I had a 5-star customer experience last year filing my taxes with Aldaris CPA. This year there has been a significant drop in customer service experience and in the quality of that service. I sent them a signed contract in March and paid 50% and did not hear from them until almost a month later, only because I followed up again two days before April 15th, asking about my status. They sent back a flurry of last-minute questions by email which I have been answering immediately as they come in for the past 10 days. Both Edwin and the person now on my file Ruth I have not been able to reach by phone. They give the impression they are overwhelmed by the changes in the tax code and are running behind schedule. It is April 23rd, and my taxes still have not been filed and I am not sure the status at this point. As an independent contractor who needs to file quarterly taxes, it is a huge issue for me to have to pay on April 15th and still not know on April 23rd whether or not I will be receiving a refund or have to pay additional taxes. Whether or not the deadline is May 17th now is irrelevant; they agreed in an email to file by April 15th. If I owe $8,000 in a quarterly payment on April 15th but the government owes me $8,000, and the total payment is net zero, paying my quarterly April 15th and filing mid-May receiving my money back mid-summer is a problem for my family. We are not in a position to give a two-month loan to the federal government right now. I've also asked questions repeatedly about my SEP IRA contributions that I was told on the phone by their Workflow Specialist would be billed at extra $XXX/hour if I asked them directly, even though they are the same questions Edwin and I spoke about last year (how much additional to contribute to reduce my tax burden) and it relates directly to the filing of my taxes. Overall, it feels like H&R Block service at Mom & Pop pricing. Edit: Re: their response, yes I signed the letter of engagement late, that's fair. They responded on March 8 saying they would upload a tax organizer. They sent me a reminder on March 12th that the documents were due March 19th. I responded that they had not uploaded the tax organizer to fill out to determine which documents were needed. They apologized on March 13th and uploaded it. I asked specifically on March 18th since the government moved up the timeline "is the deadline still this Friday?" They responded back, "we are still operating as though the deadline is April 15th, if you need a couple days more, no worries!" I took them at their word that a couple of days meant two or more days and provided the documents two days later on March 20th. It was only after I called them to ask about information regarding my late tax return that they mentioned the "first come, first serve". (Also re: $8,000 I said "If I owe x", obviously I am not going to post the exact amount that I owe the government on a public forum. Also at the time I had no information from Aldaris about what I owed beyond my estimated quarterly payments, which were incorrect and amended after I sent my first quarterly. I ended up overpaying the government on my quarterly by roughly $300 based on their final estimate provided eight days later on April 23. This was the whole point of my original review: as an independent contractor, I am required to pay on April 15th and I need the complete picture by then to determine a course of action.) Everything else in the timeline is as I described, the only difference is their last point. They've mixed up the order of things. It's possible they finished the taxes before I posted my review, but they did not alert me. In fact the email saying my taxes were complete was sent shortly after I posted the review answering point-by-point what I said in the review. I believe my taxes were filed yesterday on the 26th, 11 days after we had initially agreed. I've downgraded the review on 4/27 to one star because they "resigned as my accountants" after I posted this review "misrepresenting the facts."

My partner and I went to Edwin for advice on our tax preparation, filing jointly or separately which would be better for us. For our first meeting, we were given the option to have a full consultation or free meet and greet where we discuss the Aldaris firm and gather information about our needs. We made this mistake of taking the full consultation. We didn’t have any questions that Edwin was able to answer without creating a tax plan that involved looking at our W2 and other numbers. So we started talking about the firm, his garden, our child, a bit of off topic things to fill in the time. We managed to take up about 45 mins on the call which came out to a cost of $375. I don’t believe the call was worth that amount of money. We would have accomplished the same with a free 15 minute consultation but we didn’t know better at the time. Sleep deprived new parents here trying to figure out life. We didn’t know better, our mistake. But with Edwins 20+ years of experience I would have expected him to save us the time and money by cutting the call short as a courtesy meet and greet because we didn’t receive any concrete advice or information that was new to us. We found Edwin to be a bit opportunistic which we didn’t feel good about. We also were not convinced that the service offered would be very beneficial to our specific needs. So decided to not move forward with the tax planning, that would cost 2k. Pro tip: don’t skip out on the meet and greet.

We contacted the group and set up a meeting with Edwin to discuss the tax implications of an inheritance. He met with us and walked us through it. He promised to send us a summary of the meeting, which he did not in a timely manner. After some quick Googling, it later became clear from every single website on the topic that the law had changed. Because of this, the advice he gave us was flat out wrong and would result in a severe financial penalty. We then wrote to him to clarify the question, and he never wrote back. We felt the next course of action to get a response was to leave a negative review, which did indeed prompt a response. He then wrote the response below which called us out by name, which we do not appreciate. Additionally, he incorrectly says that we did not know the date of death, which we did indeed tell him and greatly affected the advice, which he never told us. Finally, we had actually met with him prior to the consultation to explain the situation we were dealing with, and he never told us to research the information that was relevant. Overall, it was a very negative experience, and well over a week later, we have yet to receive an answer to our question.

I definitely hit the jackpot with Edwin and Aldaris. I came to him on a referral from a friend after years of having a family member work my taxes, so safe to say he had his work cut out for him. After going back 4 years Edwin remedied the issues promptly at a fair price and explained what happened and what needed to be done to get me up to date. Edwin is incredibly professional and knowledgeable and does a great job at explaining the tax codes and laws and how they apply to my business in different scenarios so i can make informed decisions on what works best for me. I'm currently in the process of restructuring my business and Edwin has been invaluable in this process. He always impresses me with his depth of understanding of our tax system, and takes time to explain the pros and cons of LLC vs S-corp vs C-corp and how they apply to my business taxes providing the information needed for me to make decisions moving forward. Edwin has been my go-to tax professional for the last 4 years and he should be yours as well, You won’t be disappointed.

Edwin is an incredibly professional, knowledgeable and personable CPA. I’m so impressed with his depth of understanding of our tax system, and ability to articulate the tricky pieces that are over my head. He takes time to explain your individual taxes and provides education (not advice or advising) to inform your decisions moving forward and how the decisions may or may not impact your taxes for the following year. My wife and I had a terrible experience with Angela Carigen (CPA also in Seattle) to an extent where the IRS sent us a notification of an audit. Carigen was completely worthless and $700 down the drain. Edwin remedied the issue promptly at a fair price and explained what happened and what needed to be done to fix it. If you want to work with a professional who is not only the best in his field but also kind and easy to talk to, consider Edwin. You won’t be disappointed.

As a financial advisor I share a number of clients with Aldaris and Edwin has always taken very good care of our clients. What I really like about Edwin is when he has an opinion on a tax interpretation, he has actually read the language directly from the internal revenue code, there's no guessing. He goes directly to the source so he can have the most informed decision! I also appreciate that Edwin isn't afraid to tell clients what they need to hear, even if it's bad news. If you like working with someone who isn't going to beat around the bush and will be direct, Aldaris is a great place to go. Lastly, for business owners, Edwin focuses not just on how to reduce your taxes but how to help you actually make more money by thinking about the finances of your business in the right way. This type of service very quickly pays for itself. Highly recommended!

We called to have a quote for responding to an IRS notice, and made the mistake of mentioning to Edwin how much the proposed amount to pay was. He gave us a quote of $6000 for responding to the notice with a single missing form! He totally tried to rip us off saying how IRS are backed up now and that he has direct contact to an agent there, which should not make any difference to our case. We only needed to respond in time to the notice. We called 10 other companies and not a single one gave us a quote like that for the issue, all quotes were few hundred dollars. One honest company even told us that you already know what happened so you can just respond to the IRS yourself, attach the form and save your money! I would definitely not do any business with this company and would advice anyone to do their research before committing to them.

I can't say enough good things about Edwin and the Aldaris Group. He is much more than just an accountant. He is what a real accountant should be. Someone who helps you strategically manage your wealth to minimize taxes, risk exposure, while maximizing your wealth creation. He is extremely knowledgeable and creative in his solutions. He doesn't just think inside the box, he thinks well outside the box. His depth of knowledge on any tax question continues to confirm that he is the one I can trust with helping me make smart financial decisions today and well into the future. Thanks Edwin for the help!

With all the confusion surrounding the C.A.R.E.S. act and what it means for small businesses, I am grateful for the resource I have in Edwin. Without his guidance, I would remain completely confused about how to sort out the loan and grant options during this unsettling time. With my endless questions, I can count on Edwin's extreme patience and careful guidance to give me the information I need to make the smartest moves for our company. Thank you, Edwin, for your assistance in the past years and for untangling the vast amount of data within these economic relief loans for me today.

Reading review after review can be exhausting when trying to decide who to trust with your taxes so let me just stop you from searching any further! Edwin and his associates are absolutely the best. Even during tax season, he makes you feel like you are his only client. He is incredibly personable, knowledgeable, and has saved my husband and I $$$ with his expert advice. Aldaris group makes it easy easy easy to manage document uploads and communication with their online platform... I can’t believe I used to have to mail in everything to my old accountant. Can’t recommend enough!

The first time I engaged Edwin at Aldaris, he researched a time-sensitive and complicated tax matter for my company. He was able to provide an answer I understood within a few hours, so that I could get my return filed in a timely manner. I've known Edwin for close to a year, he's incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about what he does, he's one of the few accountants I'd trust with all of my financial matters, and he's one of the few that I enjoy sitting down with for dinner or lunch!

Absolutely top notch. Edwin totally saved my bacon, so fast and so competently. He's extremely easy to talk to and get along with, and super flexible with his time, no matter how busy your schedule. Networks and connections are a large part of why you hire any given professional, and Edwin has contacts all throughout the financial sector. He's very generous with them, selflessly calling in favors and sending business to these contacts for the benefits of his clients. Thanks, Edwin!

Edwin came a few months ago and has been a picture of professionalism and efficiency. His vast knowledge base has helped our office streamline our systems and in no time at all he has made a huge difference in our office. Edwin shows the kind of effectual and productive work that can be expected from a professional. It has been a pleasure watching him do what he does best and I would recommend his work to anyone in need of their services!

We have worked with Edwin and team the last 3 years on our tax filing as well as overall financial advice. During that time we have had a very positive experience with everyone at Aldaris group, including working through some tricky tax problems while my partner was freelancing. Edwin has also consistently set aside time to answer any specific questions in a detailed and responsive manner. We'll continue to work with them moving forward.

Aldaris!! Edwin is amazing at what he does. This team is super thorough and diligent on getting the most of your tax deductibles while keeping me in line with what is real and what is not. They are on top of their game, knowing all the hoops and loops of the tax game. I really appreciate how efficient quick books are and the reminders to get these daunting tasks done. Edwin you are a Rockstar and I appreciate your skills with the books!

I needed a new CPA after converting my business to an S Corp and Edwin came through, completing three complex returns in a very reasonable amount of time. He's always available to discuss a question I have and responds quickly and confidently to our inquiries. I was looking for a CPA that would do his best to minimize our tax burden and plan for the future and I'm happy to have chosen Edwin. Looking forward to many years as a client.

Edwin was professional, responsive and knowledgable. My husband works for multiple different companies (6-7 depending on the year), and is an independent contractor for one company. Needless to say, our tax situation is somewhat unusual and Edwin was able to help make sure we got the most out of our return. He also had a much better understanding of tax law than the CPA we used in the past. We will definitely be using Edwin again!

Running a small business can be painful when it comes to dealing with taxes. I get the most thorough service and advice from Aldaris CPA group! Edwin really knows his stuff and is extremely thorough in his knowledge of tax codes and laws. Aldaris handles both my corp taxes as well as my personal taxes and I get hands down the best service possible! If you are running a business, contact Aldaris today!

Edwin at Aldaris CPA Group handled our most complicated tax return yet. He was incredibly responsive, well organized and answered all our questions. We were also pleased with the amount they charged for preparing our return. Other companies have charged us more in the past for a less complicated return. I would highly recommend Aldaris CPA Group and I will definitely be turning to them next year.

I had never worked with a CPA prior to this year but I will continue working with Edwin and Aldaris Group moving forward. Edwin really took the time to answer my questions and help me understand a tax matter that I had never dealt with before. I really appreciated how quick he was to respond and I felt very taken care of start to finish. I highly recommend Aldaris Group!

Edwin is simply the best, not only in West Seattle but in accounting. Personal, joint, company, all that. Edwin is incredibly diligent and caring, and gets down to the bottom of every case. He works with integrity and empathy. Use him for whatever tax / accounting matter is important to you. You won't be disappointed. You get what you pay for in the best ways.

Edwin lives and breathes taxes! He has an incredibly thoughtful and professional approach to taxes. He is a creative thinker based on his large base of knowledge of taxes. I know it sounds weird, but you can "see" him thinking about our questions, and finding the exact solution to benefit us. His prices are very reasonable and the work so far, outstanding.

The folks were a pleasure to work with! They fixed a couple years worth of tax mistakes from my previous CPA and were very patient with me while I gathered all the info they needed. They communicated with me regularly and provided me with answers to all the questions I had. Looking forward to working with them next year.

I've filed my own taxes in the past, but a number of changes in the tax code and in our tax situation made this year significantly more complex, so we hired Aldaris. Edwin and his team quickly and efficiently handled everything, saving me from at least one costly mistake and greatly increasing my confidence.

Easily the best crypto accountant and team. I’ve had awful experiences with accountants who say they know crypto and then I end up in a worse spot. Edwin has taken reigns and fixed previous years mistakes and saved me a TON of money. Should charge more. Thanks Edwin. Highly recommended.

Doing my taxes has always been nerve-racking. Last year I was able to pay off all my back taxes. This year, I can pay off my credit cards and start fresh. With all the good advice I have been given, I feel safe with Aldaris.

Aldaris has been so helpful with professional, timely and efficient tax returns and now a conversion from an LLC to an S Corp. I feel grateful for Edwin's expertise and confident that my finances are in the best hands!

I've used Edwin's services for two tax seasons and have been amazed both years. He is thorough, communicates well and helps me understand the complexities of running a small business. Highly recommended.

Edwin is just the type of pro-active, consultative - even mentor-like accountant we've been looking for. We are very much looking forward to a long relationship with Edwin and Aldaris. Best, Vince

As a small business owner, Edwin gives me piece of mind! He is responsive & exceptionally knowledgeable. Highly recommend his services & his team!