How to sell tax planning without guaranteeing savings

Here is how to sell tax planning without guaranteeing savings. Promise what you control: a written plan by a date, the decisions it will settle, a check-in before each deadline, and straight answers about risk. Leave the savings figure out of the promise.

There are two reasons. You can't know the number before you've done the work. And Circular 230 limits fees and guarantees tied to results. Section 10.27 says a contingent fee includes one "based on a percentage of the taxes saved," one that "otherwise depends on the specific result attained," and any arrangement to reimburse the fee if a position is challenged, "whether pursuant to an indemnity agreement, a guarantee, rescission rights, or any other arrangement with a similar effect" (31 CFR 10.27). The same section counts tax planning and advice as a matter before the IRS.

Why owners ask for a number

"How much will this save me?" is a reasonable question. The owner is weighing your fee against an outcome they can't see. Some have also been told by promoters that a big number is normal.

The IRS has a view on those promoters. Its 2026 Dirty Dozen list describes non-cash charitable contribution schemes where "promoters often promise to eliminate or substantially reduce tax liability" (IRS, Dirty Dozen 2026). When you decline to promise a number, you can say why without sounding evasive.

What to promise when you sell tax planning without guaranteeing savings

Promise	Why it works
A written plan by a named date	The owner knows when they get something
The decisions it will settle	Salary, estimated payments, entity, retirement, each named
A check-in before each deadline	Estimated payments are due April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15 (IRS)
Plain answers about risk	You'll explain penalties likely to apply to what you advise
A response time	"Questions answered within two business days"

The fourth row is required anyway. Circular 230 section 10.34(c) says a practitioner must inform a client of any penalties reasonably likely to apply to a position they advised on, and of any opportunity to avoid them by disclosure (31 CFR 10.34). Say it up front. Owners hear that you'll be straight with them about risk.

What to say when they ask for a number

"I won't give you a savings figure today, for two reasons. I haven't seen your numbers, so any figure would be a guess. And the rules I work under don't let me tie my fee to what you save. What I can tell you is the decisions we'd settle and when. Last April you paid [amount] at filing with no estimates. The plan sets every payment from here and looks at your salary before your next payroll change."

The owner's own past numbers carry more weight than any estimate you could give. Use what they told you in the meeting.

See if your firm is a fit

Show value without a forecast

You can make the value concrete without promising an outcome.

Use their history. What they paid, when, and whether it surprised them.
Use real limits. For 2026 the IRS set the 401(k) employee limit at $24,500 and the IRA limit at $7,500 (IRS, 2026 limits). "Did you use any of that last year?" asks about facts the owner already knows.
Use real costs of waiting. The IRS underpayment interest rate for the fourth quarter of 2026 is 7% (IRS, quarterly interest rates).
Use deadlines. Form 2553 must be filed no more than 2 months and 15 days after the start of the tax year the election takes effect, or during the year before (IRS, instructions for Form 2553).

Worked example (example numbers only, use your own): An owner put nothing into retirement last year and has no employees. You can say: "The 2026 limits allow up to $24,500 in employee deferrals to a 401(k). Whether a plan makes sense for you is one of the decisions the plan settles." You've shown the size of the decision without promising what it's worth.

What our marketing has taught us about guarantees

We run marketing that fills tax firms' calendars with qualified planning meetings, and we do offer a guarantee. It's built on something we can count.

20 qualified tax planning meetings in 90 days, guaranteed. A qualified meeting is one where a business owner we've qualified books onto your calendar and shows up. If you have fewer than 20 qualified meetings after 90 days, we keep booking with no further monthly fee until you reach 20.

Notice what it covers. Meetings held with owners who match written criteria, which both sides can count. It says nothing about how many become clients or what any client saves, because those depend on things outside our control. The same principle works for a tax firm: guarantee the parts of the work you control, in terms both sides can check.

Where to start this week

Write your promise table: plan date, decisions, check-ins, risk answers, response time.
Practise the "no number" answer until it sounds like you.
Search your proposals and engagement letters for savings figures tied to your fee and remove them.
Add the 2026 retirement limits and the IRS interest rate to your meeting sheet.
Check your engagement letter for any refund-if-challenged clause.

Questions firm owners ask

Can a tax professional guarantee tax savings? Circular 230 section 10.27 treats fees based on taxes saved, or on the specific result attained, as contingent fees, along with arrangements to reimburse the fee through a guarantee if a position is challenged. Outside narrow exceptions, practitioners may not charge them.

How do I sell tax planning without guaranteeing savings? Use the owner's own history, real IRS limits and deadlines, and the cost of waiting, such as the IRS underpayment interest rate. Promise a written plan by a date and name the decisions it will settle.

What should I say when a prospect asks how much tax planning will save them? Explain that any figure before you've seen their numbers would be a guess and that you don't tie your fee to savings. Then name the decisions the plan will settle, using what they paid last year.

What can a tax firm guarantee? Things it controls and both sides can check, such as delivery dates, check-ins before each estimated payment date and response times.

Sources

General information from the official sources listed below, checked 25 Oct 2026. Not tax or legal advice.

If you'd rather have qualified owners booked for you

Financial Sales Insider is a marketing company for US CPA and EA-led tax firms. We fill your calendar with qualified tax planning meetings. Our marketing finds business owners who fit your criteria, qualifies them, and books them with you.

20 qualified tax planning meetings in 90 days, guaranteed.

If you have fewer than 20 qualified meetings after 90 days, we keep booking with no further monthly fee until you reach 20.

See if your firm is a fit Form not loading? Book here.

Johnny Logan, Founder, Financial Sales Insider.

Financial Sales Insider · Florida · (305) 513-1710