Michael S. Febrey, CPA, understands tax law. But Mr. Febrey does not understand his ethical…read moreobligations to his clients. In 2023, I moved from Washington, DC to Bethesda, Maryland. Normally, I self-prepare and self-file my own federal and state/local tax returns but because I moved mid-year from one jurisdiction to another, I thought it prudent to have a tax professional prepare and file my tax returns for tax year 2023 as I was not confident that I could accurately determine how much I owed to the District of Columbia and how much I owed to Maryland. In early 2024, I did some searching on the web and I was impressed with the enthusiastic Yelp.com reviews for Michael S. Febrey, Certified Public Accountant of Gaithersburg, Maryland. There were only three reviews for Mr. Febrey on Yelp.com (all from February 2011), but they were glowing. I hired Mr. Febrey and he prepared and filed the relevant 2023 tax forms for a relatively reasonable fee ($400). The payments I that I owed and my refunds occurred smoothly. In 2024, I was suitably impressed and grateful to Mr. Febrey. Because I forgot to file a new tax withholding form with my employer until mid-2024, I hired Mr. Febrey again in early 2025 to file and prepare my tax forms for tax year 2024. In March of this year, I arrived at Mr. Febrey's office to review the tax filing forms. Mr. Febrey said there was one problem: for some reason, he was unable to complete an electronic filing and payment to the Comptroller of Maryland. Mr. Febrey assured me that he had made no errors and it was some kind of an IT-problem with the Comptroller of Maryland. Because my filing for the previous tax year was handled well by Mr. Febrey, I did not doubt him, and I paper filed and mailed my Maryland tax form and personal check to the Comptroller of Maryland on March 5, 2025. I owed Maryland $1,516. The Comptroller of Maryland deposited the check on March 13, 2025. However, on April 30, 2025, the Comptroller of Maryland deducted another $1,516 dollars from my bank checking account. That same day, I called Mr. Febrey and explained the problem. Instead of Mr. Febrey saying "I'll contact the Comptroller of Maryland and solve this problem for you," Mr. Febrey simply gave me a contact phone number for the Comptroller of Maryland and suggested that I call the Comptroller's office myself saying that he would have to call the same phone number himself to solve the problem and that would require me to pay another $400 fee for his time. I wasn't happy with Mr. Febrey's "solution," but anxious to have this matter resolved quickly I called the phone number that Mr. Febrey gave me to contact the Comptroller of Maryland: it was out-of-service. I eventually found the correct taxpayer hotline phone number and I spoke to a Comptroller of Maryland employee who told me that an electronic payment had been arranged for the $1,516 as well as the deposited check for the same amount. I protested that neither I nor my accountant, Mr. Febrey had filed any electronic forms and I had filed a paper return and paid by personal check. The Comptroller of Maryland employee insisted there was an electronic filing and payment in addition to the paper filing and personal check. The employee said that a check from the Comptroller of Maryland in the amount of $1,516.00 would be sent to my address within four-to-six weeks. I then called Mr. Febrey again. He insisted that he did not file an electronic return or on-line payment to the Comptroller of Maryland and that the employee must have lied to me. I asked Mr. Febrey to contact the Comptroller of Maryland and see if he could straighten out the situation but he refused unless I paid him another $400 fee. I protested that I saw no need to pay him more money to follow up the matter and that he had a professional responsibility to aid his client who had already paid the original fee. The Comptroller of Maryland still has not returned the $1,516 overpayment to me. I have also attempted to contact Mr. Febrey again on June 3rd and June 4th and he has refused to take my calls or return my messages. I suspect this is because Mr. Febrey probably realizes that he succeeded after all in electronically filing and authorizing a payment to the Comptroller of Maryland and at the time he did not realize that he had done so. As a result, the Comptroller of Maryland charged me again for the same amount. Even if Mr. Febrey is not responsible for the overpayment to the Comptroller of Maryland, he has refused to assist me in any meaningful way, which I consider to be a failure to live up to his responsibilities to his clients. If one hires Mr. Febrey to file his or her taxes and there is some kind of problem, do not expect him to come to your aid. At least, not without a second payment of Mr. Febrey's fee. Avoid Michael S. Febrey and find a Certified Public Accountant who won't abandon and ignore his or her clients.

Mike has been my CPA since I started my smallest of small businesses, a self-employed individual,…read more~14 years ago. I can't imagine using another accountant and truly hope I retire before he does! Meeting with Mike at tax time almost makes this annual event something to look forward to. He treats my taxes with as much concern as if I were a much larger business. His rates are extremely reasonable and his turnaround time is very prompt. I cannot recommend him more highly, particular to those with small businesses.

Esayas is fantastic. He's extremely patient with me and is forever optimistic. He never panics…read moreand finds solutions. Very knowledgeable on personal and business taxes! He's very accommodating for his clients. Even staying after hours to get the job done and meet with me to make sure things are submitted timely. Highly recommend! Really nice person and wants to do right by you as his client.

Great and honest! Still waiting for my full refund but seems legit. I was late to my appointment…read moreand he still took me very kind of him.

Very prompt, thorough, easy packet to collect tax information each year, honest and accurate, ready…read moreto answer questions during the year.

Nelson & Mudd has been my accounting firm for years, and I recently realized how fantastic they are…read morewhen I contemplated switching (to a firm that will go unnamed but has very high Yelp reviews). The other firm lamented how complicated my taxes would be and quoted me a fee nearly three times what Nelson & Mudd charges. So, I sent my paperwork to N&M as usual (I'm in DC BTW, so don't let the Bethesda location bother you - you can send them your paperwork and then work with them over the phone and email if you prefer) and they turned around a very professional, very thorough tax return in record time. They also consistently think of everything without me having to point it out, e.g., depreciation for rental property, deductible expenses associated with a home purchase etc. Excellent all-around.

You're very knowledgeable and thorough when preparing documentation. Also discuss various tax…read moredeductions that you're qualified to receive.

Still he worst Bill missed deductions that h and r even got at a fraction of the price. The worst…read morecpa ever, zero stars!

I have been using Caldwell & Company for over 10 years. They have handled my Corporate Returns, my…read morepayroll including all quarterly reports, 401k deductions, etc. and my personal return. Their expertise and professionalism is exceptional. They have even helped my small business with Corporate meetings and assisted me with obtaining both DC Small Business Certification and Woman-owned business Certification. I have used many firms over my 35 years in business and can tell you that Caldwell is the best as they are very pro-active and make sure that my business is compliant with all tax filings and corporate reports both at the state and Federal level.

Great service every time. Short wait times and very knowledgeable staff. Everything thing is…read moreexplained in detail and with professionalism. I highly recommend anyone and everyone to try this team of experienced professionals. It's also a great value.

I got my taxes done here in 2018 and I will be going back for 2019. Great service friendly people.read more

I've been coming to this place since 2008 and I love them…read more They're like a family!!! And they're also a good accountants too. I suggest that you make an appointment as they have lots of walk-ins.

Did a great job of filing taxes for my wife & I, we had 3 different states to file for. We got a…read moredecent rebate and were very pleased with the efficiency and accuracy of their tax service. We look forward to continuing business with Federal Hill Income Tax!

Great convenient location, very knowledgeable and friendly staff. They were able to get me a fast…read morereturn and advise me on tax planning for next year. Made doing my taxes more pleasant. Would definitely recommend