Hello all, lurker of 5 years, first-time poster.
I'm going to be starting a new position as a consultant and will be incorporating so I'm going to need an accountant to help with those pesky corporate taxes. I've never worked with an accountant so I have no idea what services to expect on top of tax prep.
1. Do your accountants work with you not only to prep your taxes, but analyse your personal situation re: FIRE, time off for children, spouse's employment, health insurance, etc to work out your best options? Is it realistic to expect an accountant to offer this kind of in-depth analysis?
2. Do you pay an hourly rate or a lump-sum annual fee?
3. For lump sum I've heard that I should expect to pay $1000-$2000 a year for tax prep + corporate docs (annual meeting minutes, shares, declarations, etc), does that sound right?
4. If lump sum, will your accountant meet with you to discuss questions or changes to your situation without charging extra?
Thank you! Expect many more questions down the road as this process gets going...