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July 2023 by Scarlet C.
I didn't have the best experience with Brian. My ex-husband selected him based on Yelp reviews, and he filed our joint tax return for 2020 and 2021. Two complaints: - During the first year, I was a student, and as a Chinese national, there is a $5000 US-China tax treaty that I'm eligible for. This is a very common thing among Chinese immigrant students. When I asked Brian why his tax return didn't include that, he said that it's something too specialized and he wouldn't be able to help. I had to file a tax amendment by myself to get the $5000 exemption, which costed me at least 6 hours. - In the second year, I bought a home and rented it out from Sept to Dec. I had provided all relevant documents to him that reflected the actual monthly rent and the time period of which I rented it. However, on the tax return, he had filled in '365 days' as the amount of time that the place was rented out. Now that I'm buying another house and trying to get a mortgage, the banks are saying that because of the '365 days' as the denominator, my monthly rent appeared to be $1700, where in fact I was getting $4800 in rent per month. This has caused me to be declined for mortgage at many banks because they only refer to the tax return for the rental income. I confronted Brian about it, but he insisted that he did nothing wrong. I asked if he could amend it for free, and he said he would need to charge $200 for such a small amendment - Throughout the two years, I had to contact him to ask for certain tax return documents. There has been cases where it took him a long time to reply, or sometimes he would say 'it's tax season I'm too busy' Overall I get the impression that Brian is too busy with all the clients he got via yelp, etc. and as a result wouldn't be able to provide as much detailed service to everyone. I feel like he has a boilerplate template which might fit the typical US white family, but whenever it comes to things that are in the minority group, e.g. immigrant students who qualify for a tax treaty, he wouldn't be able to help. He wouldn't be able to read your documents very carefully, e.g. the actual period of time where the house was rented out, and also wouldn't be able to amend things for you if there were a mistake. I think if you're looking to get a production-line type service without much post-service care that might be fine, but still I fear that this type of CPA may not be able to file my taxes correctly and would rather do it myself... Hope it helps!
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April 2023 by Tahmina Khanom
Cannot handle tricky tax situations & even if you have a simple tax situation, I would find someone with more civility, one who treats clients with respect, and a willingness to admit mistakes.Had a terrible experience with Brian Larisey doing our 2021 taxes last year. I found him to be lacking core accounting and tax preparation skills, both technical and soft skills. I would recommend him if you have a simple tax situation, but I hesitate due to his lack of civility and professionalism. Our tax was somewhat complicated, and I ended up doing a lot of the research myself. On top of it all, I'm now having to do an amendment of one of my state tax returns (I moved during 2021 tax year) due to his errors - errors that we repeatedly flagged and questioned him, but he refused to budge or acknowledge and cost us in extra taxes (I have a trove of emails to confirm this). He also refused to do *anything* when we were getting audit notices by the state.I would have forgiven him for the lack of experience and knowledge on how to handle more complicate tax situations (restricted stock units, multi state moves, etc.), but his hands-off approach to doing taxes - he refused to even chat on the phone or meet with us, forcing us to spend countless hours composing emails - and his unprofessional behavior in his response to our emails forces me to write this review and warn others to beware. What was astonishing was that, no matter how what we presented showing that his calculations made no sense, he stubbornly stuck to his non-explanation, which at the end cost us $ and time.
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April 2023 by John Parkhill
Brian is a patient, knowledgable and responsive accountant. I appreciate his services!
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January 2023 by Noelle C.
Brian has been doing my taxes for years. He's very knowledgeable and efficient. He recently took the time to meet with me via telephone to answer new tax questions I had. He sends his clients an email at the start of tax season with tax updates and answers to frequently asked questions, which is helpful and it addresses questions you may not have thought of. I definitely recommend Brian's services.
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December 2022 by Barak B.
I had used Brian Larisey services for years and every year I had to look very carefully at the returns because there was always mistakes. However on one of the returns he incorrectly deducted my entire mortgage interest which was done incorrectly. Therefore I got a fine from the IRS and he was not willing to help me with this audit although he was the one who made the mistake. I expect that an accountant would do the taxes properly with the correct paperwork received. And if they make a mistake to try to help with correcting it and dealing with the IRS which was not the case. I will say that he has always been very responsive to my emails.
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January 2022 by Eric J.
Cannot recommend Brian enough! I've worked with him for 3 years now and he is incredibly responsive, provides good advice, and has a high attention to detail. If you've had any frustration with prep software or other seasonal tax prep businesses, give Brian a try. His process is efficient, clearly outlined, and will remove any headache you'd normally experience during tax season. Highly recommend working with him.
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February 2021 by Megan G.
Compared to prior years in which I would do my own taxes, I had lots of changes (2 jobs, moved to 3 states) within the last year plus starting school again. It was a lot of uncertainty when I attempted to complete my own taxes. I decided I'd be best to hire someone to do my taxes. I wanted a CPA over working with H&R block for example, due to the complexity of the situation and so many different forms. Brian explained everything amazingly and walked me through every step! The portal used to submit forms was easy to use! And Brian responded to emails promptly and professionally! Had my taxes prepared in the corse of a few days and the price was very reasonable! Beyond pleased! Would definitely recommend!
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February 2021 by Robin G.
Brian was fantastic with my dad's taxes. He answered questions and with the pandemic, the interactions were all remote. It was a great experience!
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December 2020 by Mike D.
I've contacted Brian a few times regarding questions or guidance on my taxes for individual tax and my S Corp. taxes. Brian has always been quick to respond and provide valuable information regarding my questions. I really appreciate his feedback and he is my go-to for all my tax services.
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July 2020 by Rolie L.
Been working with Brian for 3 years now and wanted to give credit where credit is due. Reasonable prices - one of my previous accountants recommended by a colleague charged triple and didn't have much added value. Brian responds very quickly to emails with questions. Possibly the only downside is that it helps for you to actively to you to know what deductions your looking to get and be involved in the process. My previous tax guy did much more hand holding which can be good for some people
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March 2020 by Sarah Koz
Brian Larisey handled my company's taxes quickly and efficiently. He was very clear and helpful in answering my questions. I look forward to working with him again. Highly recommended.
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October 2019 by Vince H.
Brian did a great job with my personal tax return. He was very responsive. My first time using a CPA and it was well worth it.
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April 2019 by Lyndsay B.
This was my fifth year using Brian for tax returns. I typically have a lot of questions, and Brian is very responsive and knowledgeable. He makes the process really simple and straightforward. Thank you, Brian!
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March 2019 by Brittany A.
I used Brian for the third year in a row this year. He continues to impress with his fast, thorough and friendly service. Will continue to use and recommend him for the years to come.
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February 2019 by Raman P.
I've used Brian for my individual itemized tax returns for the past 3 years. He's very thorough, responsive and efficient. Just like the other reviews say, you basically upload all your documents on a secured portal and he will get back to you with a draft for you to review before he submits the return. You can't get any more efficient than that. His fees are reasonably priced, and I have no problem paying for the convenience. He also completed the tax declaration for my newly established HOA. My neighbor who worked with Brian was also very happy with the service.
