The value proposition of a tax accountant is not usually crunching numbers. It's instead helping you find the optimal choices to make when filing, helping you m

The value proposition of a tax accountant is not usually crunching numbers. It's instead helping you find the optimal choices to make when filing, helping you model your situation in terms of tax code, and giving you advice about how to arrange your affairs the rest of the year to give you the biggest benefit come tax time. The one I've used has consistently saved me more money in taxes than he costs. That said, my tax situation is also nowhere near complicated enough that an accountant has ever asked the order of magnitude you were quoted, so YMMV of course.