Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs
Your business and your return are the same return.
For a sole proprietor or single-member LLC, the business flows straight onto your personal return. One filing, one fee, and estimated payments calculated so next April holds no surprises. Starting at $1,350.
What you get
One filing, handled completely.
A single-member LLC is disregarded for federal tax purposes, which surprises owners who assumed the entity meant a separate return. It does not. The business income lands on Schedule C inside your 1040, which is why the whole thing should be prepared as one job.
- Federal Form 1040
- Schedule C for one business
- Schedule SE for self-employment tax
- The state individual return for one state
- Quarterly estimated payment calculations for the coming year, with dates and amounts
- Depreciation handled and the schedule maintained going forward
- Electronic filing and one results meeting
What the fee assumes
The starting fee, and what moves it.
$1,350 assumes one business, one state, records that are current, and no significant inventory, payroll correction, complex depreciation, or unresolved prior-year issue.
| Item | Starting fee | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Additional state return | $400 | Each additional state you file in. |
| Rental property schedule | $300 | Each rental property on the return. |
| Second Schedule C business | $400 | A second distinct business on the same return. |
| Amended return | $750 | A prior year prepared by someone else. |
| Bookkeeping cleanup | Quoted | A separate fixed quote. See financial cleanup. |
The estimated payment problem
Nobody withholds anything from you.
This is the single most common reason a self-employed owner gets hurt in April. There is no employer taking tax out along the way, so you owe income tax plus self-employment tax on the whole profit, and you owe it in four installments rather than once.
Federal estimates for a calendar year are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year. The useful part is the safe harbor: paying at least 100% of your prior year tax, or 110% if prior-year adjusted gross income was over $150,000, generally avoids an underpayment penalty no matter how the current year turns out. That converts an unknowable number into a known one, which is exactly what you want when the business is growing.
Every engagement here includes the calculation, the amounts, and the dates. Not a suggestion to talk to someone about it.
The question you are probably asking
Should you be an S corporation instead?
It comes up on almost every call, so here is the honest version rather than a pitch.
Electing S corporation status can reduce self-employment tax, because profit distributed to you after a reasonable wage is not subject to it. What it adds is real and recurring: payroll to run, a separate entity return to file, and basis to track. Below a certain profit level those costs exceed the savings, and the answer is no.
Where the line falls depends on your profit, what a defensible wage would be for the work you do, and what the added administration actually costs you. It is worth running rather than assuming, in either direction. If the answer turns out to be yes, the S corporation package is where you land, and the election has its own filing deadline that has to be met before the year it applies to.
If the answer is no, you will hear that too. An S corporation election sold to someone who should not have one is how a simple return becomes three filings and a payroll headache.
Not included
What this package is not.
So that nothing is a surprise later:
- Bookkeeping, or cleanup of records that are not current
- IRS or state notice response after filing
- Businesses with meaningful inventory or complex revenue recognition
- Partnership, C corporation, trust, or estate returns
- Unlimited year-round access, which is a different engagement
Common questions
How much does Schedule C tax preparation cost?
The package starts at $1,350 and covers Form 1040, Schedule C for one business, Schedule SE, the state individual return, quarterly estimated payment calculations, electronic filing, and one results meeting. That assumes one business, one state, current records, and no significant inventory or unresolved prior-year issues. Anything beyond that is quoted before work begins.
Does my single-member LLC file its own tax return?
Not for federal purposes by default. A single-member LLC is a disregarded entity, meaning the business activity is reported on Schedule C inside your personal Form 1040 rather than on a separate return. The LLC still matters for liability and for state registration, and some states have their own filing or fee requirements, but it does not create a second federal return unless you have elected to be taxed as a corporation.
When are my quarterly estimated payments due?
For a calendar year, federal estimates are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year. Paying at least 100% of your prior year total tax, or 110% if your prior-year adjusted gross income exceeded $150,000, generally avoids an underpayment penalty regardless of how the current year turns out. Your state has its own schedule and rules.
Should I elect S corporation status?
It depends on your profit level, what a reasonable wage for your work would be, and what payroll, a separate entity return, and basis tracking cost you each year. Below a certain profit the self-employment tax savings do not cover those costs. It is a calculation specific to your business and worth running rather than assuming. If the answer is yes, the election has a filing deadline that has to be met before the year it applies to.
What do you need from me to get started?
Prior year returns, the depreciation schedule if you have assets, access to your bookkeeping, a list of estimated payments you made with dates, and the usual year-end documents. If your books are behind, that gets handled first as a separate quoted project.
Do you work with clients outside Idaho?
Yes. The practice is based in Boise and works remotely. Federal returns are prepared the same way no matter where you are, and state returns are handled for the states your business actually files in.
Next step
Start with a call.
Twenty minutes. A few questions when you book so the call starts with the useful part, and a direct answer about whether this is a fit.