How much should I spend on tax planning?

[Joe P.]

I own a business flipping vacant land properties so according to the irs I am a real estate dealer and my income is taxed as ordinary income which includes the full 15% self employment tax.  I recently found out about a potential tax strategy using a limited partnership to cut down on or eliminate paying the full 15% self employment tax.  I spoke with a tax planner that quoted me $4800 for the first year of tax planning and $1000 a year after.  I've only been operating this business for a year so I have not dealt much with accountants and I have no idea if this is a good price.  My income is under 50k so $4800 would be a considerable chunk of my income but if it reduces my future taxes by cutting down of the self employment tax it could be worth it.  Any more experienced folks have some advice for me on this topic?

[Brandon Hall]

@Joe P. In my opinion, that's too much for just tax planning based on your income level. 

With tax planning, you should receive significantly more in tax savings than you spent on the service. At your earnings level, based on what you are doing, a few minor tweaks can likely save you $5-8k per year. But that wouldn't necessitate a hard core tax planning service.

When we do tax planning, we want the client to return 3-4x the cost of our service. I would feel extremely uncomfortable quoting you $4800 because I know you would not be saving $15-20k in taxes as your NOI is simply not at the level that allows for those savings.