We have used BOL for two years and decided after last year it wasn't for us. The first year we had an alright experience with Gary but weren't able to get comprehensive answers for the questions we had around real estate. The next year we were essentially assigned to someone else because who we saw previously was no longer accepting new clients...but we weren't new. Reaching whoever they assign you to work with is nearly impossible. After an initial apt weeks went by for very basic things and I was calling or emailing every few days in a panic as the deadline to file quickly approached. Eventually an extension had to be requested when all needed documents had been completed in Feb. The back and forth email and call correspondence was time consuming and ridiculous. We kept having to reach out to check the status and after weeks would get a response to schedule yet another appointment. Not personable, not friendly, poor communication. They likely take on too many clients because they care about profit over people. read more

We had Anson do our taxes for a few years and last year he completely screwed us. Didn't file them on time and then charged us more to submit them and now we keep getting letters from the IRS saying we still owe money and he WILL NOT RESPOND. We have called and emailed multiple times and he will not get back to us. It has been a nightmare. Do not give them your business. read more

Beware not only do they charge for preparing your return but consultation fee this has changed since last year or varies by accountant ask before you began your appointment way overpriced read more

Terrible experience with BOL overall. Avoid at all costs. This firm boasts they are the best in the business in The Bay. They did the books and returns for my small business. I have a long list of the horrible, mediocre, unprofessional, disrespectful actions and behavior I experienced with this firm from the very beginning of our time working together; -Lack of communication from first week working together -From the beginning- after signing on with them, paying a large sum up front and the monthly fee, I didnt hear anything from them for days and had to hound them with multiple emails to even start work on my books -Errors in books and tax returns, no explanation, no consultation. -Assumptions made about my preferences and decisions for my books and taxes without asking me. -My tax returns were done wrong- with significant errors 2 years in a row. -In April 2024, I could not reach my book keeper and tax preparer in the weeks leading up to April 15, he did not let me see my return before filing it. The return had mistakes. -Said first book keeper left the firm, without any notice. Left my books unattended for months. Didn't hear anything from them to notify me. -I had to reach out multiple times to get a new book keeper to take over my books. -New bookkeeper took over, tried to fix the gap in my books from where the previous one left it several months prior, leading to mistakes and unclear large numbers in my books that BOL would not explain or clarify -When it came to tax time in 2024, the book keeper let me see my return, which i showed my expert family tax preparer who discovered many errors, missing items that said book keeper assured me would be included in return. Had the return been filed as was, it wouldve led to me overpaying in taxes by nearly $8k. I was afraid for my financial stability and ability to continue affording to carry on my business. -BOL sent me an invoice for 2024 tax return preperation when it was stated in my contract that I had two years of return preperation included- 2023 and 2024. I also went over this with the account manager at the beginning of the year. -I had to have 2024 return entirely redone as the books were unsuable -I am having my books for 2025 redone by my book keeper -Terminated working with relationship with BOL in April, they did not respond what so ever or provide any clarification for their mistakes and decisions made about my books, return and numbers. -proceeded to auto charge me in May anyway, despite end of work together in prior month -BOL will not provide most of the documents I and my new book keeper requested -They did not offer to do any monthly or quarterly reviews of my books. I had to ask if this was possible. -Irresponsive to most of my email and calls. -Emotional and mental and stress distress due to all of the above -rudeness, unresponsiveness and unprofessional behavior towards me almost throughout -made me feel like an unimportant, unvalued client, a small fish, a second class client- not worthy of their time and attention for majority of the time working together. It only got a little better, in regards to communication, in the last few months they did work for me. *Update: The firm and I have resolved things amicably. read more

We are getting help from them for 15 years for our business and personal Tax. They've been reliable with reasonable prices. Specially Jameson is the our Hero accountant. He is calm, gentle and respond quickly when we asked urgent help for home loan document assistant. He worked through weekend and holiday for us for the urgent matter. Thank you so much Jameson! read more

This review is long overdue. This review is strictly for Brian Odo - I've been going to BOL Global since 2010-2021. The minute I get audited, Brian not only ignored 95% of my calls and emails. The ones he did respond to, told me not to worry and he'll take care of it. Months later, I keep getting more mail from the IRS. I would send them immediately to Brian who ignored all of them. I called 5x a day for months feeling helpless and panicked, the receptionist was so rude and even laughed at my situation. Again, no response or help from anyone at BOL. I finally went to H&R Block out of desperation, they explained to me my accountant didn't do anything to defend my write offs and now the IRS is demanding $12,000 payment and there's nothing else I can do at this point other than pay it or they will cease all my assets. I was a client for 11 years and they ignored me completely at the first sign of trouble. I've never been so upset and disappointed in a business. I consulted a lawyer to cover my losses but the fees for the delay from them not responding to me was only about $1,000; not worth the lawsuit. I never leave reviews, but this is beyond warranted. AVOID AVOID AVOID!!! read more

The accountant Mr Gary Smith that was assigned to my personal situation was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and very efficient

Ben and Sophorn have done our taxes for nearly 15 years now. And in those 15 years they've managed complexities beautifully - from California taxes, nyc, federal and even expat taxes (fbar etc). They've kept us up with all rebates and benefits we can apply for as we married and had kids I trust Ben and his team and highly recommend him. read more

I myself had a tax return done here a few years ago. Most of staffs have no knowledge about accounting rather than few hours training as a tax preparer online. They are not accountants or CPAs. They even got my friend audited and took no responsibility. Worst service ever. Don't ever come here for your tax if you don't want to be audited. Their service suck read more

I've worked with Simon for many years. Highly recommend. He is quick, thorough and knowledgeable. Over the years my taxes have included stock, RSUs, education expenses, small business expenses etc. Their rates are reasonable. I've referred this firm to friends/family and they are happy as well. Get appointments early though... they book up :) read more

Been coming here since they were Liberty. Oh my god I can't believe I never reviewed BOL Global. I am one of those people who will leave reviews of something if I either totally love the company because they are soooo good or I really hate them cause the company messed me up so bad that I feel the need to let the world know. For BOL Global.... I absolutely LOVE their service. It pains me to see some negative feedback by some clients on Yelp regarding their service because Brian, Simon and Ben are the best guys in the office. They all know their stuff when it comes to tax preparation and other CPA services. Their prices are very competitive and fair depending on the time and complexity of the situation. These are the guys I always refer my friends and family cause they are so good! I no longer live or work nearby but they are always worth the trip and the rising gas expense. Typically during tax season they staff around I think 12 or more people to help with the income tax filing. I have never had anyone "flake" as one reviewer mentioned on my taxes. I do know that depending on if you do the drop off service, keep in mind that you will get your stuff done inbetween non busy times as they offer both sit in tax prep appointments or drop off. Also don't be expecting to get your things done asap. If your stuff is complex.... You should assume it's gonna take time. They do everything based on the info you provide them... it's not their responsibility to KNOW every bit of your financial life. If your taxes get messed up cause of a document or info you neglected to provide them, that's on you. And by the way, the team at Bol Global DO know when to turn down business if they are totally swamped. They don't take what they can't handle and they are upfront that if I need to get an extension. They don't have me doing the extension, they do it for me. So please as much as it's probably going to hurt me and my need for availability time slots with my favorite people at BOL, if you do decide to use their services, Benjamin, Brian and Simon are the most popular ones as like I said before, they know their stuff. Good luck everyone! read more

I have worked with Bol Global in past two years , Ling is my CPA,she is really nice and professional, she always answers my a lot of questions patiently and give me useful suggestions. I'm very satisfied with her work. read more

[Edit] Updating my review to a 3/5 because they finally got back to me with less than two days before the deadline. I'm not sure if this review had anything to do with it as they never mentioned it. --- By using BOL Global I overpaid my taxes by 8,000$ needlessly and they aren't helping to fix the mistake. My new accountant noticed the very glaring mistake (their words) and so I reached out to BOL Global to help amend my past tax return to get my money back. The accountant that did my taxes was no longer at the company, and Anson picked up the call to help look into the issue. Except, he didn't. For weeks he's been telling me he needed time to look into the error, and every time we get on the phone he is still unprepared and so he has to review it while I'm effectively on the call with him. I provided specific guidance related to the error from my new accountant and after doing so he spent 15minutes telling me how there was no error. Now I'm not an accountant, but even I understand how the error was made. They're clearly wrong. If you have any RSUs or ISOs, stay away! They can get me an 8000$ refund with a couple mouse clicks and yet I've been chasing them for the better part of a month with no recourse. They don't call back, they're always "in a meeting", and I've been nothing but cordial. My last recourse is a bad yelp review, if it even matters. read more

Really efficient and friendly. They are fair about their pricing, very helpful, and responsive

Highly recommend! Always keeping me updated yearly about the new rules that I likely would have missed!

Charlie has been helping me with my taxes for years. He has helped me when I was a W2 employee and easily helped me transition when I became self employed. Charlie is a genius when it comes to tax law. I know I bother him a lot, with some one off questions even after tax season, yet he is always so kind, knowledgeable, and quick to answer. I feel extremely comfortable that my taxes will be completed professionally every year when I work with Charlie. I'm lucky to have met him. Thanks! read more

I have been working with BOL for 5 years now. My experience has been amazing. The accountants are knowledgeable, experienced, friendly, and most importantly timely in filing my taxes. This year we worked with Ling, she not only supported us in filing our taxes but she also answered some challenging tax questions we had afterwards, as we have fired a nanny this year. Ling you are the best and we look forward to working with you again next year! read more

After being unhappy with the tax preparer I was going to for many years, I was referred to BOL to do my income taxes. It was very easy to make an appointment over the phone during the busy tax season. I came in on a Saturday and was finished within an hour. I don't remember the name of the person who helped me, but he was professional, organized, and efficient. He asked me questions along the way and made sure I was taken care of. I'm very happy with their service and the prices are fair. I'll be continuing to do my taxes here and my mom has decided to switch over to BOL as well. I wish I found them sooner! read more

Excellent response and thorough in providing details to our questions. We just began working with this firm, we are confident in their ability and in their communications. read more

I found this company in Yelp approximately 10 years ago. If that doesn't say it all.... Our taxes were straightforward and uncomplicated. The service was always top, efficient, and accurate. The offices are not luxurious but they seem to know what they are doing. Recently I lost my spouse and now I'm on the verge of retiring and they have answered all my questions and advised me well. I hope my successful relationship with them continues. read more

Been going here since 2010 when it was a liberty tax franchise. Definitely recommend they are reasonably priced and always help explain how to best navigate your taxes. read more

Worked with an associate in 2022 for 2021's returns, which entailed my being rudely talked to for 45 minutes. It was a very unpleasant experience as the guy said multiple times how I was too poor to live in SF (no exaggeration). I literally could have done the same thing for less and with more of my ego intact with Turbo Tax, which is what I did this year. I had received a referral from a neighbor to use this company, and perhaps the partners are good, however my experience was incredibly unprofessional and I am still talking about it a year later. read more

I've worked with BOL for the past 5 years and currently work with Ling. I've found Ling to be competent, efficient, and effective (and nice to work with). She answer questions via email year-round and has been a huge help for me in tax scenarios as I became a small business owner. read more

Stay away! Not worth the potential downsides. Brian Odo did my corporate taxes for 5 years, at first he was great but he eventually flat out flaked in the middle of doing my 2020 taxes. I had to file an extension and find a new accountant at the last minute. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I received a letter from the state claiming my state return from 2018 had never been filed. Dealing with Brian has been difficult to say the least, he has offered very little guidance and seems to forget what we talked about before. I have tried to reach him by phone but he's unavailable then returns my messages via email so nothing gets solved. BOL Global offers prices lower than many for corporate tax filing so it may seem like a good deal, but seriously not worth the potential headache! read more

Welp, the tradition continues. I can't recommend Simon enough ya'lls but please do make sure you reach out early to set up an appointment and not be that person at the tail end of the wire to arrange a meeting (*raising hand* Guilty!) Simon is a busy guy but he has always made time for me and has been patient with questions that I had. See you next year, Simon! read more

Bottom Line: Efficient and super friendly staff who walked me through every step. I had to file my taxes really last minute and out of all the firms contacted, BOL Global was the only one I felt the most comfortable going with. PROS: - Quick and responsive: Paola called me back immediately after contacting the firm and I was able to get a quote ASAP. They even finished my taxes within an hour! - Friendly staff: Out of all the firms I contacted, Paola was the only one who took the time to answer my questions and give me the information I needed. She was even nicer when I met her in person! - Communication: Brian, who did my taxes, walked me through everything step by step and made sure I understood the entire process. He was really patient with me even when I asked the dumbest questions. :) - Reasonably priced: As mentioned, I contacted quite a few firms and I felt like BOL Global was the only one not trying to rip me off. On top of Paola being so friendly over the phone, it was a no brainer to go to them for my taxes. CONS: - Location: They have different offices right next to each other, so depending on who you have an appointment with, the address on the Yelp page might not be where you need to go. I accidentally went into the office next door, but they were able to escort me to the right one really quickly! read more

BOL Global is the worst tax service I've ever worked with, and I recommend to anyone reading this to do yourself a favor and find someone else. I am coming out of Yelp retirement just to write this negative review because of how unhappy I am with their service. My business partner and I hired Brian Odo to prepare and file our 2016 taxes. Brian made a mistake and did not file a supplemental form that caused our taxes to be rejected, which we finally resolved in January 2019 with the help of another CPA. People make mistakes, but they should own up to them and do their best to resolve them. Unfortunately this is not how Brian handled it. Brian's communication was poor and he was unresponsive. Even when Brian found out about his mistake, his communication did not improve as you would expect. I would email Brian four times (over a period of a week) before receiving a response. That happened two times. I also called his office multiple times but he was always in a meeting or out of office. I finally CC'ed a few of his business partners in my emails and I got a response the same day. Brian eventually realized his mistake and gave us instructions on how to resolve the problem with the IRS, but he didn't accept responsibility for his mistake until we pushed him multiple times for an explanation of what happened. He later explained that he filed our tax return and the supplemental form separately and the IRS didn't match them up. He apologized for the mistake but did not take any initiative to follow up with the IRS to confirm that the issue was resolved. Luckily we found a new, reliable CPA to resolve Brian's mistake, and to work with going forward. I urge you to look elsewhere for tax preparation services. BOL Global may seem attractive from their low rates, but you might end up paying more later in headaches and stress. If there are any Yelp content moderators reading this and doubt any of my statements here, contact me and I will forward you my emails with BOL Global as supporting evidence. read more

I don't write reviews but the service at BOL compelled me to do so. My experience here was beyond what I expected, Ling is fun to work with, she is helpful, professional and responsive, super easy and fast process, making doing taxes a breeze not a drag, everyone in the office is very friendly and professional too, I will keep going back and referring my friends. Thank you ! read more

I have been working with Ling for 3 years with filling my taxes, she always makes sure to take a comprehensive look at everything and maximum money back, she gives us excellent advice on how to process and what to do in the upcoming year and we are able to reply on her and BOL. Highly recommended. read more

Can't say enough about the services I have received here. Love working w Brian Odo, he is a thoughtful expert in his craft and helps you to understand the best steps that benefit your individual custom situation. I haven't worked w others here but if they can retain an awesome tax master like him, the rest of team has got to be super solid. Very thankful for BOL Global! read more

My relationship with BOL Global was great until this tax season. I have been trying to get ahold of my accountant, Charlie Liu, for four months leading into this tax season. After meeting in February, Charlie accepted my commission for the third year in a row to prepare my taxes. I haven't heard anything since. I've tried emailing him and calling him, but all I get is silence. I feel like I have no other option but to heavy-handedly request my tax documents and file myself. It pains me to write a negative review about Charlie and BOL Global. My experience has been really positive with them up until now, and I enjoyed the working relationship we had. It's a really difficult time right now and I would accept almost any delay or excuse. I hope that Charlie is okay. read more

Amazing service and wonderful person. I am grateful for Simon who has done my taxes for many years. My self employment taxes can be complicated! He's amazing, fast and peaceful despite his busy schedule! My friend referred me, I am so happy she did! read more

Went to BOL Global for the first time this year, after several years of doing my own taxes. Brian helped me with my return and some of the new complexities I had this year (new investments, recent marriage, etc). The whole process was very fast and straight-forward and Brian was very patient with my onslaught of questions. Will definitely be back next year. read more

Things were great until Victor Joshi, Director of Client Services, got involved. Victor was not at all in the picture when I first contacted BOL Global in June 2018. I originally sought them out because, at the time, their website advertised a free consultation for personal financial planning. Tony Ho, a senior tax accountant, emailed me to set up a call, and in the ensuing email thread clarified that the only consultations they provide are for tax and accounting, not financial. Realizing that what my fiancé and I really needed was tax planning, not personal finance planning, we decided to move forward with Tony for tax planning at $200 per hour. We uploaded our 2017 tax returns via secure file share and set up an in-person meeting at their SF Richmond office. The almost-hour-long session was very informative as Tony answered our questions and advised us on maximal deductions. He even recommended that I amend my 2017 taxes, yielding a small refund that essentially paid for the tax planning consultation. In early March 2019, I emailed Tony to ask if he would file our 2018 taxes, which were complicated by home ownership. We exchanged multiple emails and phone calls throughout March until we met in-person in early April 2019 to hammer out final details and sign our tax returns. Tony was prompt, courteous, and did a good job walking us through the nuances of our tax returns. Post-submission, I emailed Tony my confusion on how he calculated a specific line item, which required a few emails and a phone call to clarify (tbh, I'm still not 100% sure how that number worked out, but I trusted that he knew what he was doing). Two weeks after that, he emailed an answer to a follow-up question we had during our in-person meeting, which I appreciated. Fast forward to Friday 10/25/19, when I emailed Tony asking about how marriage status would impact our tax savings. I then received an email the following Saturday from Victor Joshi, Director of Client Services, saying that the company follows a structured process path to deliver superior value to their clients and that he would like to set up an introductory Zoom meeting. Things went downhill for me from here. My fiancé was unable to attend the meeting, so Victor and I met on Zoom Monday afternoon. He talked through a Powerpoint presentation of the company's success given their high number of inquiries and referrals, their structured approach, and their offerings. He asked about my and Tim's employment and stock situations, and I was allowed a few minutes to talk about our concerns with marriage. After the phone call wrapped up, he sent a recap email emphasizing their offerings for tax return review, advice for stock options and AMT issues, tax implications with marriage, and tax prep. I reread the email later that evening, and I felt like most of the meeting was dedicated to Victor's presentation versus hearing our needs as clients, since our number one priority was concerning the tax implications with marriage. I stated this in my email reply to Victor, asking that we communicate directly with Tony if possible, as we did with our paid June 2018 consultation. The next morning on Tuesday, I received what I consider a fairly defensive email that tried to acknowledge my "feelings" and even drew an analogy to healthcare, saying holistic review is a better approach than targeted treatment. Yes, he used lots of quotations around the word "feel," heavily implying sarcasm. He ended his email stating his "feeling" that I was concerned that BOL Global would quote us a higher fee than what Tony charged us for our 2018 tax preparation services. Firstly, I don't mind hearing about the holistic picture if you can prioritize my more immediate concerns. Patients often have a hard time buying into care plans that they aren't involved in creating. Secondly, Victor inappropriately assumed that we were concerned about the impact on our tax filing fees. Wrong--we were more than willing to pay Tony for another tax advising consultation in mid-2018, like we did last year as a separate payment from the tax filing fee in early 2019. Victor made poor assumptions, along with failing to type our names correctly. His lack of professionalism really turned my mood sour that day. Truth be told, I originally wasn't super inclined to write a review for BOL Global. Tony had done a good job during our first consultation, but I couldn't help feeling a bit unfulfilled with how he briefly explained that specific line item in our tax return. Nevertheless, he was polite, prompt, and respectful. I wish he would have replied to my 10/25/19 email explaining why this Victor person was going to get involved, similar to a warm hand-off for referrals in healthcare. Either way, this review encapsulates my discontent with the Director of Client Services, not the accountants. And, from my interactions with this Director, it sounds like they're getting a lot of business. Good for them--they don't need ours. read more

I first met Simon back when he was with Liberty Tax. I had broken up with my longtime accountant after he'd had a shocking ethical lapse and then my former employer incorrectly categorized me as an independent contractor, which left me with a gigantic tax bill. It was a rough time. Simon has guided me through everything from disputing the independent contractor status with the IRS, to taxes as a homeowner, married person and budding entrepreneur. All you need in a tax preparation is at BOL Global: professionalism, accuracy and integrity. read more

I've worked with Ling and Simon for over a decade, and they have helped me out of years of back taxes filing. They both do great work - they've been extremely fast, knowledgeable, and hardworking. They made my filings easy and were very patient with my questions and if I needed changes. Every time I work with them, I feel a deep sense of mental peace and very taken care of. I recommend Ling and Simon to all my friends that need taxes filed! read more

I would not recommend this business as they keep taking accounting jobs even when they don't have time to work on new ones. English is not their first language and you struggle understanding some is them. They also charge too much and never call you or return your calls. read more

I see there are a lot of positive reviews for Simon at BOL Global here. I want to add my thanks here as well. Simon, and his fellow accountants at BOL Global, provide excellent tax preparation and tax advice quickly, on your schedule, at a fair price. I've been using them for the past 5 years and plan on continuing to go to them for years to come because they are that good. Highly recommend. read more

This was our first time doing expat taxes and I searched all over for someone to work with. I found BOL Global and Ling Lin. She led me through the process and made everything so easy. Every step of the way she looked for ways to help me. I can't say enough about how great the experience was. read more

Great Service! Very professional! Very knowledgeable about the Tax code -- both federal and state. Very fast, have recommended several friends and co-workers to this company. (I've used other tax companies -- and have not had as good as BOL Global. They are very good and so much better than the other tax companies in SF). Highly recommended. Great hours, great people. read more