Made several mistakes on our tax return that took a long time to sort out. TurboTax has been cheaper and more accurate.

TLDR: If you have a very basic tax return or if you are someone who is so wealthy that you often find people bending over to kiss your feet, Chuck King may provide adequate tax services. If you're anywhere in between, I would recommend looking elsewhere. I was reluctant to write this review because Chuck actually seems like a nice guy who probably got some bad advice from a business magazine in 1987 and took it as gospel--the advice being something along the lines of focusing on wealthy people or people who can do the most for you in return and not wasting much time on the "small folk". That may have worked 25 years ago, but isn't a great philosophy in the Internet age where everyone has a voice. I made an appointment to file my annual taxes with Chuck at least a month and a half before the April 15th deadline. The appointment went pretty well for the most part. He seemed friendly enough and confident in his abilities. My return had a small handful of complications that made it a bit more involved than a basic filing, but nothing earth shattering. There were about 3 or 4 things Chuck needed to research how to file before we finalized the return. That is totally fine. Tax law is complicated and I don't expect professionals to have all of the answers offhand. He told me we could leave things 98% complete and he would figure out how to tie up the loose ends later and confirm with me once everything was complete. He offered to let me pay when the taxes were filed, but I opted to pay on the spot. I'm not sure if this had any impact on what transpired next. It started off normal at first. Chuck would call me to check in every two days or so to inform me of his progress on closing out the open items on my filing. Then he began to go dark on me. I started having to call him for updates. He was not apologetic at all--he was actually frustrated that I was bothering him by checking in on a service that I paid for but didn't receive. He told me his methodology is as follows: for every filing he can't complete on the spot, he puts it into a pile towards the back of his office. When he has downtime, he works on the outstanding items in order from "most important client" to "least important client". These are his words, not mine. As you may have guessed, I was a very low priority/low income client to him and he made that very clear numerous times. To make a long story short(er), I went through a series of very painful emails, phone calls and in-person visits with Chuck to get my filing pushed through. The weaker I was on the phone, the more he tried to bully me, but once I started to (mildly) berate him a bit, he seems to regain some sense and started to act. Some people to respond better to scolding than gentle pushing, and Chuck seems to be one of those guys unfortunately. Chuck literally dragged this out until the 11th hour. Even though my appointment was relatively early in tax season, I had to go to his office the day of the deadline to ensure he filed it. And I had to take the initiative to show up--he certainly didn't seem that concerned about it (after all, I make peanuts--why would the IRS care about me?). Look I get it. People make mistakes. People are busy. People don't have all the answers. But what makes it worse in Chuck's case is that he was never apologetic about it for one second. There was never a "sorry you had to chase me down for the last 6+ weeks" or a "I swear, the service here is much better than this". I just felt like I was bothering him the whole time. I really wanted to like Chuck and there were many times I would look at him and see the "good guy" in him. I don't think his accounting skills are inadequate or that he was out to get me. But unfortunately for him, you can't put someone through what he put me through and be considered "good at your job". One star. read more

I came across Charels King on Yelp, since I moved to Boston at the end of the year and needed to find someone to help me with my taxes. I had a few references, but Charles responded quickly and was able to schedule me within the next two weeks. I arrived with all my info and discussed with Charles the previous year and current situation. He had some questions, filled out the forms, and we discussed reasons behind making or not making certain deductions. I didn't feel rushed, but I did feel that I was taken care of and that Mr. King was interested in doing his job well. I would recommend this CPA to anyone and will definitely use him in the future for either business or personal tax matters. read more

Chuck has been my personal and business accountant for more than 3 years. I was referred by a friend after having had bad experiences with other accountants. Chuck knows his stuff! Also, he's organized, he makes the best use of your time, and he's a good teacher. His prices are reasonable (maybe too reasonable!) and he has good accessibility. Rosalie W., Cambridge read more

I'd sum up my experience as awkward and bland. For the amount of money I pay for professional filing, I expected more. My husband and I went to Charles after moving here from another state, so we had extra returns to file. Maybe it's because we were younger and didn't have as much money as other clients, or because it was a Friday afternoon, but Charles was really not personable or interested in us. And while I don't go to the tax guy to be entertained or have deep conversation, I do expect him to do his part to ask questions about our situation to be sure we get the best refund possible. All in all, our taxes got filed, and we got some money back (about the same as what I'd estimated online). I wasn't expecting miracles, but I really had to lead the conversation and be direct to make sure that the information got entered correctly (we almost got a much larger refund but only due to an error on his part because he didn't ask clarifying questions). And then at the end of our brief visit, which we spent watching him enter our information into the computer, Charles did not want to answer a simple question I had about claiming deductions. He said to call back during the year to talk about it, but at that point I decided I would take my business somewhere else. read more

Sign should read "accountant for students only". Mr king and his team of free labor /interns can manage simple returns. Would not recommend otherwise. I refiled taxes his office originally processed and the new accountant found an additional refund of $1600! read more

I read the previous two reviews here and decided to give him a try. I got a letter from IRS saying that I did my 07 tax wrong and I owe $4000. I know IRS made a mistake in calculating the amount because they used zero cost base for my stocks.....but i have no idea how to correct their mistake and what document to provide...it all became too complicated for me. So I paid Charles a visit, he set up an appointment for me the next day. We went over my stock transactions item by item, and he decided that he can help me, then he gave me a quote. Although I never used a tax accountant before, I didn't think the fees were high. He had to amend both 2007 and 2008 taxes for me. He is very kind but very serious. He told me as it is and said he would contact me in a few days. It turned out he contacted me at the end of that day and said he had finished it - Instead of paying $4000, now i am getting $800 back because I incurred losses with my stock purchases. I am very please with his service. Precise, Fast, Responsible - of course getting money back is always a plus :) Next year, I will proably go back to him for my regular tax filing. read more

He was very kind and helpful. Extremely thorough in his work, and very patient and pleasant to deal with.

Charles has been great to work with the past 2 years:-) He communicates throughout the process and is thorough in his review of my documents.Happy customer. read more

I felt Mr. King was very professional and was able to save me a great deal of money on my tax return. I had a more complicated tax return being a 1099 the previous year and he had more than enough experience handling it. I just moved into Massachusetts this year and there were a lot of questions I had that only an experienced CPA would be able to answer. I was more than satisfied with Mr. King. I found his price more than reasonable after I consulted other CPA firms and H&R Block. I would definitely recommend him to anyone. read more

I probably should have posted yeeeeeeears ago.. but I have went to Chuck for over 10 years.. always recommended people to go to him. Wish I still lived in Boston.. if anyone needs someone to do their taxes.. Chuck is the very man for the job.... he is so awesome and amazing... thank you Chuck!!!!!!! read more

Charles met with me for free and took a quick look over my 2012 tax information and gave me some quick tips for next year. I'll certainly use him to actually do my 2013 taxes. read more

Highly recommend Mr. King. I had somewhat complex situation involving 5+ states and I was quite concerned that I will have to invest significant time with a CPA. I found Mr. King really up-to speed even in case of multi-state filing. We spend at most an hour together end to end (information sharing to reviewing all the filings) and we are done. Super work from a superb professional. In addition, I found his charges very genuine. read more

Excellent, fast, friendly, professional and affordable tax preparation. I'm 100% satisfied. Ordinarily, I'd do my own taxes, but I have investment income, W-2 income, and estimated taxes due to a fellowship award, so my tax forms get hectic. I initially called Mr. King after finding his business listed on the IRS's online list of authorized-for-e-file services near me. He invited me to drop by his office with my paperwork that same afternoon, fitting me in between some pre-existing appointments. We met for about half an hour. He wasn't bothered by the complexity of my return (all these different income sources) and didn't charge extra for it (unlike H&R block did a few years ago). He called me later that day to tell me that he got my taxes done and if I came in to sign some papers, he'd file my state and federal returns electronically. He also gave me hard numbers for what my 2009 estimated tax payments should be to avoid a penalty (another thing H&R charges extra for), and even payment slips and pre-addressed envelopes.. And hey, proof is in the pudding: later that day I got an email from the IRS titled "2008 Electronic Return Accepted by the IRS." Charles P. King is a guy who owns and runs his own business. He is calm, polite, professional, made me feel like he valued me as a client. He charges very reasonable fees (and even gave me a 'new customer' discount off his ordinary low fee). If your taxes are a bit too complicated to handle on your own, call him for a quote, you won't be disappointed. read more

I called him about a tax question and he was able to answer my question right away. (no charge) He was very nice and listened carefully to my question. I appreciate his help which was so easy to get. read more

I can't say enough good things about Chuck King. I found him on yelp last year when I needed to review my taxes for the previous four years. He went through all the information quickly and for a very reasonable price. With his help, what had seemed overwhelming ended up being completely pain free. He is quick to respond to email and provide information on any question I can come up with. I just filed through him again and will continue to do so in the future. read more

I found Charles King to be straightforward and honest, when answering my tax preparation questions. He didn't know the answer immediately (mine was not the usual situation, but for Boston, not completely unheard of), but he patiently helped me figure out the answer. The solution was simple, so I didn't need his services for tax preparation; despite that, he didn't charge me for the consultation! read more

Charles was a pleasure to work with. I had two returns to deal with and each was a little more complicated than average. Charles handled all of details gracefully and was very thorough. He was always in touch and available, and I actually learned a lot through the process. Finally, his services were very reasonably priced, on par with HRB but with the added confidence of knowing that we were working with an expert. In a world of busy, overpriced professionals, Charles is a breath of fresh air. You won't be disappointed! read more

I am self employed with a couple of small businesses, and had Charles do my taxes last year. He was very friendly and professional, and also very affordable. I also had a minor accounting emergency recently, and he went way beyond what he needed to do to make sure I was taken care of. read more

Chuck has been my accountant for the last 2+ years. During this time he has prepared my tax returns and assisted me with inquiries from state tax offices regarding past returns. My tax situation unique because I work in multiple states throughout the year and he always explains my return in terms I can understand. Chuck is a conscientious and diligent professional who puts his clients first. His level of service far exceeds that of H&R Block style operations . I have feel that his tax preparation services have been outstanding and I would recommend him to anyone looking for a personal accountant. read more

Very professional, knowledgeable, and thorough. I've used accountants before, but this was the easiest and fastest experience I've had. And Chuck and his staff are pleasant to work with! I will be back next year. Thanks, Chuck! read more

Because of so many positive existing reviews on Yelp, I instantly knew Charles would be an expert accountant for my small business (and tax) needs. And that he was! As soon as I contacted his office, he gave me 15 minutes of free advice when he called back. That was above and beyond what I've ever received before but was so appreciated. When it came to taxes, he was fast, thorough and efficient. I look forward to working with him on many more small business needs of mine as he's a trusted CPA who truly cares about advising on what is right, no matter what. read more