Working with a CPA shouldn’t be confusing. Whether you’re a Houston small business owner, a real estate investor, or an individual taxpayer, here’s exactly what to expect when you start working with Whetzel & Co — from the first call to your first delivered tax return and beyond.
Step 1: Free 30-minute consultation
The starting point is a phone call. (832) 983-7080 or contact form. We talk for about 30 minutes about your situation: what you have, what you need, what hasn’t been working with prior CPAs, what your financial picture looks like, and what you’re trying to accomplish.
This call is free. There’s no commitment. The goal is to figure out whether we’re the right fit before either of us invests time in a formal engagement. About a third of the time we conclude we’re not the right fit and refer the prospect elsewhere — that’s a feature, not a bug.
Step 2: Engagement letter and quote
If we both agree it’s a fit, we send an engagement letter within 24-48 hours. The letter spells out:
- Exactly what we’ll do (and won’t do)
- The fee for each service line
- Timeline expectations
- How invoicing works
- What you’re responsible for providing
No surprise invoices. The fee in the engagement letter is the fee. If scope changes during the engagement, we send an amended letter before doing additional work.
Step 3: Document collection via secure portal
Once you sign the engagement letter, we set up your client portal. Everything happens through the portal — no emailing W-2s and bank statements as PDF attachments. The portal handles:
- Secure document upload
- E-signature for tax returns and engagement letters
- Document storage for ongoing reference
- Internal messaging
For tax engagements, we provide an organizer (a structured questionnaire) covering everything we need. For business engagements, we set up bank feeds and start onboarding existing accounting data.
Step 4: Work performed
This is where the work happens. For tax returns: 2-3 weeks during normal season, longer during March/April. For bookkeeping setup: 1-2 weeks for clean books, 4-6 weeks for messy catch-up work. For consulting projects: typically scoped in 30-60 day blocks.
Throughout the engagement you have access to ask questions via the portal. We respond same-day to most messages, next-business-day at the latest.
Step 5: Review and delivery
For tax returns:
- Draft return delivered through the portal for your review
- Phone or video call to walk through the return, answer questions, discuss tax planning opportunities
- E-sign authorization to e-file
- We e-file federal and state returns
- Confirmation of acceptance sent within 48 hours of e-file
For ongoing engagements (bookkeeping, payroll, advisory): regular monthly or quarterly reporting through the portal with scheduled review meetings.
Step 6: Ongoing relationship
Tax preparation isn’t transactional — the value happens between filings. Most clients have:
- Mid-year tax planning meeting (May) — we covered this in our mid-year tax check-in article
- Year-end planning meeting (November) — finalize moves before December 31
- Ongoing access — reach out via portal for tax questions on transactions, deals, or life events without per-question billing
- Coordination with other professionals — we work directly with your attorney, financial advisor, and banker as situations require
What you’ll be responsible for
To make the engagement work, you need to:
- Provide complete and accurate documents on time
- Respond to questions within 48 hours during active engagements
- Notify us promptly of life events that affect your tax situation (marriage, divorce, business sale, real estate transactions, etc.)
- Pay invoices when due
- Be honest about issues — we’re here to solve problems, but we can only solve problems we know about
Pricing transparency
We provide written quotes before work begins. Indicative ranges:
- Individual tax return (W-2 + standard items): $400-$800
- Self-employed return (Schedule C with bookkeeping clean): $800-$1,500
- S-corp or partnership return: $1,500-$3,500+
- Monthly bookkeeping for small business: $400-$1,200/month
- Virtual CFO services: $1,500-$5,000/month
- Tax planning project (one-time): $750-$2,500
- IRS resolution work: hourly or fixed-fee depending on scope
Fees vary with complexity. Quote provided in writing before any work begins.
What we’re NOT
To be clear about expectations:
- We’re not a tax mill that processes returns at $99 each. The price reflects the depth of work and ongoing relationship.
- We don’t take every client. We turn down engagements that aren’t a fit for either side.
- We don’t make aggressive tax positions that won’t survive an audit. The goal is the lowest legitimate tax, not the lowest theoretical tax.
- We don’t replace a financial advisor, attorney, or insurance professional. We coordinate with yours and refer to trusted partners when you need one.
Common questions
How quickly can you take me on as a client? Outside of tax season (October-March): typically 1-2 weeks from initial call to engagement letter. During tax season: 2-4 weeks.
Do you work with clients in person or remotely? Both. Most ongoing work happens through the portal, with periodic in-person meetings as needed. We’re based in Houston and serve clients across the metro area.
Do you take on clients outside of Houston? Yes, particularly for specialty industries (oil and gas, real estate investors). Most of our specialty engagements happen entirely virtually.
Can you handle prior-year amended returns? Yes. Common starting point for new clients moving from another CPA.
What if I need work outside the engagement letter? We discuss it before doing anything. New scope = new written quote.
Get started
The first step is a 30-minute phone call. No commitment, no cost. If we’re a fit, we move forward. If not, we point you in the right direction.
Call (832) 983-7080 or use the contact page to schedule the conversation.
Related: Individual Taxes, Corporate Tax, Bookkeeping & CFO, Real Estate Accounting, Fractional CFO, Tax Planning, Tax Resolution, Payroll.