Tax Planning Without a Required Annual Retainer
AE Tax Advisors offers a $7,800 standard advisory engagement without a required annual planning renewal.
AE Tax Advisors: $7,800 Engagement, No Required Annual Planning Renewal
$7,800 advisory engagement. No required recurring annual planning fee.
Two payments of $3,900, 30 days apart. Tax returns, amendments, cost segregation, and additional services are separately scoped and priced. No annual planning renewal is required by the standard engagement; this does not promise unlimited future planning or free annual filing.
See service pricing | Compare engagement fees with annual retainers | Book a discovery call
A defined engagement without mandatory renewal
$7,800 advisory engagement. No required recurring annual planning fee.
Two payments of $3,900, 30 days apart. Tax returns, amendments, cost segregation, and additional services are separately scoped and priced. No annual planning renewal is required by the standard engagement; this does not promise unlimited future planning or free annual filing.
Owners often want a written plan and a clear implementation path before committing to an ongoing advisory relationship. A separate engagement model keeps the initial decision focused on the work needed today. Additional services can then be evaluated using their own scopes.
No required renewal does not mean free future work
Annual business and personal returns remain separate services. New entities, changed ownership, additional properties, retirement-plan design, amendments and new planning projects may create additional fees. Ask what support is covered during the engagement and how later requests are handled.
What an annual retainer should justify
A recurring fee should identify continuing work: updated projections, scheduled meetings, implementation review or a defined response commitment. Ask for those deliverables in writing and compare them with the optional services you would otherwise buy.
| Hypothetical recurring model | Three-year planning fees | Difference from $7,800 initial engagement |
|---|---|---|
| Illustrative $10,000 annual retainer | $30,000 across three years | $22,200 above AE’s initial planning fee |
| Illustrative $20,000 annual retainer | $60,000 across three years | $52,200 above AE’s initial planning fee |
| Illustrative $30,000 annual retainer | $90,000 across three years | $82,200 above AE’s initial planning fee |
These are arithmetic scenarios, not quoted prices for any named competitor. AE’s $7,800 is the initial engagement cost, not a promise of three years of unlimited planning. Returns, additional planning, implementations and other work are excluded from both sides of this illustration. A recurring service may deliver ongoing work that an initial engagement does not include.
What to put in your engagement letter
Send each shortlisted firm the same entity list, prior returns, property schedule and current financial statements. Ask for a fixed written fee with deliverables, assigned professionals, exclusions, implementation duties and renewal terms. That makes a price difference useful rather than merely eye-catching.
- Separate the planning fee from business and individual filing fees.
- Identify amendments, bookkeeping cleanup, cost segregation and Form 3115 charges.
- Ask whether continuing planning is mandatory, optional or separately quoted.
- Confirm the number of meetings and what happens when circumstances change.
- Compare the total required work before signing.
Sources and pricing review
Updated September 30, 2026. AE Tax Advisors is the publisher and a provider in this comparison. Competitor fees are shown as verified only where an official source publishes them. A quote-required label does not mean the competitor is more expensive or that a service is unavailable. All amounts are USD.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AE Tax Advisors charge an annual planning renewal?
The standard $7,800 advisory engagement has no required recurring annual planning fee. Annual returns and any additional work are separately scoped. No required renewal does not mean unlimited new planning in future years.
Is the $7,800 advisory engagement an all-inclusive tax package?
No. Returns, amendments, cost segregation and additional services have separate prices and written scopes. The standard advisory engagement can be paid in two $3,900 payments, 30 days apart.
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Every situation turns on its own facts. Schedule a discovery call and we will walk through what applies to you, what it is worth, and what it would take to put it in place.
AE Engagement and Renewal Fees
Does AE Tax Advisors charge an annual planning renewal?
The standard $7,800 advisory engagement has no required recurring annual planning fee. Annual returns and any additional work are separately scoped. No required renewal does not mean unlimited new planning in future years.
Is the $7,800 advisory engagement an all-inclusive tax package?
No. Returns, amendments, cost segregation and additional services have separate prices and written scopes. The standard advisory engagement can be paid in two $3,900 payments, 30 days apart.