If you want your taxes done on time and timely responses from them on IRS audits then don't use Grindy Taxes. I've received so many audit notices from the IRS about over due taxes and fines for miscalculations that I can't even count. They are great at coming up with random costs to fix the problems but they should be the ones responsible for paying some of those fines due to their errors. Don't even think of emailing them about questions because it takes Chris weeks it at all to respond. Then don't expect the female person(family) to give him the message because that never happens. Unfortunate for me but I had to stick with them until I stop receiving these IRS notices about payments and errors. read more

Chris and the team really come together to make sure things are correct. Had a lot of Questions this year when filing. And Chris made sure not only that things were dialed in correctly, but spent the time helping me understand why. read more

Years ago Janet Grindy (I think a founder) did my mothers taxes. She was terrific, did a great job, saved us a bunch of $. This year I needed a new tax person so I went to Grindys. Janet had retired, I think her son Chris runs it now. Her grand daughter works the front desk & the grand daughters husband was brought on board and trained to do taxes. They said I had to have a document portal and the grand daughter would set it up & mail instructions. They asked for my middle initial and I don't have one and they said "we don't really need it". Well I got the instructions but they didn't work. I read them several times and finally gave up and called for help. The problem was the middle initial is part of the assigned password, the password is set to your 3 initials followed by your zip code. If no middle initial then use "2". I pointed out this is not in the instructions and she said that part of the instruction would be sent in a separate email (after I called for help). I called the husband a few times but each time I had to call again and complain I didn't get a return call. Now the portal worked so I uploaded everything and opened 1 or 2 files to make sure they took. One hour before my appointment I uploaded a Microsoft word doc and it would not take. I opened a few more files and lots of them never took. Again I called in explained the issue and the husband (Joe) was going to help me. Well he was surprised that many files didn't take we both got differing screens of jiberish when trying to open the files. It was suggested that perhaps I did it wrong. In the end I was told I had to convert all files to their preferred format as their tools can not upload MS word docs or spread sheets. He said he had been doing taxes there for several years, how could he not know about this problem and be surprised? Their phone voice greeting says they have been doing taxes since 1941 so in all that time nobody knew about the file upload issue and a client has to tell them 1 hour before the meeting. At this point I had to get in the car to make the appointment so I said how about I bring them in on a thumb drive or CD. No that's not the Grindys way, it was explained for security reasons they had to come through the online portal. You see my files could possibly infect their computers. Security, really... what about the fact that anyone who knows your name, email & zip code can log in as you and download all your tax records. I try to be nice but some times enough is enough so I told them they are very un-professional and good at dropping the ball and unwilling to bend a little to get the job done even when the problems are their fault, and that clients should not need to jump through hoops and help them get it right over and over. Ok now the kicker, later that afternoon I received a voicemail from the Grindy shop manager Chris (Janet Grindys son) informing me they would not prepare my tax package. What a joke. This shop is EXTREMELY nepotistic, they employ family and you are not allowed to tell them when their poop stinks or they won't help you, your expected to just keep putting up with everything. I didn't care they employ family but when poor performance is in play in family shop it is unlikely that anyone will be called to account for poor performance. Grindys takes this one step further and instead dismisses a potential long term client. I ended up going to Liberty tax (on Bascom ave). I called them 3 times and each time the actual tax prep guy (Namesh) took my call. I asked if I could bring my 29 files in on a thumb drive and he said OK just drop in we will copy it and start looking it over as time permits. In just a few hours I had a new tax guy, he had all my files in hand, he opened them and said they looked good. He required no deposit to start, and gave me a price that was less than Grindys. FYI Grindys requires $400 and a signed agreement to get started (that way if they make you mad or display poor performance you are stuck with them). We never made it to the point where I signed any agreement or paid the $400 to get started. I'm glad they made me angry with their incompetence and dismissed me as a client before there was a commitment. Sometimes it pays to get really mad and say it like it is. Glad they made me go someone else. Sure, they wasted my time & energy and set me back a week but sometimes bad things happen for the best, as if a guardian angel messed it up on your behalf to spare you a much greater grief they knew was coming your way. A few reviews suggest I got lucky. Doing taxes since 1941 you might expect more than the few reviews they have. The reviews are all really good or pretty bad, no middle ground, that's rather odd so I'm suspicious if their good reviews came from friends or relatives. So good luck out there and Like Forest Gump might have said about Grindys "Stupid is as stupid does ... And that's all I have to say about that". read more

Yikes! Ya go to a local small business and deal with a very nice bookkeeper, or something like that, that takes your documents and says she filed the tax extension -- but then the nightmare begins. I check back later to wrap things up and she tells me that she wants all my info so she can enter it into her system. I say no, I've given you all the data for last year on an Excel Spreadsheet just like you asked, I will not be giving you access to all my credit cards and bank statements. Then - crickets. I call back a few weeks later and get an "Oh so sorry, COVID and all"... I say ok, let's get back on track. Then, crickets. I call back and then get the "Oh, your little file was stuck between two big files"... Still, to be nice to a small business, ma and pa shop, I say let's move forward and then I'm told it will be upwards of $1,500 to be put in some kind of accounting system... Now my little 3-months of business is NOT a giant undertaking, but I am starting to feel like I'm getting taken to the cleaners. Then, crickets. So, I contact Flores on Santa Clara and boom -- done in 3 days. We are happy to have it done, but then we get a letter from the IRS for a giant fine for not filing the extension on time -- in fact, Grindy's bookkeeper nor Grindy filed the extension. When I sent this over to the bookkeeper I was dealing with she did not even have the courtesy to speak to us directly and instead, I hear back from Chris. He offers to contact the IRS on our behalf but we just have to sign a release for him to "negotiate" with them and if he can't negotiate with them he will pay the fine. Right, like we trust him at all at that point. I go back to the guy who did the work in 3 days and it took them about a week to get through to the IRS and resolve it. IT GETS BETTER: I return to Grindy and say, listen I got this done, $200 would be fair. He says ok. But I want proof that all my data is destroyed or returned to me. It seems they have no data of ours -- but I wonder what happened to that file stuck between the two big folders, right? WTHeck? I was more than unhappy with the crickets from the bookkeeper and Grindy's lack of taking responsibility or apologizing for the problem. A few weeks later I get a letter from the IRS that says -- I used up my one "break" and any future error will not be waived. Not that I'm wanting to make an error, but errors happen, and Grindy's gal just used it up. I wrote him back and said to reconsider and make an offer in consideration of the loss they have caused. us and the cost of sanctions. His reply --- not one sorry, not MI culpa, nada... Basically, that is all he can do. Don't get fooled by this sweet ma, pa, helpful little bookkeeper act. When they make a mistake -- customers are on their own. Highly recommend you find another company. And yes, I am following up with a complaint to their licensing agency -- just on principle, a sorry would have gone a long way. read more

Grindy Tax Service - Don't get duped! - Bookkeepers Near Me - San Jose, California

So thankful for Chris and the family at Grindy. Has made getting things back on track with IRS so much less stressful. Everyone there is beyond helpful and kind as well as super easy to deal with. Looking forward to working with them in the future to take care of all of our tax needs. We recommend them to all! Thanks guys! read more

If I could give Grindy negative stars, then I would. My husband and I went to them upon referral from our financial adviser. Our financial adviser is a great guy and normally does not steer us wrong. So, maybe we just didn't click right with Chris Grindy, but we felt totally duped by the entire process. Upon phone consultation, Chris told us $350 for our tax prep and no costs until the taxes were submitted. After doing the in-office consult, Chris reviewed our docs and upped the price to $500! Also, his attitude during the in-office consultation was very stern. He would question every answer we provided him, and tried to twist it in such as way as to make sure we 'paid the correct amount'. We felt like he wasn't working for us; he was really working for the IRA to get every penny of tax payment from us possible! Between his 'fire and brimstone attitude' and major fee hike, we decided not to have him proceed with doing the filing. He then sent us back an email charging us $150 for consultation fees! We got nothing out of the experience, and yet he decided to charge for taking an hour of his time. We sent a polite letter back requesting to see the fine print where this charge originated but never got a response back. After ignoring his invoices, we finally got a note from him saying that our account would be turned over to a collects agency. It really annoys me that I have no recourse in this situation other than getting a lawyer since he would have ruined our credit. We've since paid the 'consultation fee' just to avoid getting into a wrangle with a collection agency. This guy clearly does not know how to run a business or treat his customers with respect. We've since gone to a nice lady that did our taxes for much cheaper and didn't get a lecture along with it. Beware of him, and go at your own risk! read more

Chris is a nice guy, but that's not really the kind of person you want in battle with the IRS. He nit picks tiny receipts as if he is representing the IRS, not the customer, but then he made a major mistake on our taxes. Instead of owning up to it, he blamed the mistake on us and told us to pay the significant overstatement penalty, which was improperly assessed. He could have tried to make the situation right, but he instead deflected. We had to hire another CPA and spend nearly the same amount as the penalty to have the penalty removed. Also, he made us file an extension for the first time ever, simply because he couldn't get our taxes done (we've been going to him for 6+ years and were one of his first appointments of the season). In the current environment where the federal government is targeting Californians disproportionately, Chris is not doing what it takes to fully represent his customers. read more

I am in awe of the expertise and knowledge Grindy Tax Service has given my family for many years. They are thorough, professional and truly experts in their field. Both Chris Grindy and Meghan have been extremely helpful with information we needed to obtain for a very complicated tax situation. Our family continues to have them do our taxes, even though we've relocated......so we highly recommend them. read more

Grindy Tax Services is a great family owned company that has been serving the Bay Area for over seventy years. I and several of our friends would use no one other than Grindy Tax Services. roseofbeverly read more

I have had only good experiences with Grindy Tax Services over the past several years. I would recommend them to anybody.

I have been a client of Grindy Tax for many years and have always received great service. Janet has always been thorough, professional and has several times advised us on a deduction we may have missed, assisting us to get the greatest refund possible. Recently I used their services to help administer a trust. Janet was very knowledgeable in this area. She was familiar with the whole process and helped tremendously with the accounting. I have referred friends to Grindy Tax Service and they too, received excellent service and were very happy. I would not hesitate to recommend Janet and Grindy tax to anyone. read more