My experience working with the firm of Stephen G Brilliant MS CPA was a disappointment and total…read morewaste of $3,400 that I paid to Brilliant. I recently used Brilliant Accounting for audit defense services related to a worker classification audit of my small business by the New Jersey Department of Labor. The NJ Department of Labor is known to come at business owners aggressively, so it's wise to have somebody knowledgeable and experienced in your corner. I believed that Stephen Brilliant was that individual based on his impressive resume and specific experience dealing with the New Jersey Department of Labor. Furthermore, I thought that Stephen's confidence and swagger could serve as valuable traits in debating against a well-staffed government agency with substantial financial resources. I retained the firm's services in February 2018 with an agreed upon fee of $2,000 - $3,000, and of course no assurance of positive results to my case. The initial weeks of the audit ran smoothly with the firm reviewing bank statements and detailed information that I provided about each worker. The firm also spent an afternoon meeting with the auditor. After this meeting, the focus of the auditor turned from reviewing the information that I had provided to contacting individual workers directly to request new information from them. I had no issue with my February invoice for services performed, and paid the invoice promptly. For March, the primary documents that required review by Brilliant Accounting were two one-page Excel sheets that had been requested by the auditor. On April 4th, I received an invoice from Brilliant Accounting for $1,417.50 related to 15.4 hours of billable work performed in March. 15 hours+ of billable hours felt high, so I requested to see an itemized breakdown of the bill and questioned why I had been billed above the upper end of the fee agreement ($3,000), without my prior consent. Growing frustrated and upset, in an email dated April 4th, I requested a call from Stephen himself - not his support staff - to discuss the status of my case and the total projected fees. Unfortunately, I would not hear from Brilliant Accounting until seven weeks later on May 22nd. In the interim, with the audit having specific information requests and deadlines, I began communicating with the auditor directly. Brilliant Accounting should have been aware of this because I mailed them copies of my correspondence with the auditor with a PostIt note written "For Your Records." Most accountants get swamped in March in front of the April tax filing deadline, so my guess is that Stephen and his team were busy taking care of other more important clients. I felt deserted in the most critical stage of the audit. In the meantime, the preliminary judgement from the NJ Department of Labor against my business was large and onerous. On May 30th, Brilliant provided a detailed itemized bill for March that included 9.75 hours of work at $100 per hour by an accountant in his office for "analysis of cash receipts & disbursements for audit." As a former financial analyst for 10+ years in the finance and accounting profession working in a billable hours environment, and having some sense for efficiency, I felt that 9.75 hours for the analysis of two one page Excel sheets was rich. I begrudgingly paid the invoice. Working with Brilliant Accounting, I felt like a dollar sign and easy source of billable hours, not like a valued client with serious tax problems that could be alleviated through prompt, courteous and professional service. The seven week communication gap was particularly hurtful.

The Brilliant team are extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and courteous. They do what it takes to…read moreanswer questions, provide top notch service, and help you make decisions for your benefit, in spite of the many changes in the tax structure and related laws. As a client, you get personal attention and receive professional results. (Mr. Brilliant also teaches accounting in one of NJ's most respected universities.) I recommend them highly. Matt R.