Why free tax planning is worthless and what you should be charging

Let’s be honest. When you offer free tax planning, you’re telling clients, “this isn’t worth anything,” and they know it.

Here’s the truth:

• Tax planning is not compliance work.
• It’s a specialist, high-value service that requires skill, expertise, and strategic thinking.
• It should never be bundled in with a compliance fee, or worse, given away for free.

As your tax planning expertise grows, so should your fees. Top tax specialists routinely charge 2–3 times the minimum rate because they know the value they bring, and clients happily pay for it.

Here’s why:

The designer handbag effect. People expect premium products and services to have a premium price tag. Beaton Research & Consulting’s survey confirms it, clients associate higher fees with higher quality. If your tax planning is priced like compliance work, that’s how clients will treat it.

It’s time to stop undervaluing your expertise. At TaxFitness, we give accountants the tools, strategies, and confidence to position themselves as tax specialists, charging premium fees and delivering premium value.

Try TaxFitness for free.