Leaving two stars (instead of one) because early on they did a good job. I was a client of Kevin's for over 10 years and was generally happy. Then something changed, no longer the same level of service. I needed some copies of prior year filings. Reached to the Kevin for copies. No response. Reached out to his assistant (Michael), no response. I called and left messages, emailed multiple times and never once heard back. Never received the documents I was requesting. I was pretty shocked considering the history we had. Hock left me high and dry in a time when I needed them the most. Certainly do not recommend at this time. read more

Used to be awesome. Responsive, great to work with, bringing suggestions and prompt planning. Something has changed in the firm. Everyone seems overwhelmed, unresponsive, and dropped serious balls - like not filing taxes on time even after everything is completed. Cannot recommend anymore. read more

After using their services for a number of years, I felt I had to change firms. Their fees for services rendered just kept increasing to what I felt was an absurd amount for what was required to do our taxes. I have since changed to another accountant who is doing the same work for considerably less and has better software for input. Fees here have become inexplicable and I can no longer recommend them. read more

Was often pretty late in returning emails and made some mistakes on my return. After several years I finally left after they didn't return an important email for 2 weeks. I was a pretty low maintenance client (simple tax returns, maybe only 1 off-season email question per year). My guess is that they just have too many clients and have sacrificed quality for quantity. read more

I have been working with Hock Company for a number of years and am extremely happy. Greg Hock has helped me navigate through my own business as well as some recent family estate things that were emotional and complicated and I was in excellent hands. Very responsive, very professional, very proactive & knowledgeable about ever changing tax laws. I would highly recommend them to anyone. read more

Unreliable and overpriced. An additional star because they have an online system, and their assistant was quite responsive when it came to collecting money and the actual filing. 1) Poor quality of work. Hock company told me my taxes due were many thousands of dollars more than I expected which was a very large difference relative to what I expected. When I asked them about what was wrong and why it was so high, they said oh yes we forgot to check a box in our system we will uncheck that now. So they sent a tax return with a glaring error without noticing the error. 2) Poor communication. In particular with Kevin I found it hard to follow both his reasoning and his recommendations and needed to ask for clarification. He also appeared to lose track of emails. The result of this was that one portion of my return did not have correct instructions. He also did not follow-up when he said he would, and I needed to ping him multiple times to get a response to resolve this issue. 3) Price is way too high (especially given quality of work). The range of hourly rate was around $250-$500. In suggesting to me they take on a complex analysis, they appeared very kind and to be going over the top to help. They then hit me with a bill that was at the top of the hourly rate without giving any warning of how long it would take to do that work nor that the billing would be at the top end. If you have lots of money and time and want to donate it to Hock company rather than to a good cause, I recommend working with them. read more

If I had zero stars, I would give this company zero stars. They filed my returns for a few years and were reasonable. Later, they filed an extension, promised me that they will file a return, and never filed a tax return. I exchanged likely 50+ emails with the partner in the firm (Bratcher) and he would never reply. Once in a while, when I mentioned that I would take my business elsewhere, he would reply and say that he would absolutely finish it "this Friday". Well, "this friday" never came. I was left with a VERY LARGE late filing penalty and interest on top of it. It was the worst since he had underestimated my tax liability the previous year and never advised me during the extension. Customer service at its worst can be found at this firm. You will lose so much money because of this firm that you will find yourself wishing you never ever went with this firm. Save your money. Go elsewhere. read more

While looking for another CPA to replace Leyla Hanson I called Hock Company and talked to Krista who informed me their personal accounts START at $700 per client. I instantly got the impression this was a firm for established companies and high rollers. I took a deep breath and hesitated from inquiring if a free gym membership, and valet parking was included for the cost of that fee. Greg Hock personally called me back the next day, but thanks to Yelp I had already secured the services of another CPA firm that quoted me almost ¼ the cost of being an individual client. So if money is no object, I am sure Greg and his company will take very good care of you. read more

For simple taxes, their pricing is a rip-off. For more complex taxes, they may not have enough expertise or cleverness to be useful. I had somewhat non-trivial individual taxes (in AMT with W2, stock options exercises, capital gain): they did not understand how AMT credit carry-over works for some reasons and basically tried to wipe it out on my returns (accumulated from multiple years of stock options exercising, very costly mistake in hundred thousand dollar range). It's like they don't understand what deferred income is.. Even after pointing it out to them, they were in denial: either out of gross negligence or they just did not want to admit their mistake. I do not know which is worse. They also had a number of smaller mistakes, oversights on my taxes. They proved unable to understand how to improve my filing. They could suggest some irrelevancies but miss the points that actually apply (like trivial savings, eg DMV registration when it is not even relevant to a person in AMT) Once you make the payment, they wouldn't refund anything. I tried to bail very early on, before they actually started working on it (I got a feeling they are not good enough for my case from the first interactions), asking to take some reasonable inconvenience fee and give me a partial refund, releasing me from their service but they locked me in: gave me full amount invoice even though nothing was yet done at that point (finished later). Just greedy, risky (needs double checking), marginal value service imo. read more

Pros: (+) Comprehensive, solid tax services, including tax planning (+) Proactive prepayment plan (helpful if you do a lot of investing) - leads to no surprises in huge tax payments at the end of the year (+) Kevin is professional, friendly and approachable - asked him a bunch of one off questions via email and he's always been quick to respond, even if they're probably dumb questions (+) Fixed rate returns, not pushy and honest (+) Handles complicated tax returns (stock vests, multiple investment accounts, multiple states) easily, with just sending him PDF's of statements (+) Net saved me money (wat!!) - see details below Cons: (-) Can get busy during (duh) busy season, but have never had an issue with returns not being filed on time (-) There's only one Kevin, I hope he can scale.. The scoop: I've been working with Kevin Bratcher of Hock Company since the Facebook IPO in 2012 (4 years), after being referred to him by other Facebookers and strong yelp reviews. Let me preface by saying I've done my taxes for years on turbotax by myself (including with a small business return) so I was reluctant to go to anyone for tax services but as you'll see, it was absolutely worth it financially and for my peace of mind to go to Kevin of Hock Company. I did a fair amount of homework before deciding on these guys, and the appeal of a fixed (not hourly) and reasonable rate for a reputable firm was definitely appealing - so went down for a meeting with all my documents prepared. Enter Kevin. Generally his style is not pushy (probably bc he's not hourly, similar feeling to going to a retail store with great customer service that doesn't rely on commission) but informative. He explained the process, showed me the questionaire i'd have to fill out (I've since had to use deloitte's tax prep services which are a HUGE pain compared to hock's - manually importing a bunch of data for 1099's, donations, etc) and took a look at the documents I had. Now YMMV, but he was able to make a few simple recommendations (sell X bc cap gains tax rate in california increases next year, to reset gains) which basically saved me ~$15k off the bat, which I (though I try to stay on top of these things) wouldn't have seen. It was just a sidenote in the conversation, but in my mind it developed a lot of trust with Kevin and made me a loyal client... and the extra money (which I just earmark to pay for my returns every year) doesn't hurt either. read more

The service is professional and explanations are good. The document upload service is easier to use than other CPA's. I like how this firm doesn't constantly nag you to use all of their services like the other firms. But definitely do get your docs to the the the tax preparers on time though. You can be fined by the tax collectors a lot if your taxes are not submitted on time. read more

As an entrepreneur, it is vital to have faith and trust in those responsible for your operational accounting and tax planning/preparation. After all, these items are one of the most fundamental lifelines of any business. Having Hock Company on our side gave us the confidence to move forward and execute our business growth plan with few (if any) surprises...those of you who are entrepreneurs will relate to just how relieving it is to have one less major surprise in your business life! And, of course, their expertise spans across both personal and professional, which made managing my own personal financials that much more unified and easy. You certainly get what you pay for (and more) with Hock. I have been tremendously satisfied with both their personal and professional accounting competencies and would highly recommend them to anyone who is considering hiring an accountant/CPA. read more

Although I no longer practice, I am also a CPA with tenures at Deloitte, Cupertino Electric, and eBay, Inc. I also worked at a very high-end boutique tax firm in Los Altos that catered to high net-worth individuals with complex tax pictures. Kevin Bratcher of Hock Company has impressed me with not only his subject matter expertise, but also his pleasant demeanor and professionalism. As a real estate broker, I'm often asked by my clients for recommendations to service providers of all types, CPAs included. I now refer only to Kevin Bratcher, as he's demonstrated to me that I can safely do so without risking my reputation. His clientelle range from folks needing a simple 1040-EZ to a handful of billionaire clients. On account of his mastery over taxation of stock based compensation (ISOs, ESPP, Nonqualified stock options, restricted stock units, etc.), I know he's made substantial inroads with Facebook employees, many of whom have come into money quickly and need help not only with tax compliance, but--more importantly--thoughtful tax planning that in some cases is saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes. +1 for Hock Company and Kevin Bratcher, CPA. Reach out with confidence. ~Terel read more

I have LOVED my experience at the Hock Company, specifically with Kevin Bratcher. This year I decided was "the year" to finally work with a CPA to help with my taxes. I had been through an IPO and was lost and confused from a tax perspective. In addition, my husband and I both own small businesses which have their own share of complexities to manage. From my very first meeting, Kevin put me at ease. He's down to earth and approachable, but very knowledgeable and straight forward. Simply put, Kevin is just really good at what he does. He always makes himself available to answer even my dumbest questions, and goes the extra mile to help me learn. I feel empowered working with Kevin and I feel so fortunate to have found him. In these weeks leading up to the tax deadline, I seriously felt like Kevin's only client. I know he has many more clients -- and I'm sure many of them have more complex tax situations or offer a better long term sales potential, but I've never felt like any less of a priority. As cheesy as it is, it's really a pleasure doing business with him. Kevin's service is exceptional and I found Hock Company's rates to be very reasonable. I've referred colleagues and friends to Kevin, and without hesitation urge you to explore working with him too! read more

I am a small business owner and met Kevin Bratcher a couple of years back. At that time I had tried using H&R block, doing my taxes myself, and using a tax preparer who worked out of her home- all of which gave me a huge headache. From the first meeting with Kevin he slowly started to remove the headache. He not only asked questions about my business but also about me in general so he could better help me. We talked about my anxiety around tax preparation, inability to get or stay organized, and my fear of my business finances in general. I was so happy to hear that Kevin offers free tax preparation help and help in general throughout the year at no extra cost. He has been helping me through phone calls, emails and meeting in person to help me with things like setting up quicken, getting disciplined around tracking my mileage and business expenses, paying my estimated quarterly taxes etc. I am so thankful for his help in running my business more efficiently with less stress. Once I find something that works I stick with it. I'm glad to know I have found my CPA for life! I would (and often do) recommend Kevin to friends, family, and anyone in need of a great CPA! Not only does he have integrity, experience, and is hard working but I am happy to say I now consider Kevin and his family good friends. read more

I've worked with Kevin for a little over a year now and he's really a great tax advisor. My husband and I are complicated - I'm Canadian, he's British, we lived in the US, he'd just sold a company... Kevin made it all as painless for us as possible. He's really communicative and explains things in a way that laypeople can understand. He also gives direct feedback, which is something I definitely appreciated in regards to my taxes. I would recommend him to anyone looking for good advice and high quality tax preparation. read more

Hock has taken care of all my business accounting for several years now and their team has continuously impressed me with their knowledge of not only tax laws but alsos the ins and out of my own company. Kevin and his professionals have a true dedication to Hock and their customers -this is apparent with their quick responses to my emails and phone calls. Kevin is the accountant in your corner from before sun up til late into the night- and this is apparent when I wake up to see my 8:15pm email was replied to at 10:30pm. Thanks for all your hard work Hock. read more

As a practicing attorney and real estate broker many of my clients have unique and challenging tax issues. Without hesitation I refer many of clients to Greg Hock and Kevin Bratcher of Hock Company. My clients face tax issues ranging from the estate tax, gift tax, general income tax, capital gains tax, rental income, 1031 exchanges, cancellation of debt income and so on. While I am able to advise on the legal and real estate nature of their issues, I am more than happy to refer out to Greg and Kevin for the tax issues. More recently, a client of mine was facing a nasty audit from the FTB. I sent him over to Greg and Kevin and they are in the process of resolving the audit and setting up a nice settlement for him. I will continue to refer clients who need professional and qualified tax advice to Hock Company. - Reza Khan, Esq. read more

It has been a pleasure to work with Kevin Bratcher and his team at Hock. My complex filing took over a year to assemble and submit, but Kevin and his team anticipated the timeline and ensured that an extension was filed in advance. Throughout the process, they were generally prompt with communication and hyper organized--their expertise and meticulousness as accountants show. I appreciated that they streamlined their document needs and questions rather than sending ad-hoc requests, and they were able to work directly with my attorney for information requests instead of requiring me to be the messenger. Kevin's professional and personable manner helped me feel I was in excellent hands for an otherwise stressful task. A perfect model for a well-run small business that I am happy to support. read more

I needed help on a tax notice review, and had one phone call with Kevin where he explained what needed to happen next. Yet when I received the invoice, I was unpleasantly surprised to find that I'd been charged for an extra phone call that never happened. Despite having the call log to prove that we only had one phone call, Kevin didn't budge on the extra charge. I paid it off to avoid further contention, but check and double check your invoices! read more

Worked with Hock Company years ago (I only recently signed up for Yelp). Needless to say, this team exceeded my expectations. Also, they are especially helpful if you have more complex tax requirements (like me, where I am an owner of a closely held corporation). So, thanks and really appreciate all of the assistance!! read more

The team at Hock is not for everyone. If your taxes are easy, then you really should just use Turbotax and save your money. If your taxes are complicated, then Hock is a fantastic choice. I am an entrepreneur with complicated equity investments and capital gains. Hock knew all the special situations, like QSBS, incentive stock plans, stock options, reverse stock splits, and many other unique situations. Much more expensive than Turbotax, but certainly worth it if your situation is complicated. read more

We tried Turbo Tax. We tried H&R Block. We tried our relatives' CPA. Bottom line: no one compares to Kevin Bratcher. It's not even close. A coworker recommended having an informational meeting with Kevin, nothing more than a conversation about our family's tax situation. At the time, my wife worked at a start-up with an upcoming IPO and had a small business, and I was a student. He answered all of our questions, explained how taxes would affect our financial situation, and offered to have a few more meetings before the tax deadline. Keep in mind that we hadn't yet paid Kevin a dime. He was doing all this to help, to make us feel comfortable. He succeeded. Since then, Kevin has answered every single one of my calls and emails. He's walked us through our first home purchase and sale of stock. He's there for us when we need him. So, a big recommendation for Kevin. I know he'll help you just like he helped me. read more

I approached Kevin Bratcher of Hock Company based on several coworker's recommendations, and I was really impressed with the entire experience. We met in person several times to sort everything out, and Kevin patiently walked me through the finer points of estimated tax, IRA rollovers, etc. Once I had all my tax documents in order, it was only a few days before I received all the completed paperwork from Kevin - it was definitely a load off my mind to finish more than a month ahead of the deadline. Throughout the whole process, Kevin was unfailingly prompt in responding to random questions, even on the weekend. I also appreciated that the initial estimate was spot on, and generating estimated taxes were no additional cost. Great experience overall, I can rest easy for the year knowing that my taxes are in very capable hands. read more

Kevin Bratcher is the man; as an owner of a S-Corp Construction company I went through 2 other CPA before him and having finally found someone who I can trust and fully rely on for all my tax planning and preparation needs. From his knowledge of the tax system to his promptness, I wouldn't recommended anyone else. read more

This past tax season was my first tax season in the state of California, and I had a pretty complex (to me) set of circumstances to work out - 2 full-time positions in 2 different states, 1 contract position, 1 personal business. I didn't have a big network in SF at the time, so I was a bit stressed about the idea of taxes. Kevin immediately won my trust when I met him the first time, with his thoughtful and informative approach to his work. I was confident that leaving my taxes in his hands was the right thing for me to do. I happily recommend him and Hock Company to anyone considering it. read more

I feel extremely confident referring friends and family to Kevin Bratcher. He is competent, timely and a genuinely good person. He is able to answer all of my questions, always going above and beyond to make sure that I felt taken care of. Kevin is one of those people who always does what he says he's going to do for you, something that I value very much in people but especially those that I do business with. Highly recommended. read more

I decided to meet with Kevin and team based on the strong reviews here and couldn't be happier. I have worked with Kevin for a year and a half now on two separate tax returns. He was very adept in some of the nuances of my returns and has a great command of both personal and business tax issues. Definitely appreciate his incredibly quick responses via email (and on weekends!) and use of an online portal for uploads and saving tax information. As a person that hates paper, this is such a welcome relief. Look forward to continuing our working relationship! read more

Integrity; honesty; insight; commitment; trust; expertise; compassion. I'd be hard-pressed to use just one - let alone all - of these characteristics to describe an accounting firm. However, I'm delighted to use every possible accolade when speaking about Hock Company and Kevin Bratcher. During my three-plus decades as a senior-level executive, followed by another decade in B-to-C sales, I had rather complex tax issues handled by several accounting firms. While their performance generally was perfunctory, it wasn't until a friend recommended Hock Company that I truly felt comfortable interfacing with my tax consultant. Over the past seven years, my wife and I have found it truly a pleasure to work directly with Kevin Bratcher. No matter how ephemeral our questions, nor perplexing the challenges, Kevin deftly handled and fully resolved each one. His keen appreciation for clients' unique circumstances is evidenced by his calm demeanor and, ultimately, his ability to find appropriate solutions. After retiring over two years ago and moving to Hawaii, we continued to use Hock Company and avail ourselves to Kevin's expertise. Whatever your relationship with another CPA firm may be, I unhesitatingly suggest you meet with Kevin and his associates at Hock Company. read more

Just a wonderful experience working with Kevin and the Hock company in general. He worked with me through some complicated, last-minute (because of my procrastination) scenarios. I am happy to pay their fee - the peace of mind they bring me and their professionalism more than make their cost worthwhile. Unless you have super simple TurboTax-style taxes, I don't see the point in trying to save a few hundred dollars with lesser accountant. I really can't recommend these folks enough. read more

Failed to meet a deadline. I have requested Kevin to prepare a tax plan to exercise my stock options several weeks before a trading window would close Friday after Thanksgiving at 10 am Pacific time. I emphasized that I need the information before the window closes, and I would rather have approximate advice than late one. Kevin kept asking me for the latest documents that I did not have, and failed to provide any advice until I emailed him on Thanksgiving day. To his credit, he got back to me within a few hours, but that left me too little time to act on the advice. I received no apology from the company. read more

Kevin Bratcher is an extremely professional and distinguished CPA who is wonderful to work with. I came to Kevin with a unique and special circumstance, and he didn't hesitate to help, even with a very tight deadline. Kevin not only took on this difficult task, but did so with poise and a high level of professionalism. Kevin is a pleasure to work with, and I will happily recommend his services to anyone looking for the best! read more

I didn't actually hire this company (though fairly priced, they're more than I can afford), but I spoke with the owner, Greg Hock, on the phone, and he was incredibly helpful. Knowing I wasn't going to hire them, he went out of his way to answer a couple of tax questions that I had, and really set my mind at ease. He was very professional and personable, as well as generous with his time and expertise. When I am in a position to hire an accountant, it will definitely be Hock Company! read more

I made the switch to Kevin Bratcher five years ago and have not looked back. He as done an excellent job of making sure we take advantage of every tax strategy to save dollars. He's also done a great job explaining the logic behind our strategy so we feel confident in our submission to the IRS. I've recommend Kevin to several friends and clients with complex income situations, and they have all had a great experience as well. Highly recommend Kevin! read more

Given that I have a masters in Fianance and Accounting, I usually take care of my taxes myself but given the complexity of my 2011 year, I decided to go to the Hock Company for help. Kevin Bratcher was my CPA and I cannot express how well the experience turned out to be. Kevin was able to handle a tax return that involved income from two different companies in three different states, a complex investment portfolio, real estate interests, and private partnership interests, in an impecabble fashion. I received clear instructions on what to provide, the turnaround was very fast, and I received a return directly into my bank account within weeks. The fees, which was an important part of my consideration, were reasonable and I know that a great deal of time spent educating me was not fully billed which was a great sign that Kevin is interested in a long term relationship. I am going to refer him to all my family members going forward. Thanks for the help and look forward to 2012. read more

This place is a real piece of work! I pity the fool who spends their hard earned money just to be taxed yet again by these guys....Long story short, I walked in there the other day just to ask them a question about my simple W-2 and education tax credit, and some big guy had to be roused out of his office to help me, not a big deal right. He did not seem to be interested in sitting down with me to answer any specific question, and he basically told me what I already knew. Here's the kicker! I then asked him how much he would charge to file my W-2, he told me $400!!!!!!!!! LOL....what a pile of heaping horse dung. I am a lower income earner, with the simplest W-2 man has ever seen! This place is no neighborhood friend, and they only seem to cater to upper income investors who have large assets and tax liability who can afford these outrageous rates. This is my first time writing a review about anything! I only joined yelp to warn the average person to not waste their time with this company. Here is the funniest part of all this....I did my taxes last night for FREE on HR block home online! and yes they figured out my education credit, along with the largest refund I have ever revived! Thanks Hock Company for prompting me to do my taxes on my own..... read more