au), GST registration is compulsory at $75,000 of turnover (ATO, September 2026), and CPA Australia's public practice certificate is $585 a year (CPA Australia). Confirm your own country's and state's rules before the first engagement.
The business, and the calendar. Sign the monthly clients before January, file every return after a second review, and ask for the review when the refund lands. For one accountant starting from a home office, our free accounting firm business plan puts the start at $1,430–$21,946: the tax software, a practice tool and portal at the high end, a year of professional liability and cyber cover, registration and the firm permit, the PTIN, continuing education and dues, a computer if you need one, the website, and two months of running costs. Living costs until the year-round clients cover them come on top, and the plan carries them as an optional line. The accounting website templates show what a good firm's site looks like, and Zarla's accounting website builder is how an owner searching for a CPA near them finds yours.
What accounting firm owners actually say
None of this is our opinion about the trade. It comes from people who run accounting firms, talking about the work in the AICPA's magazine and its podcast, Accounting Today, a trade magazine's podcast and a software vendor's blog between 2021 and 2026. Read each as theirs at the time; the dollar figures in older pages are that year's. Five things come up again and again.
You start with three clients and a lot of jobs. Nina Tross, who built a firm from three clients to more than 700 before running the National Society of Tax Professionals: “But when I started, I had 3 clients and I was working 3 jobs.” And: “Do not undersell yourself. … Charge a fair price for whatever it is you're doing” (Thomson Reuters' blog, March 2021). Michael Meihaus of Meihaus CPA in Southern California: “I don't need to replace X six-figure salary right away. I just need to sustain cash flow month by month as I build the business.” And: “I'm not quite as organized as I thought I was. Now I'm in charge of all admin work within my firm at first” (Journal of Accountancy podcast transcript, April 2026). Angel Zhen, a solo CPA: “In 2020, I left a $90,000 salary and started fresh with no clients, no safety net, and no limitations on the type of firm I could build. Today, I run a solo practice generating more than $600,000 in annual revenue and serving over 300 clients nationwide” (Journal of Accountancy, June 2026).
“You have to want it. I would not recommend starting a firm unless you have a burning desire for doing something on your own.” — Logan Graf, Graf Tax Co., Austin, in Accounting Today, January 2025
Pick a niche, and price it like it's worth something. Stephen Kirkland of Atlantic Executive Consulting in Columbia, South Carolina: “It's almost impossible to maintain all of the expertise needed to provide a wide range of services, … so focus on what you can do very well.” And: “Set an annual revenue target and take home 90% of what is billed and collected.” Renee Prince of Renee Prince CPA in Texas: “You have to place a higher mark on your value than you think” (Journal of Accountancy, August 2024). Linda Forde of The Forde Firm in Florida: “if you are good at something or passionate about something, focus on it. It's okay to have a niche. You don't have to please everybody every day” (Thomson Reuters' blog, March 2021). Angie Wood of Wood CPA in Edina, Minnesota: “Don't buy a book of business. … I learned that the hard way. You don't need to” (Accounting Today, January 2025).
The clients come from relationships. Lisa Brann, a solo CPA in Florence, Kentucky: “My clients followed me because I built relationships with them and they trust me. … I had the knowledge and experience their businesses needed” (Journal of Accountancy, August 2024). Tross: “Referrals from your current clients are your best resources for those who are looking to build their practice. Build that relationship” (Thomson Reuters' blog, March 2021). Kathryn Horton of Kathryn K. Horton, CPA, in Stuart, Florida: “My thought process is always if someone thinks of a CPA, I want them to think of me. I want me to be that first person that comes to mind” (CPA Practice Advisor podcast transcript, September 2025). Roslyn Banks, who opened a tax and financial advisory firm in 2016: “I realized the CPA designation would give me an advantage in competing for clients” (Journal of Accountancy, August 2024).
Why they did it: control, and a convertible with no ceiling. Robert Whittley III of Healthy Coin in Charlotte: “The upside is that now you're in a convertible, which means no ceilings.” And: “I wanted more control over my time, to make more, and have more freedom.” William Holtsman, a sole practitioner in Ripon, California: “I like being able to run my life in an agile way, … and being a sole practitioner helps make that possible.” Prince: “This is a lifestyle firm where you can support the lifestyle that you want to have, and you can grow to whatever type of firm you want to be” (Journal of Accountancy, August 2024). Meihaus, on the reason: “I live in Southern California and I just saw that, in order to buy a house here, I need to be able to have a little more control and input over my income. I saw firm ownership as the path towards that” (Journal of Accountancy podcast transcript, April 2026). Miklos Ringbauer of MiklosCPA in California: “The most beautiful thing in accounting is that if you are fit to do the practice, you will always make enough money to put food on the table. … It's a secure and very viable business” (Accounting Today, January 2025).
It's all on you. Shayna Chapman of Shaynaco in Gallipolis, Ohio: “It's not all roses. … All the pressure is on me, but I get to design that pressure in a sole proprietorship” (Journal of Accountancy, August 2024). Stephen Buller of Buller Accounting in Tacoma: “It's kind of like having a kid. … People can tell you there's challenges. People can tell you how hard it's going to be or various things you're going to have to do. And you're going to have to be ignorant about it, no matter what, to some degree, until you do it yourself.” And on working for a firm first: “Learn the ins and outs, the rights and wrongs, while getting paid for it” (Accounting Today, January 2025). Horton: “Having burnout really caused me to kind of take a step back and really focus on what makes me happy” (CPA Practice Advisor podcast transcript, September 2025). Zhen builds “12 weeks of unplugged time into my calendar each year” (Journal of Accountancy, June 2026). Each of those is one owner's account of one firm in one market, not a survey — read them as what the model can do, not what it does on average.
The through-line: the accounting businesses that last pick a niche and a service they do very well, price it from its value and not the cheapest firm in town, build the client list one relationship at a time, sign the year-round clients before tax season, and design the pressure instead of absorbing all of it.
THE STARTER KIT
What you need to start an accounting business
The credential, and the firm permit it needs
A CPA license lets the firm call itself one and sell audits and reviews; an enrolled agent represents clients before the IRS; anyone may keep books and prepare returns with a PTIN. The table below has five states' firm rules and fees.
A PTIN, an EFIN and a written security plan
The $18.75 PTIN before the first paid return, the free EFIN — apply early, the suitability check takes time — and the written information security plan federal law requires of every tax and accounting practice.
Tax and practice software, priced per return
Pay-per-return tax software for the first season, a practice-management tool with the client portal, and the free accountant edition of the bookkeeping platform your clients use — the sellers' prices are in the costs section.
Registration and the professional entity
The PLLC, professional corporation or LLC your state allows for a licensed firm, the free EIN from the IRS, a business bank account, and the state firm registration before you use the letters on a sign.
Professional liability, and cyber cover
Errors-and-omissions cover before the first filing — a missed deadline is a claim against the firm — and cyber cover for a business that holds Social Security numbers. Insureon's medians are in the table below.
A fee schedule, and a way to be found
Fixed fees by return type and a monthly package for business clients, priced from the dated surveys below; a Google Business Profile; and a website with your credentials, your starting fees and a booking request form.
THE PAPERWORK
Licenses, permits, registrations and insurance for an accounting business
| Typical cost | Time to get | Legally required? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business registration (PLLC, PC or LLC) and EIN | e.g. $40 (KY), $300 (TX), $70 + $20 + $800/yr tax (CA); EIN free | Days | Depends on your structure and your board's entity rule |
| CPA firm permit or registration | $250 + $520 (CA); $145 or $45 (FL); $330 then $230 (WA, solo no-employee exempt); NY by form | Weeks | To use “CPA” in the name or sell attest work — in the states checked |
| Individual CPA license | $250 + $400 (CA); $50 then $100/2 yrs (FL); $427 (NY); $330 then $230 (WA) | After the exam and experience | To hold the title — in the states checked |
| PTIN | $18.75/yr | Minutes | In the US, for anyone paid to prepare federal returns |
| EFIN | Free; suitability check | Weeks — apply before the season | In the US, to e-file |
| Enrolled agent (without a CPA) | $317 per exam part × 3; $140 to enroll | Months | Optional — to represent clients before the IRS |
| Written information security plan | Free — Publication 5708 is the template | Days | In the US, for every tax and accounting practice |
| Sales tax on services | None in TX, NY and FL; WA B&O tax 1.5% of receipts | — | Check your state's list |
| Professional liability insurance | $45/month median (Insureon, 2025) | Same day | Not by any board checked; a missed deadline is a claim |
| Cyber liability insurance | $80/month median (Insureon) | Same day | Not by law; you hold Social Security numbers |
| Workers' compensation | $34/month median (Insureon) | Days | Check your state's rule once you hire |
THE STEPS
How to start an accounting business (step by step)
Eight steps from a license and a laptop to a registered firm with a fee schedule, a secure portal and clients who pay all year.
01
Decide what the firm will sell
Tax only, tax plus monthly accounting, or advisory for one industry you know. The owners quoted below say the same thing: pick a niche and a service you do very well, and let the rest go to someone else.
Before anything else02
Check what your credential lets the firm do
A CPA firm needs a state firm permit and, in the states checked, majority CPA ownership or a licensed owner; an enrolled agent represents clients before the IRS; a preparer without either keeps books and files returns with a PTIN. Read your state board's firm rule before you choose a name.
03
Form the entity and register the firm
The PLLC or professional corporation your state allows, the free EIN, the bank account, then the firm registration with the board — Florida wants a CPA owner's affidavit, New York wants at least one licensed CPA owner of a PC or PLLC.
04
Get the PTIN and apply for the EFIN now
Renew the PTIN, apply for the EFIN and pass the suitability check before tax season, and write the information security plan the IRS requires — Publication 5708 is the template.
05
Buy the software and insure the firm
Pay-per-return tax software for year one, a practice tool with a portal, the free accountant edition of your clients' bookkeeping platform, professional liability and cyber cover — the prices are in the costs section.
06
Write the fee schedule from the surveys
Fixed fees by return type — the dated averages below put a base 1040 at $280 for a CPA — and a monthly package for business clients. Only 3% of firms still bill tax prep by the hour; the owners below say charge a fair price and don't undersell.
07
Get found, and tell everyone
Put your Google Business Profile and website live with your credentials, services and starting fees, then tell every banker, attorney, bookkeeper and former colleague the firm is open — 57% of businesses found their accountant through a referral.
08
Sign the monthly clients before January
Tax season fills itself; the summer doesn't. Sign monthly accounting and planning clients before the first organizer goes out, file every return after a second review, and ask for the review when the refund lands.
THE COSTS
How much does it cost to start an accounting business?
The total is our free accounting firm business plan's itemized US ranges for one accountant starting from a home office: pay-per-return tax software at the low end and the unlimited package at the high end, a practice tool with a portal, a year of professional liability — cyber cover at the high end — registration and the firm permit, the PTIN, continuing education and dues, a computer if you need one, the website, and two months of running costs. Living costs until year-round clients cover them are an optional line on the plan. Software from the vendors' own pages, fees from the boards' rules, insurance from Insureon; checked October 2026. Lines no page prices are labelled planning ranges on the plan.
$1,430–$21,946to start as one accountant — the low end is Drake's $379.99 pay-per-return package, Insureon's $537 liability year, a $40 Kentucky LLC and the $18.75 PTIN
$379.99Drake's pay-per-return package for the 2026 tax year, ten returns included, $49.99 each after; its unlimited Drake Tax Pro is $2,495; ProSeries pay-per-return $539 plus $69 a return (2025 tax year)
$537/yrmedian professional liability for accountants (Insureon, June 2025) — cyber cover $964; Canopy's practice tool is $74 a user a month, Karbon's $59
$520California's permit for a CPA partnership or corporation from July 2026, after a $250 application; Florida's firm license is $145, Washington's $330
WHAT WE'VE LEARNED
What actually makes an owner choose an accountant
Thousands of local business websites in, the pattern for accounting is plain: the owner wants to know you're licensed, that you understand a business like theirs, and that someone will answer in March. Three things on a page decide who gets the call.
The credential, where they can see it
CPA, EA or neither — say which, with the state and the license number, and what that lets you do. An owner who has been burned by an unlicensed preparer checks this before anything else.
Fees that start somewhere
“Individual returns from,” “monthly accounting from,” and what each includes. The firms quoted here price by the job, and the owners who wanted a $50 return go elsewhere before they take your time.
Their kind of business, and your reviews
The industries you know — contractors, restaurants, medical practices — with a sentence on each, and reviews from owners that mention what you fixed. That's what gets forwarded to a business partner.
THE UPSIDE
What an accounting business can earn
Fees from the 2025 NATP study as reported by Accounting Today, Ignition's 2025 benchmark (a software vendor) and four firms' own fee pages; pay from O*NET; one solo owner's revenue from her own account. Ranges and averages, not a promise — your fee schedule, your niche and how many clients pay all year decide it. No current survey reports what solo accounting owners take home.
$280the average fee for a base 1040 at a CPA, $228 at an EA, $185 without a credential — the 2025 NATP fee study (Accounting Today, December 2025)
$400–$599the most common fee for an individual return in Ignition's 2025 benchmark; business returns $1,000 to $1,499; monthly accounting $250 to $499
$600,000a year in revenue from a solo CPA's practice of 300 clients, in her own account (Journal of Accountancy, June 2026) — one firm, not an average
$83,680a year: the 2025 US median for employed accountants and auditors (O*NET) — the pay to beat; a bookkeeping clerk's is $50,670
SEE IT WORK
Accounting website designs you can start from
All four are real Zarla templates. Open the one closest to how you'll practice — a general CPA firm, a small-business accounting practice, a tax preparation office, or tax resolution — swap in your credentials, your services and your starting fees, and publish.
GET FOUND
Get found by the owner searching for an accountant in February
Most new clients arrive by referral, and Google decides between the names they're given: the owner searching for a CPA near them compares who looks licensed, what the firm does, and whether they can book a call today. Zarla builds the website with a call button at the top, your services and starting prices, and a booking request form. Add your credentials, the industries you serve and a line about your fees in chat, and once you connect your Google Business Profile, your Google rating and reviews show on the site.
“CPA near me”
The search that peaks every January: a page per service — tax returns, monthly accounting, tax planning, IRS notices — each with who it's for, a starting fee and a booking request form.
The map, for the town you practice in
A Google Business Profile with your office or your town, your hours in tax season and your credentials — the three-pack is where an owner picks three firms to call before they open a single website.
Reviews from returns you've filed
Ask when the refund lands or the plan saves them money — and send the link that day. Reviews that mention the kind of business and the town sell the next referral.
Google Search
Hharborviewtaxaccounting.com
Harborview Tax & Accounting — Trusted accountant in Your AreaCPA firm for owner-run businesses. Tax returns, monthly accounting and tax planning. Fixed fees quoted up front. Book a consultation.← Your Zarla siteCcityaccountantservices.com
City accountant ServicesGoogle Maps
1
Harborview Tax & Accounting
← You2
Metro accountant Co.
3
Quick accountant Services
AI assistants (ChatGPT / Perplexity)
For a CPA for a small business tax return and monthly bookkeeping in your area: Harborview Tax & Accounting — a local CPA firm whose site shows the license, lists tax and monthly accounting with starting fees, serves businesses like yours, and has reviews from owners nearby.
YOUR LAUNCH PLAN
Your accounting business launch checklist
The whole guide as things to check off. Work through them in order and you'll be registered, permitted, insured and priced before the first organizer goes out.
- Pick the services and the niche — tax, monthly accounting, or advisory for one industry.
- Read your state board's firm rule — who may own it, what the permit costs, what the name may say.
- Form the entity, get the free EIN, register the firm — and open a business bank account.
- Renew the PTIN, apply for the EFIN, write the security plan — before tax season.
- Buy professional liability and cyber cover — before the first filing.
- Set fixed fees by return type and a monthly package — from the dated surveys, not the cheapest firm.
- Get found — website and Google Business Profile live with credentials, services and starting fees.
- Sign the monthly clients before January — and ask every filed return for the review.
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Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to start an accounting business?
In the US, about $1,430 to $21,946 for one accountant starting from a home office, in our accounting firm business plan's itemized ranges — tax software from Drake's $379.99 pay-per-return package to its $2,495 unlimited one; a practice tool with a client portal (Canopy's is $74 a user a month billed yearly) at the high end; a year of professional liability ($537 at Insureon's median) with cyber cover ($964) at the high end; registration ($40 in Kentucky to $890 in California as an LLC) and the firm permit ($520 plus a $250 application in California; Washington exempts a sole proprietorship with no employees); the $18.75 PTIN; continuing education and dues; a computer if you need one; the website; and two months of running costs. Living costs until year-round clients cover them come on top. The AICPA's insurance program puts a home-office start at $1,000 to $3,000; Thomson Reuters at $2,500 to $25,000.
Can I start my own accounting business?
In the US, yes, and what you may sell depends on your credential. With a CPA license you can form a CPA firm — with a state firm permit and, in the states checked, majority CPA ownership — and sell audits, reviews and compilations. As an enrolled agent you can prepare returns and represent clients before the IRS. With neither, you can keep books, prepare returns with a PTIN and call yourself an accountant — Washington's board rule says nothing prohibits the title — but not a CPA, and not sell attest work. Pick the services your credential allows, register the business and read your state board's firm page before the name goes on a sign.
Do you need to be a CPA to start an accounting business?
In the US, no — unless the firm will use the letters or sell attest work. Bookkeeping, payroll filings and tax preparation need a PTIN ($18.75 a year) and, to e-file, a free EFIN, not a license; an enrolled agent credential (three exam parts at $317 each, $140 to enroll) adds the right to represent clients before the IRS. A CPA firm — one that calls itself CPA or performs audits, reviews and compilations — needs a state firm permit and licensed ownership: a majority in Texas, California and Washington, a CPA owner's affidavit in Florida, at least one licensed CPA owner of a New York PC or PLLC. Check your state board before you choose the name.
Do you need a license to start an accounting business?
In the US, only for what the license covers. Keeping books, filing payroll and preparing tax returns need a PTIN ($18.75 a year) and a free EFIN, not a state license, and anyone may use the title accountant — Washington's board rule says so in words. The titles CPA and certified public accountant, and audits, reviews and compilations, need a CPA license and a state firm permit: $250 plus $400 for the license and $250 plus $520 for the firm in California, $50 and $145 in Florida, $427 in New York, $330 in Washington. Check your state board's firm page before you choose a name, and your city's business license page before you open.
Can a non-CPA own a CPA firm?
In the US, partly, and it's state law. Texas licenses a firm when a majority of its ownership, by financial interest and voting rights, belongs to certificate holders, with the non-CPA owners actively involved and tested on the rules of conduct; California allows non-licensee owners if licensees hold the majority, every owner is actively engaged and a licensee answers for each attest engagement; Washington requires a simple majority of owners to hold a license. New York requires at least one owner of a CPA professional corporation or PLLC to be a licensed New York CPA, and Florida's statute requires a CPA owner's affidavit without setting a percentage. Read your own board's rule before you take a partner.
How much do accountants charge?
In the 2025 NATP fee study, as Accounting Today reports it, a base 1040 with Schedules 1 to 3 averaged $280 at a CPA, $228 at an enrolled agent and about $185 at a non-credentialed preparer, with a Schedule C adding $123 to $135. Ignition's 2025 benchmark of firms' prices (a software vendor's) put individual returns most often at $400 to $599, business returns $1,000 to $1,499 a year and monthly accounting $250 to $499 a month, with only 3% of firms billing tax prep by the hour. Intuit's 2021 survey put a CPA at $126 an hour. On firms' own pages: WCG in Colorado Springs starts a 1040 at $800 and bookkeeping at $190 to $500 a month; Kruze in San Francisco $650 to $850 a month; Xendoo $395 and $695.
Is an accounting business profitable?
It can be, and no current survey reports solo owners' profits. What's public: a 1040 sells for $280 at a CPA and monthly accounting for $250 to $499 a month in the dated figures above, the costs are small — software $380 to $3,383 a year, insurance $537 to $1,501 — and 83% of preparers raise fees every one to two years. One solo CPA reports more than $600,000 a year in revenue from 300 clients; the 2015 Rosenberg survey put income per partner at $392,000 at mid-sized firms, that year's dollars. The owners quoted here say the same thing: the niche, the fee and the year-round clients decide it.
How much do accounting firm owners make?
No current survey reports it. As an employee, an accountant or auditor earned a 2025 median of $40.23 an hour, $83,680 a year (O*NET). One solo CPA says she left a $90,000 salary in 2020 and now runs a practice generating more than $600,000 in annual revenue; the last openable partner-income figure is $392,000 per partner at firms billing $2 million to $20 million, in a 2015 survey. The owner's income is what's left after the software, the insurance, the staff and the summer months.
What do I need to start my own accounting business?
In the US: the credential your services need (a CPA license for a CPA firm, an enrolled agent credential to represent clients, a PTIN to prepare returns at all), the business entity your state board allows and the free EIN, the state firm registration if the name says CPA, an EFIN to e-file, a written information security plan, tax and practice software, professional liability and cyber insurance, a fee schedule, and a way to be found — a Google Business Profile and a website with your credentials, services and starting fees. Our plan page lists each line with its price.
Do accountants have to charge sales tax?
In the US it's state law, and in the states checked accounting services aren't taxed: Texas says an accountant applying accounting principles to produce financial statements or prepare returns is not performing a taxable service, New York lists professional services among those not subject to sales tax, and Florida's short list of taxable services doesn't include accounting. Washington has no sales tax on services but taxes the firm's receipts under its business and occupation tax at 1.5% for service businesses under $1 million. A few states tax most services — confirm yours with its revenue department.
What insurance does an accounting business need?
In the US no board checked requires it, but a missed deadline or an error on a return is a claim against the firm, and many clients and referral partners ask for proof. Insureon's medians for accountants are $45 a month for professional liability, $80 for cyber cover, $30 for general liability, $60 for a business owner's policy and $34 for workers' compensation (June 2025); The Hartford's small-business customers pay about $76 a month for professional liability. Buy the professional liability before the first filing and the cyber cover before the first client's Social Security number.
Do I need an LLC or a PLLC for an accounting firm?
In the US a sole proprietorship is the cheapest legal start, and Washington exempts a sole proprietorship with no employees from its firm fee. For a licensed firm, your state board sets which entities a CPA firm may use — often a PLLC or professional corporation — and the filing fee is the state's: $40 in Kentucky, $300 in Texas, $70 in California plus a $20 statement of information and an $800 yearly tax. An entity separates your personal assets from the business but not from your own professional liability — that's what the insurance is for. Our guide to whether you need an LLC walks through the choice.
Can I start an accounting business from home?
Yes — most solo firms do, and the owners quoted here run lifestyle firms from home offices. The AICPA's insurance program puts a home-office start at $1,000 to $3,000 against over $10,000 with commercial space. Two things to check: your city's home-occupation rules if clients will visit, and the written security plan the IRS requires — a home office holding client tax files needs the same safeguards as a downtown one.
Is starting an accounting firm worth it?
The owners quoted here say yes with conditions: you have to want it, you should learn the trade at someone else's firm first, and you should expect every job to be yours for a while. The numbers: an employed accountant's median is $83,680, a 1040 sells for $280 and monthly accounting for $250 to $499 a month, and the occupation is projected to grow faster than average through 2035. One solo CPA went from a $90,000 salary to a $600,000-revenue practice in six years; one founder says the first year is about sustaining cash flow month by month, not replacing the salary.
How do I get my first accounting clients?
Tell every banker, attorney, bookkeeper, financial adviser and former colleague that the firm is open — 57% of businesses found their accountant through a peer referral and only 3% through advertising, in a 2025 survey — sign the monthly accounting clients before January, and ask for the review when the refund lands. Then answer what owners search for in February: your credentials, your services and your starting fees on your website and Google Business Profile. Zarla builds the website from one sentence — a call button at the top, your services and starting prices, and a booking request form — and once you connect your Google profile, your Google rating and reviews show on the site.