I've been going here for the last 4 years, based on the stellar Yelp reviews. During the first 3 years, I made an appointment with Sally early in the year to secure a spot since they can get pretty busy and booked out. But once I'm there, it's usually really quick. I never feel rushed or anything like that. A reminder is sent in December to let you know that you should schedule an appointment or upload all your documents to the SmartVault before the appointment or as a substitute for your appointment. Smart Vault is where they store all your past tax documents, which comes in handy if it's ever needed. This year, I decided to explore the other options and utilized the SmartVault option, so all I had to do was upload all my documents and just wait until Joe get a chance to process it. Joe called me with additional questions. After all said and done, he sent me notification that it's ready to file, and all I had to do was reviewed, signed, scanned, and upload to SmartVault for filing. The invoice for the service is also included, and you can make a payment over the phone with Sally. This is so convenient, and such an innovation way to do your taxes without having to leave the comfort of your home and fight traffic. Super awesome! And I will definitely be back, and suggest you do too! read more

Didn't find them to be very friendly. Just very matter of fact. The two years they did my taxes, I paid the most I've ever paid in taxes EVER and in addition to the fee for doing them, $275 for 20min. read more

Steel Guarde has great professional, professional service. We've been working with Blake for something like 10 years for our business and personal taxes. We moved to another state, and we still rely on Blake to support our tax needs. He's personable, helpful, responsive, and knowledgeable. If you have a question, he's got the answers. If you get a letter from the IRS, and don't know what to do or how to do it. He'll square everything away for you. SG will make sure you have the papers you need to file your taxes. Blake thinks of ways we can optimize our taxes and always gets things completed in time, even when we, the client, dropped the ball. Reception has always been nice as well. read more

I've done my taxes with Turbo Tax for years, but bought a condo last year, so thought it would be best to go to a professional accountant this year. The woman I worked with was very nice, however I won't be coming back. Before I went, I did a run through on Turbo Tax and it came out to getting a refund of $1280. My actual refund through Steel Guarde was $1534. Yes, they did get me $254 more--but Turbo Tax is $45, and Steel Guarde charged me $275. So, I really only got an additional $24. I also didn't spend a lot of time doing the test return on Turbo Tax, so there's a good chance I would have gotten more than $1280. read more

On my first call to the office, the person who answered the phone asked 'how she can help me?" I told her my tax situation, and her response was. "Well, good luck with that." I decided to go elsewhere. read more

I've been working with Blake for the last few years. He saved me about $1,000 on the first year he did my taxes. I've stuck with him every year since. It's super easy. His scheduler sets my appointment. He gives me a list of documents to bring. I bring them, he runs through them all in 15 mins, I spend another 10 min asking him questions, and my taxes are done. read more

A lot of changes occurred in the year 2013: -New marriage -Recent rental income -State move (Illinois to Washington) -Jobs in two different states -Large medical surgery -Taxes owed on withdrawing money from 401K All of these changes came with many annual tax questions. I performed a Yelp search for a highly recommended accountant who assists not only businesses, but couples, with their personal tax return. We sent an email inquiry and received an email response the same day from Joe. An in-person appointment was made a few days later. Joe was very friendly, responsive and open to answer any and all questions (via email or over the phone). He also used an "injured spouse form" so I was not affected by my husband's need to pay taxes from last year. This was a huge plus. When our taxes were electronically submitted, we were given a very well organized paper and electronic pdf copy for our records. If you're in or around Ballard, it's at a new, convenient location across from the McDonalds on the corner of NW 14th and Market in Ballard (above the paint/hardware store). While they do charge somewhat of a hefty price (although I don't have anything to truly compare it to), handing over all the paperwork and trouble was worth saving myself from a headache and avoiding the dreadful deadline. For now, Steel Guarde earns 5-stars...we shall see once my direct deposit refund comes through ;). read more

Steel Guarde, LLC - Entrance to above Parker Paints - Accountants Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Joe Rush at Steel Guarde has been doing our taxes for five years. We've moved across the country, sold a home, bought a home, rented property, started a business, had a child etc. Through all of life's changes he has been a trusted advisor to us. He has helped us plan ahead and figure out the implications of major changes multiple times. I cannot recommend enough! read more

I've been doing my own taxes my entire life - the last 8 years using TurboTax. After some big life changes (getting married, moving around), I finally decided to see a professional to get some guidance, or at least make sure I'm not screwing anything up. Unlike most of Blake's clients, I came to him with my (fairly simple) personal taxes. I was a bit worried he wouldn't my case seriously, seeing as how he normally assists businesses, self-employed, etc, but this was not the case at all. Scheduling was a breeze, and we had a brief phone conversation beforehand. He asked about a few items, and even gave some advice before meeting. He was very up-front about the fact that he may not be able to find any huge savings or tax breaks for me, but I met with him anyway because I had more questions about previous years, and a few questions about the upcoming year. Well, after 45 minutes my taxes were DONE, submitted to the IRS, and my entire list of questions were answered. He confirmed that my previous year's taxes were correct, and congratulated me on that :-). He charged only for the 45 minutes, and I am extremely happy with the advice and answers Blake provided. He was straight-forward, honest, and didn't waste any time. I will be returning to Blake the next time I have another major life change! read more

Blake Steel is absolutely brilliant when it come to helping clients with all things tax related. He is a trusted advisor and educator (as well as rescuer in case of an audit) -- friendly, patient, smart, and very skilled. He's been repeatedly able to save his clients sizable amounts of money. Highly recommended. read more

I have always hated money - as long as I have enough of it, I try to avoid thinking about it altogether. So going to someone for tax assistance where I'd need to lay everything out and confront those icky dollar signs... was just about the most nerve racking thing I could do. But Blake is so laid back, smart and easy to work with that I felt at ease as soon as we sat down in his office. He talks to me on a level I can understand without coming across at all condescending. He wrapped everything up for me to manage in an easy to digest manner and set me up for future success by making sure my next steps are completely pain free. For the first time I am not anxious about it and I actually *understand* my taxes. We'll be setting our yearly appointments with Blake from now on, no doubt. read more

Joe was super professional and friendly. Our plan was to get our taxes done this year by a professional, but after this experience we're staying with a CPA. If you are looking for a reliable and cooperatively priced CPA go here and see Joe. Truly one of our best experiences. read more

I don't have anything too different than the other reviews. This place was great! Responsive to my inquiry and when I had my appointment they were informative and answered all my questions. Usually I use an online service but with some added complications like renting out my condo and knowing what to write off to refinancing in 2013 they were helpful and answered a lot. If recommend to anyone looking for a competent accountant. read more

Our second year with Steel Guarde, after Blake came to our rescue after a botched TurboTax return I completed didn't record the stock grant sales correctly and consequently got flagged with special interest by the IRS. Turns out we not only didn't owe money, we'd missed opportunities that returned money to us. Blake then looked over our two previous years and found similar misfilings (thanks me and TurboTax! not a good combo) that led to additional refunded overtax. For the last two years, I've made Steel Guarde our tax guru, saving so much time and worry. It's moderately more pricey than trying to do it yourself online, but only a little bit and wow! So much faster and more accurate. Plus, Blake can represent you in front of the IRS should there be a dispute in the future, and will give you some good, quick advice on the back-end on how to improve your tax, savings and investment situations. Really, just painless and easy. My only complaint is that I've recommended Steel Guarde so much that I had a hard time getting an appointment prior to tax day this year. It's that good a service. read more

I can't rave enough about Blake's expertise ... but I'll try. Having moved here 3 years ago, I didn't have a regular accountant or tax professional, and had been going at it alone with over-the-counter tax prep software. But so many things were going on for us financially that I was clearly in over my head. Having found Blake via Yelp, I took the plunge hoping that he wouldn't tell me that I had munged things up so badly that I should be getting fitted for an orange jumpsuit. He met with me in November and spent an hour of his time on just the planning/orientation, which was enough to make me a loyal customer. Once he put pen to paper and helped us he really helped us, and we ended up getting through the year with really good advice from him on how to manage our future tax exposure. His prices were fair and more than competitive. He is patient, thoughtful, articulate, and can explain things clearly and concisely and frankly I walked away felling a strong sense of trust. I can't rate him highly enough. read more

My wife and I have been doing our taxes with Joe Rush at Steel Guarde for the past 4 years. Joe is awesome, super friendly and helpful, and generous with his time. I always look forward to working with him every tax season! read more

Blake has been my accountant for 7+ years. He is reliable, informed, and ethical. He goes above and beyond to give us the information we need to keep our numbers in line and our tax payments timely and reasonable. I highly recommend Blake! read more

Blake helped me when another state mistakenly claimed I owed it income tax and a penalty for late payment. I asked a ton of questions and he took the time to explain the entire process. A year later he quickly dug through his records when I needed a copy of the letter that he originally drafted. read more

The day after I posted my review Joe contacted me. He has offered to go above and beyond what I would have expected in a prompt and very customer oriented response to my complaint. As my previous review was the only one out of dozens that gave a low rating; and they reacted so quickly and aggressively to correct my dissatisfaction; it must have been an isolated incident and I am very happy to be working with Steel Guarde again! read more

We got a letter from IRS stating that we owe them $27k of additional tax on top of what we submitted through Turbotax Premium. It took him only a few minutes to find out how the letter was sent out by error. Thanks to him, we even got some of the taxes back. Will definitely book his time again this year. read more

Absolutely fabulous experience! Someone (waited) till the last minute to files taxes even with an extension. With a house sale and other issues from last year I was sure I was going to owe. Not only was I able to get an appointment quickly, paid less of a fee than I anticipated but also they were able to get me money back and much more than I would have expected. Free and easy parking (in Seattle this is a big deal) and they were super friendly. Highly recommend!! read more

I travel frequently, so I'm not really the sit down and talk about our taxes kind-of-guy. Blake crushed our taxes in between FedEx, emailing, and one phone call. Epic, performance. Highly recommend. read more

I do not recommend this business. I wanted to support a local ballard business but boy was that a mistake. The first experience was in 2016 with Ruth who suggested I give up my business because (that year) I wasn't making a big income, and my second time in 2017 hiring this odd company I worked with one of the owners Blake who forgot to ask me about a very standard Heath insurance form bc I got my insurance through Washington health exchange. That is a typical question that even the H and R Block online software asks. And therefore after filing with the irs by paying these people I received a letter from the irs asking for additional information that Blake forgot to file!! He was NOT apologetic at all (just short sentences, no sorry or acknowledgement of his MISTAKE) or really interested in rectifying the issue with any type of customer centric behavior. When he supposedly fixed the problem I got a SECOND email from the irs noting that "figures from line 25 of form 8962 were not transferred to lines 27 and 29." I sent that to Blake expressing I was disappointed and wouldn't work with them again... no response! A very uncomfortable experience. Especially if you are a woman or freelancer/small proprietor/ small biz I'd suggest going elsewhere. read more

I have gone to Blake for my tax returns for the previous 2 years and I highly recommend Steel Guarde. Although it ends up being a 1-2 hundred more than just using turbo tax it's absolutely worth it for my slightly complicated filings. The advice, thoroughness, online document storage, and transparency they provide make it absolutely worth it. Not sure why the other reviewers are complaining about scheduling difficulties. In my experience it's been straight forward to schedule a time and they usually have availability within a week or two. read more

I worked with Joe 3 years ago to fix a tax issue which went smoothly which is why I came back to have my 2017 taxes. I came back with my husband to get our taxes done separately along with our business taxes. We called in February 2018 to set an appt. We were told both Blake and Joe were booked out till May. So the receptionist asked us to file an extension. So we did. When we came into our appt in May; we met with Joe who took all of our information down in his computer and made copies of all of the necessary documents. He said he would get the taxes done and sent to us to review in 1-2 wks. We reached out by calling and emailing for close to two months. He then got back to us finally after multiple back and forth emails asking for the documents and personal information numerous times. He finally gave us our tax documents after us threatening to send our business elsewhere 1 wk prior to the extension due date. After careful review he told me I would have to pay over 5k in owed taxes due to a certain law. That there was no way to bypass it. I then asked for my money back and processed my taxes on my own. My taxes were accepted by the IRS with no penalties nor did I have to pay the 5k. I do not believe Joe cared about keeping our business or trying to fix it. I would not recommend anyone going here. read more

I heard back from the owner regarding my review, and was given a refund of the fee I'd been charged during my visit. I wish I'd gone to him initially for my consultation, but I really appreciate this gesture to correct the situation. read more

Blake is top-notch. I have recommended him to many of my friends and family. He's quick to answer any questions you may have and easy to work with. There isn't anything I can think of that isn't good about Blake and his work. Unless you're completely satisfied with whom you are now using, leave and go with Blake. read more

How else can I say it, this guy saves you money. My husband made a little error on taxes, well not really little, just a few extra zeros... Anyway Blake fixed us up and in the end and we got money back from the IRS! Awesome!!! Also, I had a tax question the other day, and he replied in 24hrs with a explanation! A++++ read more

Doesn't have enough capacity for new clients. If you are not already a client do not bother contacting.

The quality of service from this office is truly above and beyond any expectations. The owner is one of the most honest and caring accountants I've ever worked with. I'm confident that we will be using their service many times again in the future. read more

I had an exemplary experience at Steel. I was treated very well and they took the time to help me with my situation. I will be returning for tax season for the foreseeable future. I'm truly impressed by the service I was provided. read more

Not returning calls or e-mail messages after several attempts...and this is after being with them for the last 3 years.....No more..cya!

I echo everything reviewer laurel y. wrote in her review. I, too, was very late in filing my 2012 taxes. In addition, I am a landlord, a homeowner, and had lived in 2 states in 2012. In short, a 1040EZ was nowhere close to appropriate for my situation. Blake was completely non-judgmental about my tardiness in filing, was amiable, efficient and, most importantly, incredibly knowledgeable and competent. Just as important, he helped me save a pretty penny on my taxes. I will willingly make the trek back out to Ballard to enlist Blake's tax preparation assistance this year and beyond. He's the bee's knees. read more

I went to Steel Guarde with a big IRS issue, they were garnishing my wages, and I wasn't sure what to do. I met with Joe at Steel Guarde and after 2 visits he completely fixed everything. I was nervous and skeptical but he couldn't have been nicer, after the first visit it was clear the IRS owed me money. I highly recommend to anyone and will continue working with them. read more

Working with Steel Guarde has been a great experience. I was (very) late in filing my 2012 taxes. Blake was fast, efficient, not judge-y and adept at filing my complicated taxes. He identified a number of opportunities that saved me thousands of dollars. Highly recommended! read more

Blake saved me $20k on my taxes this year. Highly recommend.

Let me take a moment to add to the heaps of praise for Steel Guarde. My wife and I have rather straight-forward taxes: married filing jointly, no dependents, 2 W2s, 2 mortgages, some interest bearing bank accounts, a few investments, and a rental property. We had been using HR Block's online software for a few years and were satisfied, but decided to have a professional check it out this year. Boy, are we glad we did. They discovered that we had not been doing a few things correctly on the rental property for the past few years. They asked us to provide some additional information, including our returns from the past several years. We ended up owing for 2016, but were able to file amended returns for 2013, 2014, and 2015 and get back money we overpaid. All told, we're now several thousand dollars ahead. Needless to say, they have a new customer and we will definitely be going back next year. read more

My situation was a mess when I went to Blake. I had not filed 4 years in back taxe returns. I had experienced both wage garnishments and bank levies. My shame and sense of feeling overwhelmed were the primary reasons I had not addressed the issue and filed the returns. Blake was calm, non judgmental, and very efficient. He prepared both the back federal and state tax returns (i lived in CA for 2 years). He walked me through the interest and penalties, and most importantly calculated the credits I would be receiving back from the garnishments and levy (just under 10k) I am profoundly grateful to him and highly recommend his services! read more

If you are looking for a great Tax guy in the greater Seattle area Blake Steel is your guy. He was able to work with my wife and I to get 6 years worth of taxes filed and corrected. He was helpful, knowledgeable and willing to work with us on every aspect of our tax issues. He was able to save us a large sum of money and set us on track for next year. Blake has earned my business and has become "My Tax Guy". read more

Blake is the real deal. Competence, professionalism, great customer service, a real person without being overly relaxed, everything done right, continuously surprised by better-than-promised results. Thanks, Blake. read more