Terrible experience. My state tax return was rejected due to a $20,000 dollar error. After not hearing anything regarding my filed return, I reached out and they told me they knew nothing and couldn't help me. According to the staff, "all they did was input the information I gave them" and were able to verify the date they e-filed it. She then told me, "you can try and get hold of the state. Here's the number, good luck". I was eventually able to get through to the state, and learned of the error made my Sharmayne and her staff. I also learned during this process that they had also filed under the wrong filing status, marking me as single instead of head of household because no one in the office ever bothered to ask me about my custody schedule. (Plus side, due to their screw ups, I was forced to learn a lot about taxes and filing status). So I had to go back to Sharmayne and present her with the evidence of their screw ups, and she did apologize and assisted with completing and filing amended returns for both federal and state.
Federal: after not hearing anything for 2 months and the system having no record of my amended return being received, I reached out to Sharmayne's office. The receptionist looked up my information, says "Sharmayne will call you back". Sharmayne doesn't call me back. I call again the next day, get a hold of Sharmayne and she says, it was rejected because it had been e-filed, but because it involved a change of filing status it needed to be mailed. Two months, and she never informed me that it had been rejected. So I go back in, sign another amended return and she promises to have it mailed out ASAP. 1 month later, the IRS is still unable to verify if it was ever received. I'm still waiting on a refund of the $1600 dollars I overpaid in taxes because of her initial screw up with the filing status.
State: This is where the $20,000 error was that I had to discover and bring to their attention. Sharmayne completed the amended return and along with the amended return suggests I send a payment. So I send a 10,000 tax payment. But that tax payment was attached to my amended return and doesn't get applied to my actual bill due. 3 months later, the amended return is still not processed and the payment is held "in suspense". So even though the state has taken the money from my bank, they won't apply it to my account and the state starts sending me notices of payment due. They threaten to place liens and garnishments and when I call them they say, you should just pay it again and eventually when the amendment gets processed the over-payment can be refunded. That may take up to 8 months they tell me. So I pay another 10,000. (I'm a single mom and I don't actually have this sort of money laying around. I had to refinance my house and pull out an equity loan in order to pay taxes that I have already paid.) Maybe, if I'm lucky I'll get my 10,000 back my January.
At this point, thanks to Sharmayne Sikora, CPA, I am waiting on over $11,000 in overpaid taxes to be refunded to me. I have never in my life paid someone to screw me over as badly as this woman did. read more
