How much does TurboTax actually cost?

TurboTax Self-Employed in 2026 runs around $130 federal plus $65 per state. Live assisted versions are $200 to $400. Comparable CPA returns start at $400 to $800 for simple self-employment and rise from there.

When does a CPA pay for itself?

Typically the year you add self-employment income, a rental property, an S-corp, crypto activity, or a state move. The cost of doing one of these wrong in software exceeds the CPA fee, often by orders of magnitude.

Can a CPA file using TurboTax?

CPAs use professional software (Lacerte, ProSeries, Drake, UltraTax), not TurboTax. Professional software handles forms TurboTax doesn't (1041, 990, multi-state corp returns) and is designed for preparer workflows.

TurboTax vs CPA: When Software Is Enough and When It Isn't

TurboTax handles W-2 returns, simple investment income, and most basic itemized deductions well. A CPA pays for itself once you have self-employment income, rental property, multi-state filings, an S-corp or partnership, crypto activity, or any IRS notice. The breakeven is usually somewhere around $80,000 of self-employment income or any rental property.

Tax software is a calculator that asks questions. It produces a correct return if you give it correct inputs and your situation fits the forms it knows. A CPA is judgment: which elections to make, when an S-corp pays off, whether REPS is defensible, how to respond to an IRS letter. For W-2 employees with standard or simple itemized deductions, software is usually enough. For self-employed people, landlords, investors, multi-state filers, or anyone facing an exam, the cost of a missed election or weak audit response usually exceeds many years of CPA fees.

What's typically involved

We're expanding this page with the full playbook for turbotax vs cpa: elections to make, common mistakes generalists miss, fee expectations, and the specific credentials to look for. In the meantime, the matching form below routes your situation to a CPA whose practice fits.

What CPA work looks like at the fee level

Service	Typical 2026 range
CPA hourly rate	$150 to $450 / hour
Schedule C (sole proprietor)	$190 to $800
Single-member LLC return	$300 to $1,500
S-corporation return (1120-S)	$1,200 to $3,500
Partnership return (1065)	$1,000 to $5,000+
C-corporation return (1120)	$1,500 to $4,000+

Disorganized records ("shoebox" engagements) typically increase fees by 1.5x to 2.0x.
Each additional K-1 partner usually adds roughly $300 to $500.
Ranges reflect entity type, bookkeeping state, and complexity. Quotes vary by region and CPA experience.

Full table with methodology lives in the 2026 CPA Compass Fee Benchmark.

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