The money
Every way the tax brand earns, as check prints it before you sell and as the owner reads it after a year. The Tax Plan once a cycle, a notice answered with a professional or by the client, a fee on a penalty abated, an approval sold on top, a state's fee at cost, what each person is paid, and what a missed date gives back.
tax's wordsreturn is a jobtaxpayer is a subjectreview is a taskpreparer is a member
A return earns its price, less the AI, the people and services.dev's take. The brand sells seven ways:
| The brand sells | Written |
|---|---|
| A year, with allowances: a job inside one charges $0, so its ledger shows only its cost | price.every, price.includes |
| A return, priced on its date | within: '5d before file', late: '20%' |
| A professional, or the client: a taxpayer may always answer their own notice | self: 99, and self: true on the rules row |
| A share of a penalty abated: the one fee that rides on a result | price.outcome, open on the notice response's rules row |
| A person's approval, as an upgrade: AI closes the books, an accountant attests for $600 more | approved: 900 |
| Each payee's 1099, $15 a payee | per: 'payees' |
| A state's fee, at cost, read off the filing's receipt | lines.state_fees |
check prints each Service's ledger and its margin, with the arithmetic that makes it:
$ npx services.dev check
services/amended-return.ts · 22 lines · $900 per job, within 30 days, charged when file or aar is accepted.
ledger +$900.00 · AI $1.26 (example) · preparer $150.00 · signer $105.00 · you $643.74 · 4 jurisdictions
margin at least $465.00 when the first preparer does prepare ($900.00 − $150.00 preparer − $105.00 signer − $180.00 AI cap) · $337.50 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · $210.00 after a decline and a second preparer
a job that stops costs you at most $285.00
services/annual-return.ts · 45 lines · $1,800 per job, filed 5 days before its deadline, 20% off if late, or we pay the penalty and its interest, up to $5,000, after we ask the IRS to take it off, charged when file is accepted.
ledger +$1,800.00 · AI $1.68 (example) · signer $105.00 · you $1,693.32 · 4 jurisdictions
margin at least $1,335.00 when the first signer signs ($1,800.00 − $105.00 signer − $360.00 AI cap) · $1,282.50 at the ladder's cap, the lower of 50% and what the floor leaves · $1,230.00 after a decline and a second signer · $1,185.00 when a routed step runs
a job that stops costs you at most $465.00 · filed late, $360.00 less · a missed date you answer for, up to $5,000.00 more
services/carryforward-watch.ts · 8 lines · $9 per year, charged at the start of each year.
ledger +$9.00 · AI $0.84 (example) · you $8.16
margin at least $7.20 a job (80%) · a job that stops costs you at most $1.80
services/estimate.ts · 17 lines · $79 per job, within 48 hours, charged on delivery.
ledger +$79.00 · AI $0.42 (example) · you $78.58
margin at least $63.20 a job (80%) · a job that stops costs you at most $15.80
services/information-returns.ts · 17 lines · $15 per payee, charged when file is accepted.
ledger +$90.00 · AI $0.84 (example) · you $89.16 · 6 payees
The Tax Plan charged $2,400 at the start of each cycle:
→ GET /subscriptions/sbn_7Hq2← sbn_7Hq2 · tax-plan · active · cycle 2 · 2028-01-20 → 2029-01-20 · $2,400.00 per year
allowances annual-return 1 of 1 · information-returns 0 of 25 · estimate 0 of 4 · question 0 of 12 · notice-response 0 of 2
schedule information → information-returns · next 2029-01-05
schedule annual → annual-return · next 2029-02-01
schedule estimate → estimate · next 2028-04-05
event question.asked → question
event notice.received → notice-response
charge cycle 1 · $2,400.00 · 2027-01-20
charge cycle 2 · $2,400.00 · 2028-01-20Each job it ordered, at its cost:
→ GET /subscriptions/sbn_7Hq2# each job the plan drew on, as the owner reads its ledger
job_4Tx1 information-returns 2026 +$0.00 · AI $0.84 · you −$0.84 · 5 payees
job_4Tx3 annual-return 2026 +$0.00 · AI $3.36 · signer $210.00 · you −$213.36
job_4Tx4 estimate +$0.00 · AI $0.42 · you −$0.42
job_4Tx5 estimate +$0.00 · AI $0.42 · you −$0.42
job_4Tx6 estimate +$0.00 · AI $0.42 · you −$0.42
job_4Tx7 notice-response +$0.00 · AI $0.84 · representative $90.00 · you −$90.84
job_4Tx8 estimate +$0.00 · AI $0.42 · you −$0.42
job_4TxA information-returns 2027 +$0.00 · AI $0.84 · you −$0.84 · 6 payees
job_4Tx9 annual-return 2027 you $0.00A return on its own charges $1,800; an amendment pays two members:
→ GET /owner/returns/job_4Tx2 # the owner console ledger +$1,800.00 · AI $1.68 · signer $105.00 · you $1,693.32→ GET /owner/returns/job_4Tx3 # the owner console ledger +$900.00 · AI $1.26 · preparer $150.00 · signer $105.00 · you $643.74One OFFER sells both postures. Under posture: 'self' the officer answers herself, and the representative's $90 drops out:
→ POST /returns {"service":"notice-response","owner":{"name":"Ada Lovelace","email":"ada@example.com"},"ein":"12-3456789","notice":"cp161.pdf","reply_by":"2027-12-14","tax_years":["2026"],"key":"cp161-1"}
choices posture: 'full' · $299.00 · a CPA, enrolled agent or attorney answers for you, under a Form 2848 that names them
posture: 'self' · $99.00 · the AI drafts the response, and you sign and send it in your own name, with nothing to authorize
abated on a penalty the agency takes off: 25% of what it takes off, $99.00 at least, in place of $299.00
→ GET /owner/returns/job_4Tz1 # posture self
record read · ai · CP161 | match · code · each payment posted to its period | classify · code · agree → pay | poa · skipped: the owner performs every act it grants | review · ai · adversarial · pass | respond · owner · signed as officer, in her own name · id-verified | send · rcp_7Hz1 accepted | pay · Treasury · accepted
ledger +$99.00 · AI $0.84 · you $98.16 · posture selfCircular 230 lets one fee ride on a result: a share of a penalty the IRS takes off, here a quarter, $99 at least. The rules table refuses the same key on a return:
→ GET /owner/returns/job_4Tz4
record read · ai · CP162 · failure-to-file penalty $1,470.00 for 2025: 3 partners × 2 months × $245 | match · code · nothing misapplied | classify · code · penalty → respond | respond · representative · claimed by mbr_8Ea1, CAF 0312-45678R | poa · owner · Form 2848 · names mbr_8Ea1 · income, 1065, 2025 | respond · a request for first-time abatement, three clean years before it · stamped | send · rcp_7Hz7 accepted | abated · rcp_7Hz8 · $1,470.00 taken off
price 25% of $1,470.00 abated, $367.50, above the $99.00 floor · rules 2026-10 · services['notice-response'].price_outcome
Only what the receipt states is charged:
→ POST /returns {"service":"annual-return","business":{"name":"Harbor Partners","email":"books@harbor.example"},"owner":{"name":"Rosa Diaz","email":"rosa@harbor.example"},"ein":"98-7654340","tax_year":"2026","entity":"partnership","jurisdictions":["US","US-NJ"],"books":"https://books.example/harbor","key":"harbor-2026"}
lines state fees at cost, read off each filing's receipt · charged with the return, up to max_usd
holds $1,800.00 once you send max_usd · released when every filing is accepted
→ GET /owner/returns/job_4Tz3
receipts rcp_7Hz3 US 1065 2026 accepted · rcp_7Hz4 US-NJ NJ-1065 2026 accepted · fee $150.00
ledger +$1,950.00 · state fees $150.00 at cost, rcp_7Hz4 (pass-through) · AI $1.68 · signer $75.00 · you $1,723.32
take on $1,725.00 · the state's fee leaves the base with its receiptA late date costs the brand, never the client:
| When | What happens | Key |
|---|---|---|
| Filed after the price's deadline | 20% comes off the charge, released from the hold | late: '20%' |
| The client never answers | The job lapses, the hold is released, nothing is charged | organizer.expires |
| A penalty for a date the brand or its member missed | Credited back from your line, up to $5,000 | clocks.file.guarantee |
When a date is missed walks Cedar Works' late return, from the stale credential to the credit back.
Each act is payable two days after it and paid that evening:
→ GET /subscriptions/sbn_7Hq2# pay accrued to members: each act payable two days after it, paid that evening
mbr_8Ea1 job_4Tx2 sign $105.00 payable 2026-02-03 · paid 2026-02-03 · simulated
mbr_8Ea1 job_4Tx3 sign $105.00 payable 2027-07-13 · paid 2027-07-13 · simulated
mbr_8Ea1 job_4Tx3 sign $105.00 payable 2027-07-15 · paid 2027-07-15 · the re-sign after a repair, a new act · simulated
mbr_8Ea1 job_4Tx7 respond $90.00 payable 2027-11-16 · paid 2027-11-16 · simulatedTen jobs: one return at its own price, the rest inside two cycles:
→ GET /subscriptions/sbn_7Hq2# the brand
tax · 10 jobs · +$6,600.00 · AI $9.24 · people $405.00 · you $6,185.76Money has the formula.