Why 1star? The communication for tax year 2022 was the nail in the coffin. I was called and sent info to the wrong email and phone over and over again...even though we corrected them everytime. They weren't returning any phone calls I had to walk into their office. Another time I needed a notary. Left messages, Noone ever called back. The last tax return was awful as you might imagine. They answered zero questions I posed in my paperwork, instead they just filed my returns without that critical info. I also feel they line charge for many items that should just be part of the service. When called to get help with getting copies of my returns sent to my new tax preparer. They said it's $75 per year. I said this is part of why I left. She hung up on me. GO ELSEWHERE FOR TAX PREPARATION read more

No one looks at your stuff, but one person who doesn't even have her CPA license. The owner is so overworked and can not give enough time for reviewing work done because he has to put his name on all work performed. If your company is small and wants cheap fast work down and dirty, this is your place. The service is just how fast and how quick can we get your stuff out the door, with out considering anything else. But, they will sell you the moon and provide the bare essentials. read more

Extremely unprofessional. I asked Yelp to find tax advisors and they reached out to me saying happy to help. Then a guy asked me to write an email to another guy to schedule a meeting. I did and only received an email saying they don't accept new clients. read more

I have not been a current client of theirs since early this year, but the problems persist. Aug 12th Coast wrote two checks out of my account totaling $840. I was told my account information was accidentally tied to another business so when they ran their fee and payroll it came out of my account. I was reassured by Gloria they would rectify it immediately and I went on my way. After two months of back and forth via email, checks that were lost in the mail (?), I still did not have resolution. It took me threatening to file a CBA complaint to get them to finally get the direct deposit information together to refund me... except they did not refund the full amount. It's October 21st as I write this and while they have indeed refunded most of the $840 owed ($800 to be exact), they still have not fully resolved the issue. If this is the type of attention to detail you like from your accounting firm go on ahead. In the meantime I have filed an official complaint and hope to get my remaining $40 back. read more

I've been with Coast Financial for about 4 years now.. initially going to them after missing a couple of years of filing returns.. Had some traumatic experiences with the IRS a few years earlier, and was in tax denial for a few years after. Bob and team were extremely patient with me and my neglectful ways.. They were able to get me caught up, and back on the straight and narrow. They are great at sending reminders, coaching and prodding to get everything together and files/forms uploaded. Oh, and they are also great at maximizing return potential.. I have worked with a number or their staff and simply only have good things to say about them. I highly recommend this group for personal tax filing. read more

I've done my own taxes for years, this tax year I was showing that we owed a large amount so we decided to find a service to do our taxes. After reading the yelp reviews we decided to go with Coast financial- WHAT A MISTAKE! It took them months to do our simple taxes and we ended up owing even more money. They didn't offer any advice on how to lower our tax bill no better than using TurboTax or H&R Block software. Poor communication, emails not respond to, calls not retuned , had to beg them to finish my taxes. Only after I sent a scathing email did they respond and say ohh they are done. Here's the kicker we get a letter saying that our data was not secure and our information was leaked through their faulty servers. So now we have to sign up for credit monitoring. Which I believe by law they have to provide for myself and my husband- but what about my children's Social Security numbers that were on those taxes? Those were leaked as well as all my banking and data information. This company is horrible and a joke. PLEASE DO NOT USE THEM AND MAKE THE MISTAKE WE DID. I would have given them two stars if they followed through with the paperwork they promised to give us. Which they did but they were so many clerical errors on it that I couldn't submit it and when I asked for another copy without the errors never heard from him again. Until I got the letter below. read more

Coast Financial Services - Accountants Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

5 stars all the way! They have been with me for over 10 years! Heather is the one who helps me with everything!!! Any questions or concerns I have, she is on it! She's super intelligent and gets the work done. Gloria and Monica is in charge of payroll and it's easy to communicate with them with any sort of matters. The whole team has my best interest in me and my business :) thank youuuu! read more

Coast Financial Services has been doing our taxes for years and years. Initially, when we bought our business, I tried to do our taxes myself. I created a bit of a mess. They really straightened us out. In addition, they take care of our payroll and keep us on top of our obligations. Gloria, in the office, is always so kind and thorough and reminds me when things need to be turned in. I cannot tell you how happy we are with our relationship. I highly recommend this team. read more

Bob earns the five stars for being knowledgeable- his wife/office manager on the other hand lost him the other 4. I started with these guys in January as a new business. Bob has been great and knowledgeable, when I am able to deal with him and not through anyone else. His wife/office manager has not only been misinformed and has conveniently "forgotten" conversations I have had with her, but she has straight up lied to me several times, and accused me of several business no no's. Several red flags were raised during my time with them, which led me to shop around for another firm. I notified them via email that I was shopping around and would like to meet with them to discuss our options with them and other firms, and the wife's response was that if I am shopping around, then I am already lost and they do not waste their time. On top of that, they screwed up their billing somehow and never charged me for services, then three months later would dump three months worth of bills on me sporadically on separate days. Do you know how devastating to a small business this is, and it is coming from the people who are supposed to financially advise you, and manage your books?! This all made me uneasy, with the funky billing which also had issues with dates and what was being paid. (Very muddy paper trail on their end) I told the wife that this all made me uneasy, but I was willing to look past it and end this on a good note, if they could give me a partial refund for the last bill as I was going to take that money and pay my new firm to look over my books to make sure they didn't screw up. In our in person meeting, the wife says that they could do AT LEAST a 50% discount, which I agreed to and thought everything was over. Boy was I wrong! The next day I get an email from her stating that they will not be able to refund me any money, and that it took them three times the normal length of time to complete my books this month! If you are curious to know how hard my books are, June was my highest volume month in terms of accounting, and I had 11 transactions in total across ALL of my accounts. That is nothing for a full professional accounting staff. Also she mentioned that I ended the relationship poorly because I did not notify them that I was changing firms! What? I sent you a damn email and YOU REJECTED ME! There is plenty more I can say but it would take more time than I am willing to rant on about this. Water under the bridge and I am ready to progress as a person and as a business. Save your time, energy, and a headache. Avoid these guys and move to something like bench where they treat customers like friends and have a great team and technology to support a business in any stage. (you can guess where I'm going) ;) read more

Bob, Gloria, Taylor, and the rest of the team at Coast Financial are as good as it gets for business and personal financial services on the Central Coast. Bob comes with decades of real world experience and really does an amazingly thorough job. Bob guided my family and I through a complex business purchase, a brutal state audit, incorporation, a home purchase, and retirement planning in the past several years and we have been so happy to have his advice and help. His expertise has helped us avoid numerous pitfalls and stumbling blocks we would have paid dearly for using a lesser accountant or bookkeeper (trust me - I have learned this the hard way). I was referred to Bob by an insurance broker that I trust. I have to admit, I was dubious about taking on all the services of Bob's firm at first. I felt I had "gotten by" (I would say I'm frugal, my wife calls it cheap!) with my own accounting degree and "a la carte" services of other CPAs in the past, but our business was growing and our financial position was becoming more and more complex. I bit the bullet and went all in with Coast Financial two years ago and we haven't looked back since. Bob and his team have saved me tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours of headaches, and we are forever grateful. We are always treated like family when we come by. Bob and the rest of his team really shine in terms of responsiveness and Bob is very generous with his time and advice, always taking the time to sit down and chat about changes in our business or tax law. I highly recommend Coast Financial services. In my opinion they are well worth their fees, and in my situation they have earned those fees back for me dozens of times over. read more

Another year, and another tax return done. I could tell you I stressed over my tax return for months. Or how I stayed up late nights figuring out my deductions and reading tax code. Maybe even how lived in fear of an IRS audit... but none of that would be true. Truth is that I emailed all my documents to Bob's team mid February and never gave it another thought. For the 5th year I have used Coast Financial Services for my tax return and I've always been pleased. More and more of my friends are realizing they don't have the time to become experts in tax code through some cheap software and they don't want to take the risks of an audit. I've recommended them to Bob and they've always been as happy with his services as I am. Do yourself a favor, skip the Turbo Books or what ever software you were planning on using and have a professional do your taxes. read more

I recommend Coast Financial Services- Bob and Gloria's team is amazing. They are very knowledgeable and quick to answer ALL your questions. I have not met a better CPA and Bookkeeping company in Santa Cruz County. If you are looking for a CPA, this is a company you want to consider ;) Si ocupan servicios en enpañol Gloria les puede asistir :) read more

Coast financial services has been handling my payroll for years. They do an excellent job! Gloria goes out of her way to handle any problems that arise. She handles both the state and the IRS whenever a dispute arises. I would recommend coast financial services for anyone's need regarding accounting and payroll services. Give them a try I guarantee you will not be disappointed! John Managing general partner Northeastern management Inc. read more

Coast Financial Services provides CPA services to my business and has been crucial in helping me maximize my business write offs. They have always been professional, pro-active and very responsive when I needed information. I highly recommend their services for taxes, payroll and bookkeeping. I like the fact that Bob the owner was CFO of a company and has first hand experience with how companies do business. read more

I've been working with Bob and his team for over five years now. They have always been very responsive and work in a collaborative manner to make sure that everything is accurate and any and all tax savings are realized. I highly recommend them! read more

I have been served by this business since 1995. I am a business owner and know very little about, taxes, payroll, insurances, and much of what goes into a business to keep it flowing and building. These people from my perspective are gifted in supplying this info. Along with this service and most important is their integrity, which unfolds in many ways, such as good attitude, compassion, and ingenuity. Thank you Coast for all the great years! Bill Trimpi---Owner Santa Cruz Soccer Camp--- read more

They are great as long as you are not calling around tax season and you are already an existing client otherwise they don't really want to waste their time helping you and don't have the ability to take new people unless they can guarantee your future business. read more

Bob Mason and his team have been my CPA and bookkeeping company since I opened my own law practice back in 2002. I find Bob knowledgeable and responsive, as well as easy to get a hold of. Additionally, since I am an attorney, we have some joint clients, and I have only heard positive remarks from them in regard to Bob's services and tax savings. I would strongly recommend Coast Financial Services for your tax, accounting and bookkeeping needs! read more

I'am a client of CFS for multiple businesses over almost a decade. I don't think there is a firm in Santa Cruz County that can compete with them. Their level of professionalism and problem solving, along with the vantage of a "family run" business where you actually can talk in person with the owners is a rare and successful mix. I use CSF services for payrolls, accounting, taxes and business consulting. We always succeeded in reaching our goals and their support in navigate thru the process is beyond satisfying. They also charge a very fair price for their service. I highly appreciated their commitment in the last weeks and their help in keep my business solid advising me about all the financial opportunities due to the recent pandemic and guide me to succeed, again. On a personal level Bob & Gloria are exquisite people, but "friendship" a side, business is business and I definitely recommend CFS to whom is animino to the best on the local market. read more

My husband and I are in our early thirties and began working with Bob from Coast Financial a few years ago when we were attempting to buy our first home. Over the past few years we have been so happy with the service we have received. He has helped us navigate our taxes and financial planning through job changes, home purchasing and, currently planning for our first child. The entire team is very prompt and responsive via email and phone and they always seem to remember the details of our finances. They have worked with us on creative and efficient pricing so that we could continue to receive services when money has been tight and there is always someone I can reach out to when I have a question. They have been honest, hard working and straightforward. We are very happy to have established our relationship with them a little before we really needed it as they helped us stay on top of our finances through some major life transitions. Highly recommend! read more

My business partner and I have been using CFS since March 2013. Our previous CPA & book keeper did a very poor job of setting up our books and they were overcharging us. Bob and his team worked patiently with us to get our books square and to ensure that our newly formed company was on solid footing. All of Bob's employees have been courteous, thorough, professional and prompt. Bob has a wealth of knowledge and is quite easy to speak with. I highly recommend CFS. read more

Bob Mason is great, you are with the right people here.

As a realtor, I often refer clients to Bob Mason at Coast Financial for advice on the tax implications of their real estate transactions. He is very knowledgeable, always up on the latest laws and willing to go the extra mile. He has done my taxes for many years and has always provided a high level of service and accuracy. Bob and his entire staff are top notch. read more

I concur with Anthony B review - in fact, it is almost disturbing how similar our experiences have been. While Bob, and his team of accountants were great to work with, his office manager wife, Gloria, is an absolute mess. As a small business owner myself, I do not typically engage in writing a (poor) review for other businesses, as I operate under the premise that we all have bad days, and that any business owner worth their salt will do their best to fix a bad situation, and not garner a poor review. During my several years working with Bob, his team did both my corporate and personal taxes for the state and the federal, as well as ran my payroll service for my design company. Gloria managed the payroll service, which had several issues: multiple times payroll checks were wrong, we had an issue with misfiled payroll taxes, re-doing tax forms as bonuses were not stated correctly, and the list goes on. The biggest problem with all of this is that Gloria had attitude about this, was extremely rude in emails and on the phone, and like Anthony B, charged me for her mistakes! CFS and I mutually agreed to part ways end of last year. This week I emailed Bob and his team asking for access to the pdf versions of my tax returns for 2013 and 2014. I purposefully did not have Gloria on my initial email, as she is caustic and unprofessional, and I did not want to deal with the drama - but she replied to my inquiry....with the same rude, unprofessional, and personally insulting attitude she served me with while we were clients. Needless to say, many emails went back and forth, where she answered with the same tone and flat out denied me access to Bob, or other team members. I called, the receptionist answered, I asked for Bob, but Gloria picked the line up and she yelled at me, called me names, and hung up. I called back, hoping again to get the receptionist and simply leave a VM for Bob, but Gloria again picked up, and immediately started talking over me, and told me that now that I wasn't a client she didn't have to hold back and once again showered me with rude and insulting remarks. I write this review today, as Bob seems to not care, as I emailed him last night, not including Gloria, but received another crazy response from her via email again, and then another separate email stating I owe back fees and she wants to send them to collections (recall these are fees we agreed not to pay due to her many costly mistakes). I believe it is the duty of the owner, whom I engaged services from, to act with simple professional courtesy and return my call, or answer my email. I'm happy to update my review should I hear back - it's quite sad to me that Bob allows this lack of professionalism to poison the good work he does. read more