Individual Tax Preparation
Personal tax preparation with a CPA who works directly with you.
Quick Answer
- Individual returns start at $350. Any offered engagement states the accepted return scope and fee in writing; additional forms, entities, jurisdictions, records, or changed scope may require a separate quote
- Accepted returns are prepared under a written scope; Gregory Monaco is a CPA licensed in New Jersey (#20CC04711400), verifiable with the State Board of Accountancy
- Federal and NJ returns prepared together using supported NJ-specific reporting adjustments from client-supplied records; no outcome is promised
- Estimated-payment calculations can be added, with no monitoring or reminders
- Virtual-first: the contact form, a written scope to review, then document upload once we agree on the work
Individual tax preparation covers accepted federal and permitted state income tax returns starting at $350. Exact jurisdictions, forms, scope, and fee are confirmed in writing before acceptance; return preparation does not include automatic year-end planning or a promised review call.
I prepare individual tax returns from the records you supply, following the applicable federal and state filing rules.
Returns can cover W-2, freelance, self-employment, and other income sources. I review the deductions and credits your records support under the applicable rules.
Tax planning is a separate service from return preparation. When we agree to include it, I base the planning on the information you supply.
Tell Greg what you need help with
Share the basics through the contact form.
Get StartedView PricingCommon situations
- You live in New Jersey and work in New York or Pennsylvania. I prepare returns for commuters and remote workers, covering the states we agree on in writing. NJ Commuter Tax Returns · Multi-state filing checklist
- You have W-2 wages and a side business. For an individual with a nonfarm sole-proprietor business, the business activity generally goes on Schedule C with Form 1040. Spouses combine their income on the same return when they file jointly; separate entity-return rules can apply. Freelancer & Self-Employed Tax · Self-employment checklist
- You sold stock or fund shares. I can analyze federal and NJ tax treatment of documented transactions using the complete-return information supplied. Equity compensation is considered case by case under a separate written engagement and may be referred to an independent specialist. New Jersey capital gains guide · W-2 employee document checklist
- You have IRA, pension or Social Security income. I prepare these as ordinary individual returns. The Retirement and IRA checklist lists the Forms 1099-R and the New Jersey pension-exclusion records to gather.
- You have children or pay for childcare. The W-2 employee document checklist lists the dependent and childcare-provider details to gather.
- How your papers reach me. I run a virtual practice, with no walk-in office. Once we agree on the work, the engagement letter or a later written instruction tells you how to send documents. How I work, step by step
- Not sure what to gather? The document checklists list the records to collect for each kind of return.
Additional Services & Resources
IRS / State Correspondence Notice Support
Ordinary CP2000 and IRS or state correspondence-notice support is a separate engagement. It is not automatically included with tax preparation. Office, field, examination, collection, appeals, OIC, and VDP matters are considered case by case under a separate written engagement and may be referred to an independent tax-controversy specialist.
W-2 Filing Checklist
Filing a straightforward W-2 return? Use the checklist to organize your W-2s, 1099-INTs, mortgage statements, and other records before you send them.
Freelancers & Self-Employed Individuals
If you receive 1099-NEC income, work as an independent contractor, or run a sole proprietorship, I can prepare Schedule C and self-employment tax reporting and classify the home-office, vehicle, equipment, and professional-cost items your records support. My tax resources explain general estimated-payment concepts. Any client-specific annual target or installment calculation requires current, supported inputs; the client tracks due dates and transmits payments, and timing, withholding, annualization, later income changes, applicable required-payment methods and exceptions, and agency computations determine any federal estimated-tax penalty or separate New Jersey underpayment interest.
Cryptocurrency on your return
Crypto records may include sales, exchanges, rewards, DeFi activity, NFTs, fees, transfers, and information returns. Tax treatment depends on what occurred; a wallet-to-wallet transfer of the same beneficially owned asset is not automatically a taxable disposition. Crypto-return work covers what we agree on, using the records you supply.
What's Included
- Federal and NJ state tax return preparation
- Multi-state return components when we agree to include them
- W-2, 1099, and freelance income
- Ordinary documented stock and fund sales (Form 1099-B)
- Itemized deductions analysis
- Tax credit identification
- E-filing after client authorization; the client controls payment and remittance instructions
- Instructions for sending documents once we agree on the work
- I provide the written return review before filing.
Available Separately
- Optional tax-planning analysis, agreed separately
- Response package for you to submit on ordinary, non-examination correspondence, agreed separately; agency contact only under a power of attorney you authorize
How It Works
The written engagement and intake instructions describe the expected steps from first contact through the accepted work; timing and steps may vary with the agreed scope and client-supplied information.
- 1
Contact-Form Intake
Tell me what you need through the contact form. If I can take on the work, I send a written scope for you to review.
- 2
Document Exchange After Acceptance
Once we agree on the work, send documents the way the engagement letter or my later written instructions describe. Do not send tax documents or sensitive identifiers through the contact form.
- 3
Preparation & Review
I prepare your returns from the records you supply and share them through the agreed written review process.
- 4
Authorization & Filing
After you authorize filing, I e-file the return. Planning for a future year is agreed separately.
What affects your quote
- The condition of your records
- The number of accounts and entities involved
- The tax years or periods covered
- The states involved
See published starting prices. The engagement letter confirms the scope and price before work starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents do I need to provide?
Do you handle multi-state returns?
When should I start preparing for tax season?
What is your pricing for individual returns?
Can you represent me during an IRS audit?
Do you handle freelancers and self-employed individuals?
Ready to Get Started?
I read each inquiry myself and do my best to reply within a week. If we work together, the scope, price and timing are agreed in writing before work starts.
Use of this website does not create a CPA-client relationship.
Tax advice disclaimer: This material is for general educational information only and is not legal, tax, or accounting advice for your specific facts. A CPA-client relationship is formed only through a signed engagement letter.