Guides to Hiring a CPA
Plain-English answers for anyone hiring an accountant in Michigan.
How Much Does a CPA Cost in Michigan?
Typical fees by situation, what drives the price, and when a CPA is worth it — plus honest alternatives when your return is simple.
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CPA vs. Tax Preparer vs. Enrolled Agent
Anyone with a PTIN can file your return. Only some of them can answer the IRS for you. What each credential means.
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How to Choose a CPA in Michigan
Five steps: name the job, read the license number (1101, not 1103), match their experience to your city return or business, pin the fee down, and the red flags.
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Filing Taxes Online vs. Hiring a Local CPA in Michigan
Software handles a flat 4.25% state return. A city income tax return, a decoupling addition, the flow-through election, or a retirement subtraction choice is where a Michigan CPA earns the fee.
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Behind on Taxes in Michigan? How to Catch Up
Unfiled returns do not expire, and one missed Michigan year can be three missing returns: federal, state, and city. How many years you need, what it costs, and why filing comes before paying.
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Bookkeeper vs. CPA: Which Does Your Michigan Business Need?
A bookkeeper keeps the books current and files the routine returns. A CPA owns the Michigan decoupling adjustments, the flow-through election, city withholding setup, and the IRS. When you need one, and when you need both.
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Got an IRS or Michigan Treasury Letter? What to Do
Three agencies can write to a Michigan filer: the IRS, Michigan Treasury, and 24 city income tax offices. Who sent it, whether it is real, the deadline, and when to hand it to a CPA.
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Tax Preparer Scams in Michigan
Ghost preparers, refund-percentage fees, fake city tax collectors, and Treasury impersonators. How to read a license number (1101, not 1103) and what to do if it already happened.
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Michigan Decoupled From the Federal Tax Code in 2025
Public Act 24 of 2025 froze Michigan at the old rules for bonus depreciation, business interest, research costs and Section 179. What business owners add back, with Treasury’s own example.
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Michigan City Income Tax: The 24 Cities and What They Charge
Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing and 21 other cities levy their own income tax on residents and on nonresidents who work there. Rates, who files, and why the due date is not April 15.
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How to Verify a Michigan CPA License
Look up any name or license number on LARA’s official lookup in under a minute. What the 1101, 1102, and 1103 license numbers mean, and the red flags.
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