If you are looking for an accountant with a lack of security, controls, and communication then API is the choice for you. We went to API in February and hoped to hire them as our long term accountant for personal taxes. We dropped off our tax documents and from there the lack of communication started. We were never provided instructions on what the process is, no quote on how much the service was going to cost before work was to be done - even though we were new clients (we were just provided a range). Our taxes should not be that complicated - married couple with no kids and one rental condo property. With no forewarning, our paperwork was passed off to a different accountant (Tim Mulgew) than the initial person we engaged with. Then we were provided a bill for 2.5x the original quoted range with no explanation except they considered the tax scenario to be complicated. If our individual tax circumstances are complicated, I would hate to see how API handles taxes for businesses. Ignoring all of the above, that is not even that big of a deal until we realized all of our personal and financial information was leaked. 1. API sent us an email with a PDF tax summary including but not limited to SSN, address, date-of-birth, employer information, phone number, bank information, and other financial details unsecured. No password protection on the document - nothing. 2. They sent out this email to the wrong email address, not once, but multiple times even after we informed them they sent it to the wrong party. 3. After realizing this blunder they provided us no steps or guidance to mitigate the situation. I promptly requested a call back from Tim, but never got one. I was informed by the initial person we engaged with that Tim was visiting his brother. Ok, not getting a call back for one day, or even one week is understandable. Not getting ANY calls or emails back from Tim, speaks volumes on reliability. I had to go out on my own to do research wasting many hours, contact the appropriate institutions, and purchase identity theft protection to safe guard my information. API said they would reimburse me for the identity theft protection but never did. I also question the accounting practices of API. I submitted our exact same tax paperwork for the year to two other accounting firms to validate (one local accountant and the other is one of the largest accounting firms in the country.) The two other accounting firm's calculations are quite close, but API's return was thousands of dollars off! If Tim and/or the owner of API reads this post feel free to reply and give us an excuse. read more

I always did our own taxes and was very reluctant to hire an accountant and a tax preparer. Boy, was I naive! There are so many tax laws, regulations and strategies that I was (and most people are) unaware of. Coming to API not only educated me on how to reduce my taxes with proper tax planning and smart financial investments, but they also recouped tens of thousands of dollars in prior taxes that we overpaid. They also have a superstar person on staff dedicated to help with those scary IRS notices. I've never heard of any other tax firms that have this. This is a great tax firm with lots of experience and friendly people. It's a real hidden gem. API's Yelp score does not do them justice but then again people usually only leave reviews when they are upset. Only 5 negative reviews in 20 years? I think that's a fairly good track record. And it's pretty obvious that API doesn't rely on or request their clients to write or post online reviews for business. Most, if not all, of their clients seem to be taken by referral. If they've been in business this long and still going strong, they must be doing something right. read more

I was a loyal customer for 10 years, in spite of horrible communication and being made to feel like they were doing me a service for returning important calls or emails. In the end, I was just having taxes completed once per year, so it was easy to be lazy and forgive until "next year". I also mentally thought it would be best to have an established accounting firm complete my taxes so that in the event of audit I was covered. Boy was I WRONG! An audit did come, and after quickly burning through my $1,500 initial deposit it was akin to pulling teeth to get a response. IRS agents complained they could not get returned calls, and in spite of me spending dozens of hours on spreadsheet, collecting statements, making calls, collating and pdf'ing paper receipts I find out - after 2 years that the API accountant didn't even bother to submit my receipts or 2 of the 3 account statements I spent hours collecting and providing for him/them. Adding insult to injury, they bill me for $875, for work I have confirmed was incomplete, and a clear copy/paste of a Word document I put together. When I bring this to their attention, the response from Tim and Dawn (Partners) was that they refused to represent me just 2 weeks prior to a court date, unless I paid the $875 for work I proved to them was incomplete and sloppy. The level of coldness and doing what's best for the customer was so low and cold that I regret ever having done business with them at all. In reflection the amount of stress, and pain & suffering I have experienced from the audit process being so delayed and dragged out, at times extended as a direct result of them not having time with so many other clients - then making me pay for the catch up work, I feel I would have been better off representing myself by sending the IRS what I had put together. My gut feeling a long time ago was to dump API and hire another firm, but I was told so many times they would do something and I was afraid to hire someone else and have to start over from the beginning. Just because a firm may 'get you' a good return here or there isn't a good reason to use them. I suggest making sure they will be committed to you in times of audit, not shrugging you to the sidelines with no email/phone call responses, incomplete answers to life-altering financial questions, or attitude of complacency being accepted by their key staff. I found the entry-level staff to be excellent, but when it came to the accountant and Sr. leadership being there when needed, it was a shameful cold experience. read more

Would give them 6 stars if I could. API was first recommended to me by a friend with a very complicated tax situation - full-time job plus real-estate brokerage plus multiple rental properties. All handled with aplomb. After I started using them, I've been happy to have API do my taxes for my much simpler full-time positions and small-business corporation for several years. Great, quick, friendly, expertly detailed and totally professional. read more

Update: They had changed some key email addresses, so the situation was resolved after some outreach. Still, not a great experience, but updating from 1 star to 3 stars. read more

Bad service. You can pay the same rate for better service and to work with someone who actually cares and doesn't take on so many clients that you have to repeat your life story every time you speak to them. read more

We have used API Accounting Practices for years. Tim and Dawn have been most helpful in preparing our taxes. When my father passed away, they helped with all the in's and out's of dealing with his estate. Even after we moved out of state, we still use their services. We trust them totally. read more

We meet with Tim early in 2016 after being recommended to him. We meet with him and a lot of the things he suggested seemed to make a lot of sense. We had his firm prepare our corporate and personal taxes. It took months for them to complete our taxes. Countless phone calls, email, visits, and being passed around from person to person. Every time we got passed onto someone new it was like we were starting over. The taxes all got sent off without our signatures and we were fined by both state and fed due to lack of communication. The person who finally met with us couldn't explain anything they had done. All this left me with a really bad felling, so I took everything to another accountant and was told I need to amend my taxes immediately for fear of going to jail (extreme). They completely butchered both the corporate and personals. They took exemption we did not qualify for, they based our taxes on accrual when they claimed to be using the cash method, they made up credits that didn't exist and there are six or seven other mistakes. Now API refuses to reimburse me for the $1727 they charged me. If you like a complete lack of communication and tax audit I would definitely recommend API, if not, please stay clear. Sorry for typos, first time writing one of these. read more

We've used API and Tim Mulgrew for a number of years for our business and Personal taxes. I wouldn't go anywhere else. We have recommended him to several others and the businesses and friends who've used him have been happy and impressed. Nice guy and very sharp. Knows his stuff. Used Tim for retirement planning as well and I'm very happy with the results. Go for it. You can't do better. Lee B read more

Tim Mulgrew: I was uncomfortable with some of his suggestions even though he said he could win in court if the IRS would audit me. I consulted and the other tax specialist, attorney CPA offered, gave me and my family the Fed code to read for myself. We decided it was too risky for us and decline his recommendations. Later, I found is was a well know loop hole that the IRS is well aware of. I think he tries to come up with good strategies, but I don't want to be involved with the IRS. Or be at risk. Some might be ok with this plan. Up to that point he was not for me, but then we caught him doing something UNethical and I was told from another attorney illegal. I am afraid he retaliated too, something I did not expect. I have contemplated for awhile to write this review or not. If you choose to use his services be careful. Is he an accountant or CPA? This was my experience. In other circumstances he could be ok. Sad that I had this experience. read more

Tim Mulgrew is fantastic. He is very knowledgeable and has great start up company background. I refer him my clients on a regular basis and know he takes great care of them because I hear there rave review. You cannot go wrong with this company. There are people with varying skill sets for whatever you may need. Try it now. read more

They have been really helpful personally and professionally. They go beyond tax prep. They've helped us understand how we can optimize our returns and plan for the future. read more