I've been a client of Bess' for the last five years. She handles our personal taxes as well as the taxes for mine and my husband's business. Bess runs an incredibly efficient practice. She's so easy to talk to, explains things thoroughly so we understand them and she has always, always returned my calls or emails within 24 hours, most often within the hour. I cannot recommend her enough! read more

Most businesses, when getting a negative review, attempt to remedy the situation. Note that Bess Kane just criticizes and insults the reviewer. That's the kind of "professional" she is. Like others here, I received an unexpected invoice when I hadn't even hired her yet. When I called to ask about whether she would be a good fit for me, she asked for my past tax return so she could determine if we were a good fit. She then sent me an invoice for $400 for "reviewing my tax return". read more

Bess dropped me two days before my business taxes were due because she didn't understand the way I gave her all of my (very simple personal and LLC) paperwork. I had to scramble to find a new accountant, who miraculously with the same exact paperwork, finished in two hours. This accountant never explained how she wants the paperwork in the first place, so I spent hours guessing until the point when she decided it was best for me to use someone else who understands 'my methods'. Unless you want to give this accountant everything all buttoned up and practically complete for her to send, you may want to consider other options. Don't expect guidance or help, or for her to do any work digitally with Excel. It's all pen and paper then scanned. read more

Ms. Kane, CPA came highly recommended by a respected colleague. I told her about my unique tax situation, and in all of our email correspondence and phone consultation, she was very helpful, clear, and prompt. I came to her with a barrage of questions, and she patiently answered them, listened to my worries, and provided valuable guidance. I can't thank her enough for her knowledge and kindness. If you're looking for a CPA, then look no further! read more

Bad bad bad. Beware. I called this lady to get my taxes situated for my wife who is self-employed and she sent us to a lady named Gloria Lynch to get the situation figured out before taxes were sent to her. Gloria Lynch is with Let it go inc. the lady she sent us to was supposed to do the books and find us all the tax write-offs we could get. The number she ended up giving us was pretty much what we would have paid without having any tax write-offs and then had the nerve to send us an invoice for over $400 after we had fired her before she finished the job. We had to hire somebody else and it was nearly a $20,000 difference. I can't believe that she would refer me to somebody so horrible. The Gloria Lynch lady clearly doesn't know what she is doing. read more

Ms. Kane , perhaps what is more telling about the quality of your services is that your only reviews are those that are not your clients, maybe your accepted clients are not compelled to write positive reviews on your behalf. Sometimes in life you have to learn how to take feedback and effectuate positive change, rather than justify your bad service by sayimg we are clients who were not worthy of your services. It's very childish actually....you can't fire me because I quit! I'm taking my ball and going home. Very similar and Very silly. read more

I have used Ms. Kane for last 3 years. She was exceptionally unprofessional and in my opinion lacked the ethical sensitivity and fortitude for this line of work I was so disappointed by her lack of competency that I had to let her Go. She has cost me over 15000 dollars. Because of she not understanding irs laws and not filing for extension for my corporation after Promising me she did file extensions. Well, she filed for personal taxes but not corporation. The potential client needs to know who they are hiring before releasing all of this sensitive information. And finally, tax season is the same every year and if you decided to pursue this profession, then don't complain if you are inundated with work during the months leading to April 15th. Again, I do not recommend Mr. Kane for your accounting needs. She is the most incompetent cpa I have ever known. BUT THERE'S MORE, as about a year later I got a letter from the IRS wanting to know if I owed her any money, because if so, they were going to put a lien on what I owed her. In other words, she hadn't paid her own taxes and the IRS was going after me and her other clients to collect. When your accountant is getting tax liens, you know something is wrong! I'm kind of surprised she's still in business, actually. And by the way, you'll see, at the bottom of this Yelp page, an opportunity to look at at least 24 "filtered reviews." If you do, you'll see a whole lot of glowing 5-star reviews, all written within a week or so of the previous negative reviews. Yelp let one 5-star review in, then didn't count any of the others in the overall rating. CALIFORNIA BOARD OF ACCOUNTANCY Licensee Name: M BESS KANE License Type: Certified Public Accountant License Number: 33778 License Status: CLEAR Definition Experience Completed: A Definition Expiration Date: August 31, 2016 Issue Date: December 04, 1981 Address: 1542 LOCUST ST City: SAN MATEO State: CA Zip: 94402 County: SAN MATEO read more

In response to Ms. Kane's comment, I did "pull the trigger" and hired Dennis Middleton, CPA (5959 Estates Drive, Oakland, CA 94611) (http://www.dennismiddletoncpa.com/). He actually was more expensive than Ms. Kane's quote, but was exceptionally thorough and professional. You can see his reviews on Yelp (4.5/5 stars among 14 reviewers). Mr. Middleton, along with at least 8 other accountants/tax preparers answered all of my questions (the same questions I sent to Ms. Kane) through my hiring phase. There was even one accountant, Jeffrey Glick, CPA, located in San Francisco, who stated, "Your list of questions are important ones and should be addressed before you hire a tax professional. I applaud you for doing your research and making sure you hire the best professional to assist you." R. David Marzane, another tax preparer in San Francisco, even thanked me for the questions. Based on my tax needs, Mr. Middleton was the most appropriate and was thus retained. But, I would gladly refer Mr. Glick, Mr. Marzane, others that I spoke with and not Ms. Kane. I continue to stand by my review of Ms. Kane. She was exceptionally unprofessional and in my opinion lacked the ethical sensitivity and fortitude for this line of work. She stated that her "business is built on trust, which is a 2-way street." Well, frankly, the client is the most vulnerable in this type of transaction. The client has to relinquish all social security numbers and financial information. The accountant/tax preparer does not have to divulge any of that information to the client. So, there really is no "2-way street". The potential client needs to know who they are hiring before releasing all of this sensitive information. And finally, tax season is the same every year and if you decided to pursue this profession, then don't complain if you are inundated with work during the months leading to April 15th. Just kindly say, "can I refer you to someone else; I simply don't have the time." With using a little bit of kindness and professionalism, that potential client may actually return with another issue outside of the tax season instead of giving a disparaging review. It is quite well known that accountants/tax preparers are in a feast and famine business; the famine occurring after tax season every year. That potential client may be just what is needed with respect to staying in the black during those times of famine. Again, I do not recommend Mr. Kane for your accounting needs. read more

Bess has been helping us with taxes and advising us on business matters for several years, and I have been very satisfied with Bess' services. read more

I have Bess do my federal and state tax returns. We have rental property and stock options, so it's not that straight-forward. Turbo Tax just doesn't cut it. Bess is accurate, and efficient. She will dig to make sure you get all the breaks you are legitimately entitled to, but she won't skirt the law. If you can get it all together by mid-Feb she'll give you a discount! read more

It recently occurred to me that Bess Kane has handled my business and personal taxes for more than 10 years. Bess made what was very stressful for me (taxes) a much less intimidaing process. She is always available to answer my questions and offer her advice and she handles any issues that arise very promptly. I find Bess's extensive knowledge of her field very comforting. It is invaluable to me that, with Bess, I can concentrate on what I do well (lighting control systems) and be assured that Bess will do what she does well (accounting). I refer friends and colleagues to Bess with absolute confidence that she will provide them the same professionalism and intelligence that she has provided me. read more

I have been having Bess complete my taxes for a few years now. I have rental properties along with a lot of other complicated business details. She is on her game! Gets the job done right the first time. I have been very happy with her doing my taxes and will continue to use her services in the future. I find her prices are very fair, her email returns are timely. I just referred her to a friend of mine who paid way too much for taxes from one of those national chain tax preparer. Bess prices and turn around time are great. Bess is also a CPA, she knows her numbers and facts well. Patricia H. Half Moon Bay, CA read more

This year I had M Bess Kane do my taxes. I found her to be very professional and helpful in guiding me through my taxes. With her knowledge and experience she found a number write off's I didn't realize I could take. I recommend her and will go to her next year for my taxes. Thank you M Bess Kane read more

Bess Kane has been my Tax Accountant for 10 years. I hired her when I started my business and decided I needed to stop wasting my time doing my own returns. I have found her to be very prompt in turning around my tax returns. She has supported me and immediately responds to any tax related questions I have during the entire year. One year I was audited by the Federal Government and they claimed I owed several thousand dollars. I just handed the audit letter over to her, she did all the footwork to investigate this, and in the end...the mistake was on their end and I owed them nothing. Can't beat that! She is a critical part of my business. read more

I used Ms. Kane's services several years ago. I was a client for a while, but after a few months I moved on. Problems? 1. I wrote her a letter with some material information that I wanted her to consider and discuss with me when I next came in, but when I did come in, she had not opened my envelope, and to explain, she showed me a pile of unopened mail in the corner of her office--maybe 1000 envelopes were unopened. I wish I had walked out then! 2. Alas, I didn't bail, but when I sent her some information with a few questions about how to structure them for tax purposes, her response was to prepare a complete tax return for my corporation and bill me for it. Why didn't I bail out then? 3. Still hoping, I later sent her a disk with my corporate information on it, with some more questions, and got back a bill for close to $1000, just for "reviewing" it, with no response or advice on the situation. That was the end of that--I finally learned my lesson and never called her again. BUT THERE'S MORE, as about a year later I got a letter from the IRS wanting to know if I owed her any money, because if so, they were going to put a lien on what I owed her. In other words, she hadn't paid her own taxes and the IRS was going after me and her other clients to collect. When your accountant is getting tax liens, you know something is wrong! I'm kind of surprised she's still in business, actually. And by the way, you'll see, at the bottom of this Yelp page, an opportunity to look at at least 24 "filtered reviews." If you do, you'll see a whole lot of glowing 5-star reviews, all written within a week or so of the previous negative reviews. Yelp let one 5-star review in, then didn't count any of the others in the overall rating. Hmmmmm, did Yelp suspect something here? read more

I would not hesitate to recommend Bess Kane to anybody who is considering the services of a tax professional. Over the last several years, I have found her to be consistent and thorough in every way. With her considerable knowledge and hard work, she is an invaluable resource. read more

Bess Kane is wonderful. I had a really unfortunate situation. I was getting audited for TWO years, and after I got all my papers together, and was ready for my previous accountant to represent me, he announced he was retiring. I was abandoned 12 days before the audit and had to find someone quickly. I went to one place, supposedly high end, and they basically tried to scare me into allowing them to rip me off--they wanted to charge $10K. I was almost frazzled enough to do this, when I decided to call Bess, whose name I got off the Internet. It was 11 o'clock at night on a Friday, and I planned to leave a message -- but she picked up! And listened to my story. Based on what I told her, she said she thought I was in good shape. Anyway, she took my case, became an expert in my situation in a matter of just a few days. She cancelled her own appointments for the day of my audit . . . and I came away owing nothing. Nothing at all, for either year. The total charge was $2,600. I'm not sure if that sounds like a lot or a little to you, but check prices. That's more than competitive and for top quality service. I've since used Bess for my annual taxes, and she has also advised me on handling my father in law's estate. She's great, and she's nice, and she has a calming temperament. I would go to her for anything and I recommend her with no reservation. read more