I've been coming here since 1991 - 22 years and they are great at what they do. It all started…read morewhen I neglected to file my tax returns to both the State and the Feds for several years during a rather tumultuous period of my life. Several years passed by before the State Franchise Tax Board began sending me their first gentle reminders, (which I also neglected), until their letters turned more forceful and I felt obliged to try sort out the whole mess. But what was I to do? I started asking around, amongst my friends and associates, about what to do and where to go. Now - put yourself in my shoes - I didn't even know where to begin! Finally someone told me about this place, "the Tax Group". I wish I could remember who referred me, but I will always be grateful. I called the number, 415-387-9100 and spoke with a lovely lady named Erica. She soothed my nerves with her calm voice and she made me an appointment to come on in and tell my story to Kevin.
So there I was with 5 or 6 years of Tax Returns to catch up, and no idea how to begin. Plus, the State Franchise Tax Board and the IRS were both getting down to brass tacks and the pressure was on. I thought I was going to find a magic answer and someone would take care of everything for me, but that's not the way the CA-SFTB and IRS Tax Collectors operate, my friends. Once you are caught in their cross-hairs, you have to respond personally, and deadlines are forced on you. I had to look for missing W2s for multiple years and multiple employers and let me tell you that is not a pleasant task to perform while under time constraints. Luckily, I had Kevin, who explained that these people I was talking with, were not out to put me in jail, they wanted me to cooperate so they could collect their revenue, and he helped me understand that they would negotiate with me on these various deadlines as long as I was actively trying to finish filing my missing returns and get caught up. He helped me lose my fear of the whole process.
And that, my friend, is why I am grateful to Kevin. He went through all the demand paperwork and helped me sort it out and respond to each Year's filing. I stopped getting the nasty letters and notices and threats and I was able to sleep peacefully at night again as Kevin helped me get caught up. It turned out I didn't owe the IRS or the SFTB much money, all the worrying numbers they threw at me were just poor guesses on their part, because I had forced the IRS and SFTB to file returns on my behalf, and they work with very little and so are mostly incorrect. Once Kevin told me what tasks I had to do, everything went smoothly from then on, and with his advice I was able to respond sufficiently that the process slowed down enough for me to avoid any embarrassing tax liens from the SFTB or the IRS. I kept plowing through the tasks that Kevin assigned me until he had enough data to get up to date with my Returns.
Surprisingly, once I gave them the correct information, I actually had refunds due for almost all of the years, but unfortunately there is a 3 year Statute of Limitations on refunds, and I was too late to collect what I was owed on a couple of years. So let that be a lesson to you!
Since then, Kevin and The Tax Group, (now staffed by Nicholas, because Erica has retired), have helped my small business keep current on my Returns with the State Franchise Tax Board and the IRS. His advice has helped me stay in business all these years. I see him around the neighborhood quite often, and I always make a point to stop and say hello. I have referred several people to him over the years and every single person has told me they were grateful to me for my referral. He charges by the Tax Return, not by the hour, and his fees depend on how tricky your Tax Return will be to complete accurately while using his vast knowledge of the tax code to get you every advantage to which you are entitled. I've never felt overcharged in the 22 years he has helped me, and I've always been very happy with his Tax guidance and advice. He knows what he's doing and he's there for you when you need him. Do yourself and your wallet a favor and go see him.
