The IRS will not allow preparers take their fees from taxpayer refunds after all. This would put preparers at odds with their clients. We spend time with our clients trying to determine if they are withholding too much to begin with. If we expected to get our fees from the refund, this would but us at odds with the stated client goals of minimizing refunds and creating greater cash flow throughout the year.
The IRS had considered proposals to allow e-filers to use a portion of their refunds to pay their tax preparation fees. This way, they wouldn’t pay anything up front. This is not the way CPA firms are run, this is how tax preparers without credentials would run their businesses. We look to have long term relationships with our clients, we do not look at them as only a transaction.