Joe Lilly CPA, Arbutus, MD

Below is an actual example of my Fees versus a national, commercial company that advertises on TV. Long Form - You are paying for their advertising, Office Rent, Equipment , Staff Salaries, and HUGE CORPORATE BONUSES.
Form	Joe Lilly, CPA Fees	National Commercial Preparer Fees
Federal & State Income Tax Form 1040 each W-2 or 1099R Form	$ 25.00	$151.00
Each W-2 or 1099R Form	$ 5.00	-
Itemized Deduction Entries	$ 50.00	-
Electronic Filing Fee	None	$ 38.00
Total Long Form Fee with Electronic Filing	$ 80.00	$189.00
Refund Anticipation Loan Fees (RAL) Because I care about my clients, and act in their best interest, I will not participate in a program which will loan a client his or her own money for three weeks, and charge the client an excessive fee. Below is a true example of the RAL Fees associated with the "Long Form" listed above.
Refund Account Fee (they set up a bank account to deposit your refund).		$ 24.95
Finance charge - the cost that the client incurs to borrow their own money for 3 weeks.		$ 35.00
Total cost for a "Long Form," electronically filed, with the "RAL"		$248.95

Joe Lilly, CPA's fee charged for the same service, without the "RAL"		$ 80.00
Difference - The money that the client could have saved =		$173.95
The Annual Percentage Rate on this Tax Return was 117% Also: This client did not have enough deductions to itemize, however, this National Firm charged the client for a "Long Form" instead of a "Short Form." I would have immediately noticed this issue, and charged the client $25.00.

Long Form Comparison

Refund Anticipation Loan Fees (RAL)