If you are looking for a reliable, no-nonsense CPA in the Portage Park/Irving Park area, John Griffin is the person to see. Navigating small business taxes in Chicago can be a headache, but John makes the entire process feel manageable and transparent. The Experience John is incredibly professional but also very personable. Unlike some of the larger, impersonal firms, he actually takes the time to listen to your specific financial situation. He's been in the neighborhood for a long time and clearly knows the ins and outs of both Illinois and federal tax laws. Why I Recommend Him: Responsiveness: He is great about returning calls and emails, even during the peak of tax season. You never feel like just another file on a desk. Accuracy & Insight: He doesn't just "plug in numbers." He looks for proactive ways to help you save on taxes and plan for the next year. Fair Pricing: His fees are very reasonable for the level of expertise and personal attention you receive. Pro Tip His office is conveniently located on Irving Park Road. There is usually street parking available right out front, but if you're coming during a busy weekday, give yourself a few extra minutes to find a spot. read more

John's the best, I've been using his tax services for years, always efficient, professional and answers all questions in a timely matter. Highly recommend! read more

I have revised this review from 1 to 2 stars and replaced my original comments with the following after an appeal by the firm owner and after his efforts to make things right after some back and forth communications. However, I cannot recommend this firm as my experience was not satisfactory. I went with them to do my individual taxes for the 1st time for the 2023 tax year based on reviews I found here. However, I found them difficult to work with and hard to reach to answer any questions and clarify any uncertainty they had. Twice they sent me their "final" results that I reviewed and found issues that need to be corrected. On their third pass, they finally got the forms to the point I was willing to sign and submit (admittedly without feeling as confident as I would have liked at that point). They recently sent me a letter that they were more than doubling my price for the coming year due to the extra work my preparation took which I assume was a result of their team taking additional time to correct the errors that I found. I already had made the decision to work with a different firm based on my experience last tax season. read more

If you're looking for intelligent service, I cannot recommend John Griffin CPA enough. John and his team have provided great personalized service, knowledgeable, efficient and trustworthy. As a medical provider, it is a relief to find an accountant that is thorough, and know that I can rely on John's informative advice. Importantly, they are responsive and easy to reach, I often have questions. Highly recommend! 5 stars! Liz D. read more

My wife and I have worked with John for years, and we highly recommend him and his team with no hesitation! We have a complex tax situation with two separate businesses, investment properties, and our personal taxes. Working with John has always been smooth and efficient. He knows his stuff! John or his staff are easily reachable and very responsive. We found John after a couple of different CPA clunkers - - Happy we found John! read more

John is a fantastic CPA. Took the time with us and was patient to all my questions. They were super responsive via email and picked up the one time I called. I did work with his team mostly, and they're fantastic, but he never felt out of reach if I needed him for something. Also has a great golden retreiver. Would recommend John for your personal tax needs! read more

I am so grateful that I found John Griffin, CPA. My previous accountant who prepared my taxes had suffered severe health problems and the loss of his mother. My taxes are complicated business filings. Mr. Griffin took on the job which involved not only preparation of current taxes but corrections of previous years taxes. He negotiated with the IRS and provided a comprehensive explanation which resulted in reduced penalties. I highly recommend John to any person with business compliant issues. My experience with John Griffin, tax accountant, has been excellent. He takes time and outlines all the necessary information that I need to have. read more

I have been going to John for my taxes for several years now and he/his firm does excellent work at a great value. Although I am a CPA, I go to his firm for my taxes. They have the tax expertise to handle a variety of complex tax matters and interface with the IRS efficiently/effectively. I highly recommend John's firm! read more

He is fast and efficient and an affordable price. I appreciate the work he does and he is local

Friendly and easy to work with, John's office has helped me sort out my taxes for years now.

This is our first year working with John and we highly recommend him and his office. We enjoy how personable he is and his staff always responds to calls and emails in a timely manner. He is very helpful and knowledgeable in his field. read more

John and his team do wonderful accurate tax services. They offer good advice on future investments etc and are quick to respond with any questions or concerns that you have. read more

First-time business owner, and I'm happy I chose John and his team to do my taxes. I'm thoroughly impressed with the service they provide. The customer support team is incredibly responsive and helpful, always addressing any inquiries or concerns promptly. Overall, I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable and efficient solution for their tax filings :) read more

A small older office on the north side Irving Park Road. I had a consultation for some estate matters. The doors front address is small and the blinds are usually closed. Knock and the door will be opened by his friendly staff. John is a friendly, informative CPA who helped me plan to file taxes in 2022. John answers his phone even when driving and you can request an appointment on line. I called back and loved that they work Saturdays when most CPA do not. He got me in right away. I called many others too busy to take the time to call me back or follow up. I will be back and thank them for great advice. Thanks John! read more

This individual canceled my appointment several times and even forgot about an upcoming appointment that was supposed to be in person and made it virtual at the last minute. He seems completely disorganized so I decided to take my business elsewhere read more

What a great guy John Griffin is! Gosh, I feel so lucky to have found him. A friend died a year and a half ago leaving me in charge of his estate. To say it has been a headache doesn't begin to describe it. I realized this year I needed someone to help me with the taxes. Emailed previous accountant, wrote to a new accountant-no response. So I looked on Yelp, read about John and made an appointment to see him. In no time at all, I felt reassured that he would take care of everything including trying to find the tax return filed in 2019 before my friend died. A very knowledgeable man, wonderful, kind human being. Well worth the cost 10 times over. Love his Gloucester accent! He reminded me that really good and decent people walk the earth. Thank you John!! read more

Don't hesitate to call John. I read a pile of reviews two years ago when looking for a tax accountant. I am so pleased I made the right choice and used John's services. For a family member, they helped me deal with a number of years of un-filed taxes, taxes on an IRA, estate taxes and even some cross-border (Canada) advice. They made it seem like I was their only client; communication was virtually immediate, professional, and kind. I felt that they were using their expertise to really look out for me. And Judy, on John's team, is wonderful. read more

I've used John for both personal taxes and he has helped some small businesses I know with their taxes as well. He is not only very organized and personable to work with, but he is fast and makes things as easy as possible for you. He is great at putting confusing terms into analogies you will understand, and is reliable on all of his promises and commitments. Not to mention extremely affordable. Highly recommend working with John- he makes it easy and you won't regret it. read more

Owning multiple businesses, sometimes I feel bad for the pile of paperwork that i bring to John. I'll give you the recipe: 1.(1) Pile of receipts 2. (12) months of credit card statements for (3) business cards. 3. (6) K-1s Some how he gets this compiled, completed, all in a timely manner for my personal taxes. I'm sure they might be better accountants out there, but I'm 100% confident with using John. read more

John started doing our personal taxes a few years back. We are very happy with his services and his reasonable rates. That's all fine and good, but there's much more. John is very easy to deal with and to get along with. We like our CPA. But there's more. Even though there are much bigger fish in John's pond, we wouldn't know it by the way he responds to our mid-year, off-the-wall requests for advice. John has set us straight on withholdings, investment properties, child care expenses, and ramifications of a family effort to purchase a home for my in-laws. Very happy to work with John. read more

John was great to work with. He was very helpful in getting my taxes done and helped me to understand what I owed

John is one of the best! I have never experienced such service before from an accountant. I don't have a ton of issues/complicated taxes, but those I have had, John has handled them with professionalism, non-judgement, true kindness & ultimately with satisfactory results! I agree with other reviews about how John treats you with just as much care as he likely does with his "bigger fish" and staying available for requests/questions throughout the year. Last year, I needed advice on something very important to me (but likely not that big of a deal to some of his clients) and I had no issue reaching John and he had all the time in the world (or so made me feel this way) to help me brainstorm my issue. I would recommend John to anyone who is looking for a new accountant. Extremely happy to work with and continue to give my business to John and encourage anyone reading our reviews to give sincere consideration to accessing his services. Peace. read more

John is the BEST!! We have used him for a few years and never worry about our taxes. He is so thorough. I have tried another CPA in Chicago and that was a headache. I have real estate in IL and another state and the other CPA "forgot to file" in the other state and I have been dealing with that audit for 2 years and finally just got it figured out in January! John is TOP NOTCH!! He knows his stuff and makes sure he has all of your documents and gets everything done. It may take some time to get them filed and done, but that is because he takes his time, which I prefer! read more

I have been working with John for a few years now and can speak any more highly of him. He handles both my personal and business accounting and is truly the best accountant that I have worked with. He has done everything from helping fix errors that previous accountants have made to helping me make sure that I grow my business in the right way. He (and his staff) are very thorough, timely, professional and are always there to help with any questions that I have. Additionally, he talks you in a normal and helpful way (not accounting terms). I would highly recommend entrusting him and his staff with any of your needs. read more

John is a standup guy and someone you can count on. He is timely, he sends out organizers every year to make it easy for you to fill in the blanks, and gets back to you when he says he will. Honesty and dependability are very important and John is both. He is also a genuinely nice man who is personable and will do what he can to help you out. John has done my small business and personal returns for a few years now. He is reasonable and will handle your needs in the most trustworthy way. I highly recommend. read more

John is a life-saver for tax filing! Easy and effective. He helped me with all my needs in my very busy professional life and took the stress out of filing my taxes! read more

John is a great tax professional and he offers great followup throughout the year with your tax needs. Give him a try!

John is as good as it gets for small business and personal accounting. We have been in business over 15 years in multiple states, and never once has our CPA traveled to us. From the moment we initially spoke with John, he wanted to meet us on our turf, in our business, so that he could get a better idea of what it was that we did, in order to better serve us. That blew us away! John is professional, prompt, polite and fun to work with. He's diligent in his preparations, and was even able to fix mistakes from previous years without making us feel like we had been mislead by our previous CPA. John has worked hard to provide us with best practices to keep our books on the right track moving forward. As long as we do business in Chicago, John Griffin will be our CPA! read more

John is fantastic! My husband owns his own business, so taxes can be complicated. John is there to help and provide expert guidance not only at tax time, but throughout the entire year. I highly recommend John for all your accounting and tax needs! read more

John saved me over $10,000 with the IRS!!!! This alone should make you want to work with John! I found John through Yelp, and reaching out to him is one of the best decisions I have made. John has work as my CPA over the past year and the quality of work has consistently been superb. He answered any questions I had, and when I had any doubts he provided solutions. John works efficiently and hard for you. He stays in communication with you every step of the way assuring for the best results! You can't say enough good things about John. This, along with his knowledge as a CPA will give you the comfort of knowing you made the beat decision possible. I will definitely recommend John to family and friends. Or anyone needing an accountant! Simply the best!!!! read more

John is great! I knew from the time I emailed him on a Sunday and he got back to me the same day that this is the right guy for me. He is very responsive and knowledgeable, the interaction with him is top notch and I wish I would've found him sooner. He is doing my businesses and personal taxes, 5 stars!! Thank John. read more

John is the best! My first year of consistent freelance work was filled with worry that by the end, I'd owe big in taxes. Reading a few articles early in the year helped in setting aside enough for filing, but John helped WAY more. He not only reassured me that I'd be fine coming tax season with the money I was setting aside, but also assisted me in paying my quarterly taxes, itemizing and deducting my business expenses, and ultimately got me the largest refund I've had in years. Would highly recommend John to anyone that's uncertain about their tax situation, as he was invaluable to me. read more

John is very easy to work with and extremely accessible. He responds immediately to our calls or email in a professional, friendly manner. My wife and I are both self-employed, and also own investment property. John has taken care of all of our tax needs for several years; and we highly recommend him as an outstanding, knowledgeable CPA. read more

I work primarily as an independent contractor, and have gone to John for the past 3 years for my taxes, both federal and state. John is knowledgeable, professional, and (most importantly to me) is personable and friendly. I couldn't be happier with communication, turnaround time, and returns. His new offices and staff are great too. You needn't look any further for a quality, trustworthy CPA. read more

Im in business since 1995 and I think that John is the best CPA I have worked with. Very responsive and cooperative, great communication. Strongly recommending John for your small business as well as your personal taxes. TOM K read more

Having relocated to Chicagoland last year, my husband and I were on the lookout for a new CPA to file our 2016 taxes. We came to Yelp and found John Griffin with favorable reviews. We were a bit nervous to hire a CPA that we found through Yelp, but choosing to go with John was one of the best decisions we made. John always answered our calls immediately and was able to answer all of our questions right away. He was very friendly, knowledgable and thorough, and completed and filed our taxes in a timely manner. We had the option to electronically sign our e-file forms and have our tax information mailed back to us, but we decided to visit his office to sign our e-file forms and obtain our tax documents in person. He was very flexible and was able to schedule us in for a pickup at our convenience. When we arrived at his office, he had everything ready for us and was able to explain in detail what was on our tax returns, which we really appreciated. We're very satisfied with the quality work John delivered and we look forward to seeing him again next year! read more

If John Griffin were a super hero his name would be 'Captain Get's Sh!t Done'!! We found John on Yelp & he had great reviews, plus he's walking distance from home so it was a no-brainer. But after having worked with him I would definitely burn gas to continue to do so & I would recommend others to do the same. John is easy-going & very knowledgeable. My boyfriend & I had quite a bit of correspondence with the IRS & he stayed on top of everything, even when we were slacking off & he was always available to answer any questions. His fees are very fair & he deserves every penny of what he charges. Oh yeah, he also saved us over $10,000 with the IRS!!! read more

John Griffin and team are amazing! Best CPA we have had in Chicago. He has the personal touch of a small business, but the resources and tax understanding of a large firm. John is flexible when it comes to unique tax situations and also reasonably priced. He is always available when needed. Thanks so much for being great!!! read more

Where do I begin? John saved us so much money and financial stress and I am so so thankful to him. We had a very complicated tax situation with another state and he helped sort out the mess for us. He was always up front about everything and was transparent about things since we first started working with him. He responds quickly when you contact him and is on top of his work. Thank you, John, for everything ! He is highly recommended ! read more

John is awesome. He and his services have grown as my business and financial situation has changed across the past few years. I started having very basic tax needs and his services fit my needs accordingly. As my needs have increased, he has adjusted the services he provides. He is honest and easy to work with and it's clear he cares about his clients. read more