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Tax Preparer Invoice Template

A tax preparer invoice should let the client see exactly which returns, forms and schedules they are paying for, and for which tax year. Most preparers price a return from a base fee plus a fee per schedule or form, add state returns separately, and bill extensions, amended returns and help with IRS notices as their own jobs. This template adds those details to an ordinary invoice: tax year and return type, a line per schedule or form, state and local returns, the e-filing charge if you charge one separately, extension and amendment fees, notice or audit support with hours, the engagement letter date, how the fee was set (flat or per form, not a percentage of the refund) and the preparer's name and PTIN. Leave Social Security numbers and income figures off the invoice. The download is an editable HTML invoice with invoice number, dates, a line-item table and totals. Fill it in your browser, then print it or save it as PDF. To create and send invoices from an account, InvoiceQuickly turns a typed or spoken description of the job into an editable invoice draft you review before saving.

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Download the HTML file to edit its fields, then print or save as PDF. Totals are entered manually.

What This Template Includes

  • Tax year and return type (Form 1040, 1065, 1120-S, 1041)
  • Base return fee and complexity tier
  • Schedule and form fees, one line each
  • State and local returns
  • E-filing charge, or 'included'
  • Extension filing (Form 4868 or 7004)
  • Amended return or prior-year return
  • IRS or state notice support, with hours
  • Engagement letter date and fee basis (flat or per form)
  • Preparer name and PTIN
  • Client name and tax year only: no SSN or income figures

How to Create Your Tax Preparer Invoice

  1. 01

    Describe your work

    Type a plain English description of the services you provided, the client, and the amount.

  2. 02

    AI generates your invoice

    InvoiceQuickly's AI drafts the client, line items, dates, and totals for you to review before saving.

  3. 03

    Review, download, and send

    Check every detail, download the PDF, or use Pro to email the PDF directly to your client.

Recommended Payment Terms

Many preparers ask for payment when the return is ready to sign or before it is filed, and say so in the engagement letter. Repeat that on the invoice, for example 'Payment due on receipt; the return will be e-filed once payment is received and the signed Form 8879 is returned.' Bill notice and amendment work as separate invoices after the job, on net 14 or net 30. Do not arrange to take your fee out of the client's refund through an account you control: IRS Circular 230 section 10.31 says a practitioner may not negotiate a client's government refund check or direct a refund into an account the practitioner owns or controls. Bank products sold through third-party providers are a separate arrangement with their own disclosures and are outside this template.

Need help writing payment terms? Read our guide to invoice payment terms for best practices and templates.

Tax Information

This page is about your own fee invoice, not the client's return. Whether tax preparation services are subject to state or local sales tax depends on the state, so check your state's department of revenue. If you are self-employed, your fees are generally business income figured on Schedule C, and self-employment tax applies once net earnings from self-employment reach $400. Business clients may ask for a Form W-9; for tax years beginning after 2025 the Form 1099-NEC threshold for payments for services is $2,000 a year. Keep client identifiers off the invoice: the client name and tax year are enough to match it to the engagement. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage to the whole invoice and copies saved business and client tax IDs to new invoice PDFs, so if your state taxes only some of what you bill, invoice those items separately. This is general information, last reviewed October 2026, not tax or legal advice.

Industry context (2026)

Paid return preparation in the US runs on IRS rules that shape how a preparer bills. The IRS says anyone who prepares or assists in preparing federal tax returns for compensation must have a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number, renewed for each year (the fee is $18.75 for 2027, per the IRS PTIN requirements page updated 15 October 2026), and IRS Topic 254 (updated 7 October 2026) says a paid preparer must sign the return, include their PTIN and give the client a copy. Credentials differ: attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents have unlimited representation rights, while the voluntary Annual Filing Season Program gives non-credentialed preparers limited rights to represent clients whose returns they prepared and signed, provided they consent to the obligations in Circular 230 subpart B and section 10.51. Subpart B includes the fee rules in section 10.27, which bars unconscionable fees and generally bars contingent fees, defined to include a fee based on a percentage of the refund. IRS Topic 254 also tells taxpayers to avoid preparers who base fees on a percentage of the refund or who offer to deposit a refund into their own accounts. A clear per-form invoice is the practical result.

Worked example

Worked example (hypothetical; the fees are this preparer's own schedule, not market rates): Elena Brooks, a sole-proprietor preparer, prepares the 2025 return of a freelance designer, Sam Rivera, under an engagement letter dated 3 March 2026. She filed an extension (Form 4868) on 10 April and finishes the return on 6 October. Invoice INV-0318, issued 6 October 2026, due on receipt: Form 1040 base fee, 2025, 1 at $250.00 = $250.00; Schedule C, one business, 1 at $175.00 = $175.00; Schedule SE, 1 at $40.00 = $40.00; Form 8829, home office, 1 at $60.00 = $60.00; state resident return, 2025, 1 at $95.00 = $95.00; Form 4868 extension filed 10 April 2026, 1 at $35.00 = $35.00; federal and state e-file, included, $0.00. Total: $250 + $175 + $40 + $60 + $95 + $35 = $655.00. Notes: 'Fees per the schedule in the engagement letter of 3 March 2026. Payment due on receipt; the return will be e-filed when payment and the signed Form 8879 are received, before the 15 October 2026 extended deadline. Preparer: Elena Brooks, PTIN P00000000 (example format).' The invoice names the client and tax year only; it shows no Social Security number, income or refund amount. In December, when Sam receives an IRS notice about the 2025 return, Elena sends a separate invoice: 'IRS notice response, 2025 tax year, notice dated 20 November 2026: 2.5 hours at $120.00 = $300.00', net 14.

Common mistakes to avoid

One line saying 'Tax preparation: $655'

The client cannot see why this year costs more than last year. List the return, each schedule and form, and the state return, so a new Schedule C or home office form explains the difference.

Pricing as a percentage of the refund

Fees tied to the refund are defined as contingent fees in Circular 230 section 10.27 and are a warning sign in IRS guidance to taxpayers. Use a flat or per-form schedule.

Sensitive data on the invoice

Social Security numbers, income figures and bank details do not belong on an invoice that is emailed or forwarded to a bookkeeper. Use the client name and tax year.

Forgetting the extension and notice work

An extension filed in April or a notice answered in December is easy to leave unbilled. Bill each as a dated line or a separate invoice when the work is done.

Taking the fee from the refund

Arranging for a client's refund to be deposited into an account you control so you can deduct your fee conflicts with Circular 230 section 10.31. Invoice the client and get paid separately.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Put the tax year on every line ('Schedule C, 2025') so the invoice still makes sense if the client brings back a prior-year return for amendment.
  • 2Price from a published fee schedule (base fee plus per-schedule fees) and quote it in the engagement letter, so the invoice matches what the client agreed to.
  • 3Bill the extension in April as its own small invoice, or as a dated line on the final invoice, so it is not lost when the return is filed in October.
  • 4Show free items as 'included' at $0.00 (for example federal e-file) so the client sees what they did not pay for.
  • 5Invoice IRS notice work separately, with the notice number, the tax year and the hours spent, rather than adding it to next year's return fee.
  • 6Never put a Social Security number, bank account number or income figure on the invoice; it travels by email and often to a business's accounts team.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a tax preparer invoice include?

Your business details, the client's name, a unique invoice number, invoice and due dates, the tax year, one line per return, schedule and form, state returns, any extension, amendment or notice work, the engagement letter date, the total, how to pay and when the return will be filed. Leave Social Security numbers and income figures off.

How do tax preparers usually charge?

Common methods are a flat fee per return, a base fee plus a fee per schedule or form, or an hourly rate for complex or notice work. The IRS tells taxpayers to avoid preparers who base their fees on a percentage of the refund, so a per-form or flat schedule is easier to defend on an invoice.

Can a tax preparer charge a percentage of the refund?

Treasury Circular 230 section 10.27 defines a contingent fee to include a fee based on a percentage of the refund reported on a return and generally prohibits contingent fees for matters before the IRS, with narrow exceptions (certain work after the IRS examines or challenges a return, claims only about interest or penalties, and judicial proceedings). Ask a professional adviser how the rules apply to your status before agreeing any fee tied to an outcome.

Do I need a PTIN to prepare returns for pay?

Yes. The IRS says anyone who prepares or assists in preparing federal tax returns for compensation must have a valid PTIN, renewed each year; the fee for 2027 is $18.75. A paid preparer must sign the return and enter the PTIN on it. Adding your name and PTIN to the invoice is optional but helps the client match it to the return.

Can I hold a client's return until they pay?

Circular 230 section 10.28 says a practitioner must promptly return a client's own records needed to meet federal tax obligations, even during a fee dispute, but the definition of records excludes a return or document the practitioner prepared and is holding pending payment of the fee for it. Check how this applies to you and set the payment point in your engagement letter.

Can I make a tax preparer invoice in InvoiceQuickly?

Yes. Type or say something like '2025 Form 1040 $250, Schedule C $175, Schedule SE $40, state return $95, extension $35' and InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice you review before saving. It has no client document portal, e-signature or tax software integration. Free includes 5 invoices and 3 AI drafts; Pro ($9 a month) adds unlimited invoices, email delivery, estimates, payment links through your own Stripe or PayPal account and a timer for notice work billed by the hour.