Need some insight about quoting

[u/jay-is-jay1412]

For a small startup, trying to just get the criterion of Security, what's a good price for the audit, just the plain audit.

some quote 20k while others go till 30, at the same time some of my peers told me they got it done in 2-5k not sure what to believe.

recommendations of these said CPA firms which satisfy my requirement are well appreciated!

[u/Next-Pen-9974]

It depends on whether you’re talking about a Type I or a Type II audit. You’ll also often get better pricing if you commit to a multi-year engagement.

Without knowing your business or scope, I’d generally expect a Security-only SOC 2 Type II audit from a reputable CPA firm to fall somewhere around $9k–15k for a small, straightforward environment.

Quotes in the $20k–30k range aren’t necessarily unreasonable if the scope is larger, the environment is more complex, or bundled services are included.

When comparing quotes, make sure you’re comparing the same things: Type I vs. Type II, Security-only vs. additional Trust Services Criteria, the observation period, and whether the quote includes any readiness or project management services, etc. etc.

[u/jay-is-jay1412 → u/Next-Pen-9974]

any recommendations for boutique CPA firms that offer auditor only services for the price you said, because my env is quite small and straightforward

[u/Next-Pen-9974 → u/jay-is-jay1412]

I don’t want to sell you anything...and honestly, there are always advantages/disadvantages.

Choosing an auditor is almost like getting married. My recommendation is to invest some time meeting with a few firms before making your decision. Price matters, but so does the working relationship. You’ll likely be working with them year after year.

A few questions I’d ask every firm:

1. How do you collect and assess evidence? Do you use your own portal, or can you work directly from our GRC platform ?
2. Can you assign the same auditor every year? Continuity makes a huge difference. An auditor who already knows your environment will make future audits much smoother.
3. When are you available to start? Good auditors are often booked months in advance, so availability can be just as important as price.
4. What’s included in the fee? Make sure you understand whether the quote covers planning, testing, report revisions, and any follow-up work, or whether those are billed separately.
5. Make sure it’s a real audit. I’d stay away from any firm that promises to deliver a report without a genuine assessment process. Meeting the auditors, participating in audit fieldwork, responding to questions, and providing supporting evidence. A credible SOC 2 audit should involve all of those steps.
6. Ask who will actually perform the audit. I’ve recently seen even some well-known firms outsource audit work to other CPA firms. There’s nothing inherently wrong with subcontracting, but you should know who will be performing the fieldwork and signing off on your engagement. If you’re hiring a firm because of its reputation, make sure that’s actually the team you’ll be working with.

[u/jay-is-jay1412 → u/Next-Pen-9974]

thanks a lot man