Side by side
| Do it yourself | CPA / EA | Formation-agent add-on | Software (this site) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Free | Hundreds of dollars per form* | Varies; often bundled* | $49.99 one-off |
| Time you spend | Several hours of reading | An hour of gathering documents | Minimal | About 10 minutes |
| Reviews your circumstances | No — you do | Yes | Depends on the provider | No |
| Gives tax advice | No | Yes | Usually not | No |
| Files it for you | No | Usually | Sometimes | No — you file |
| Handles multiple late years | Hard | Yes — the right route | Rarely | One year at a time, no advice |
| Reasonable-cause statements | You draft it | Yes | Generally no | No |
| Represents you with the IRS | No | Yes | No | No |
| See the output before paying | n/a | No | Usually no | Yes — the whole document |
| Good for next year | Your notes | Repeat fee | Repeat fee | Saved answers on your device |
Swipe the table sideways to see all four columns
*General observations about the market, not quotes. Always obtain a written fee estimate before engaging any provider.
Doing it yourself
The form is free. The instructions are free. Nothing requires you to pay anyone, and plenty of founders complete their own Form 5472 perfectly well.
Where it wins
- Costs nothing
- You learn the rules properly, which pays off every year
- No dependency on any provider
- Complete control over what is filed
Where it hurts
- The instructions assume vocabulary you may not have
- Cross-references to other code sections and forms
- Easy to miss the reference ID, the notation, the signature
- Uncertainty is its own cost when the penalty is $25,000
Best for: anyone comfortable with official documents who has an afternoon. If that is you, our line-by-line guide is free too — use it and keep your money.
A CPA or enrolled agent
A qualified US tax professional does something no self-service option can: they look at your facts and tell you what they mean. For some situations that is not a luxury, it is the only sensible route.
Hire a professional — not us — if any of these apply
- The IRS has already contacted you about a missing or incomplete filing
- You have two or more unfiled years
- You need a reasonable-cause statement to accompany a late filing
- Several foreign related parties transacted with the entity
- You are a multi-member LLC, partnership or corporation with more than one foreign holder
- You have US-source income, US employees, US inventory or a treaty position
- You genuinely cannot tell whether you must file after reading our free material
When you engage someone, ask directly: are you a CPA, an enrolled agent or a tax attorney; do you handle foreign-owned disregarded entities routinely; what is the fee for this scope in writing; and will you also handle correspondence if the IRS queries it.
A formation-agent add-on
Incorporation services increasingly offer compliance packages alongside formation and registered agent services. Convenient, and sometimes good value — with two things worth checking carefully.
- What is actually included. "Tax compliance" can mean a state annual report and nothing federal. Confirm Form 5472 and the pro forma Form 1120 are named.
- Who performs the work. Some agents fulfil through a partner firm; some are not tax professionals at all. Ask who signs and what their qualification is.
- Which years are covered. Add-ons usually start from the current year and exclude past ones.
- Whether advice is included. Preparation and advice are different services.
The most expensive assumption in this niche
"My formation agent didn't mention Form 5472, so there must be nothing to file." Formation agents register companies. Most do not provide tax advice and their silence carries no information about your obligations. Reliance on a non-professional generally does not, by itself, establish reasonable cause for a missed filing.
Document preparation software
What a tool like this one does, stated precisely:
- Asks for the information the form needs, in ordinary language rather than IRS terminology
- Lays your answers out across Parts I to VI in the structure of the current form
- Prepares the matching pro forma Form 1120 cover with the required notation
- Writes filing instructions covering what to attach, where to send it and what to keep
- Shows you the complete result before any payment
And what it does not do:
- It does not review your circumstances. It cannot know whether your facts are as simple as you think.
- It does not check your answers. If you forget a transaction, the draft omits it.
- It does not give tax advice and is not a CPA, enrolled agent or preparer.
- It does not file anything. You send the documents yourself.
- It does not represent you if the IRS asks a question.
Best for: a single foreign-owned LLC, one owner, one recent tax year, transactions you can list from memory, and a preference for spending ten minutes rather than three hours. That describes a great many people — and if it does not describe you, one of the other three routes is better.
A decision path
-
Any IRS notice, or two-plus unfiled years?
Go straight to a US tax professional or tax attorney. Do not use software, and do not file anything until you have spoken to someone.
-
Unsure whether you must file at all?
Run the free eligibility check. If it still feels ambiguous afterwards, buy an hour of professional time rather than guessing.
-
Complex facts — treaties, US income, several related parties?
A professional. The form is the easy part; the analysis is what you are paying for.
-
Simple facts and you enjoy official documents?
Do it yourself with the free instructions and keep your money.
-
Simple facts and you would rather it took ten minutes?
Software is a reasonable middle path. Read the whole draft free before deciding.
If option five is you
Answer the questions, read the complete Form 5472 and pro forma Form 1120 on screen, and only then decide whether the print-ready files are worth $49.99 to you.
Try the generator freeNo account · nothing charged until you choose the files
Questions
How much does a CPA charge to file Form 5472?
Fees vary widely by firm, location and complexity, and commonly run into the hundreds of dollars for a single straightforward form, with more for multiple years or complex facts. That is a general observation rather than a quote — ask for a written fee estimate before engaging anyone.
Can I file Form 5472 myself for free?
Yes. The form and its instructions are free from IRS.gov and nothing prevents you from completing and filing them yourself. What it costs is your time and your certainty: the instructions cross-reference other rules, use terms defined elsewhere, and assume familiarity with US tax vocabulary.
When should I use a tax professional instead of software for Form 5472?
Whenever the analysis matters more than the typing. Multiple unfiled years, any IRS notice already received, several foreign related parties, multi-member or partnership structures, treaty positions, US-source income questions, or genuine uncertainty about whether you must file at all. In those situations a professional is not a luxury.
Does my formation agent file Form 5472 for me?
Only if you have specifically bought a tax filing service from them and it covers Form 5472. Company formation and registered-agent services do not include tax filings by default. Some agents offer a compliance add-on, sometimes fulfilled by a partner firm. Read what is actually included, and never assume silence means nothing is due.
Does using software mean my Form 5472 is checked for accuracy?
No, and any tool claiming otherwise should be treated with suspicion. Document preparation software lays out the answers you give in the structure of the form. It cannot know whether you remembered every transaction or whether your figures match your bank statements. Reviewing the draft against your own records is your responsibility.
Why is there no cheaper tier or discount code?
Because there is only one product and one price, and because discount stacks on compliance products erode exactly the trust an anxious buyer needs. The whole document is free to read before you pay, which we think is a better guarantee than a coupon.
Scope & limitations
This page is general information about how Form 5472 preparation is commonly approached. It is not tax, legal or accounting advice and is not a recommendation of any particular provider. Cost observations describe the market in general terms and are not quotes; obtain a written estimate from any provider you consider. No competitor is named or compared by name.
Form 5472 Generator is not a CPA firm, law firm, enrolled agent or tax return preparer. It provides self-service document preparation software only. See our terms and disclaimer.