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Tax Ninja
Rating Details »
Category: Accountants
Neighborhood: SOMA360 5th St
(at Jessie St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 216-5064
- Hours:
Tue-Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sponsored Result
Special Offer Nearby
Sterck Kulik O'Neill Accounting Group Inc.
- Category:
- Accountants
- Neighborhood:
- Union Square
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67 reviews for Tax Ninja
Matt rocks. Let me just say that first. I needed help figuring out the number of withholding allowances that would be appropriate for the hubby and I after we close escrow on a condo next month. I had done the math but I really needed a) a sanity check to make sure I didn't jack something up - because I am sure as heck not an accountant and b) a lesson on how to do this on an ongoing basis if I decided I want to do that. Matt was super chilled, took the time to explain everything to me and the hub, AND he gave us some great advise on some ways we can save on our taxes. His prices were super reasonable, he was very patient and efficient, AND I learned some stuff (bonus!).
You need tax advise, Matt is your guy. Look no further!
Oh boy did I have a tax mess! The IRS and FTB were climbing all OVER my a$$! I thought I owed them several grand (...and I'm not saying how many). I walked into Matt's office with a pile of paper work, ready for really bad news.
Guess what. They OWE me. Matt found mad deductions and got me all straightened out. He even sent me to the IRS in person where I could work out in a few hours what would take months by mail. Did you know that they have a walk-in desk downtown?
I will NEVER touch my own taxes again. Why should I? For the few hundred dollars he charged me, he saved me (even made me) thousands.
Yep, it's true. He IS ninja.
On a side note, I've known Matt for years. I always love when my Burner friends are totally brilliant and competent business people. Maybe I need to start a list of burner-owned businesses!
I had a great experience with the Tax Ninja today. He picked up my mess of paperwork and an hour later I left with 2 envelopes to post to the state and the feds with the hope of getting a nice refund.
Pending a successful tax refund this year, I'll be using him again next April and will be recommending him to every man and his dog.
Objectivity Alert. This is my business. So of course I'm giving it 5 stars.
But, honestly I'm still really proud of it. I've been doing personal and small business tax returns since 2004.
I specialize in dealing with people in the arts and technology communities and even if you haven't filed in ages and lost all your records I can still help. I promise I will do my best to help you save the most money on your taxes and provide you with the highest caliber of service possible.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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3/15/2007
Objectivity Alert: I run this business. There are many more reviews for my Oakland location… Read more »
Up to 2001 I had a career, a paycheck, and a regular habit around the 15th of April.
Then I went to Burning Man for the first time. $300 changed my life. I came back with no money, no job, and no place to live. I landed at Headless Point Studios and over the next 5 years proceeded to make beautiful art with some incredible human beings. During that time I had no real income to speak of and didn't think about filing taxes because of it.
Since then I have gotten married, bought a business, and become a respectable (read: tax-paying) member of society. I'm now up to date and feel confident that I am square with Uncle Sam.
This is all thanks to Whatley, my friendly neighborhood tax ninja.
I've lost count, now. 4 years? 5 years? Mr. Watley has always done a superb job getting my tax work prepared for Uncle Sam. Whether I procrastinate and see him April 13; file an extention; or see him in a timely manner, he is thourough, quick and discreet. I don't even think about going anywhere else! Thanx, Matt!
I contacted Tax Ninja for help with an audit issue. Matt called me at home exactly at the specified time for the appointment. I explained the problem I'm having and he told me how to fix it myself without involving him. He gave me the address of the IRS and told me they would be able to fix the problem in short order. I was very impressed that he told me how to resolve my issue without charging me a penny! He will be doing my taxes this coming year! Cheers to Tax Ninja!!!!
I found Matt through Yelp. The reviews were right. He's friendly and knowlegeable, and what I appreciated most was that he was efficient yet personable. First, he did my 2008 taxes and then amended my 2007 when he figured out that I had overpaid my taxes because I had originally mistakenly filled out the wrong form. He worked fast and finished in less time than he had estimated, and his rates are very reasonable for the quality of work. He patiently answered all my questions without making me feel dumb (and seeing how I did my taxes wrong, I'm sure I had dumb questions), and I know I will be going back for 2009!
I'm adding an extra star for the time being. Matt contacted us to apologize for the errors and offered us a partial refund and discount for 2008 if we give a second chance. As I suspected, his success (especially with yelpers) lead him to have a ton of clients, so things may have grown a bit too fast at first. He has mentioned some of the changes he has undergone to make things better, and I appreciated his candor. It is sadly rare to see a business owner respond humbly and thoughfully to a customer's specific complaints and issues and Matt is handling this very professionally.
One of the benefit of the yelp community is the opportunity for the second chance option, so I'm totally up for it. Will let you know how it goes.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/13/2008
I really enjoyed our free consult with Matt. He explained a great deal of things to us and we walked… Read more »
I highly recommend the Tax Ninja for tax prep and consultation. If you're anything like me, you hate dealing with the paperwork of preparing taxes and the like. He's helped me save a bunch of money I would have otherwise overlooked, and has helped me with both my individual and small business taxes.
If you're situation is simple, he can set you up quick and cheap. He can also help if your situation is complicated: if you're behind on filing, scared about how much you don't know you might owe, have questions about the tax code, starting a business, going into bankruptcy, or are in any other situation dealing with The Man. Whatever case I suggest you get in touch with Matthew Whatley, the Tax Ninja. In addition to doing your taxes, he's who you want in your court: an attorney who knows the law and can stand up to the IRS (or whoever) for you. And he's funny and gets down to business with a good attitude.
Don't be like Daschle, you can't get away with it like Geithner. Call up the Tax Ninja and he'll take care of you!
Tax Ninja Services has provided me with a complete and total win on my tax services. As a small business owner with 1 California C-Corp, 2 Wyoming LLCs, and (on the side) a Californai 501(c), Matt was able to handle everything for me (top to bottom, personal and corporate). The previous accounting / advisory firm I was using was absolutely laughable in comparison. He listens to what I'm doing as a business entity, and as a person, not as a moron needing to be pressed into a software form.
Matt cleared up every question I had from the mundane to the more complicated issues in my very specialized field. This has lead to extraordinary leaps in my business strategy. He doesn't just help you "fill out a form once a year," but assists you with a long term overall tax planning strategy.
It looks like there are a few people who are looking to Tax Ninja for a "HR Block" type service. If you're not interested in working with somebody on getting your accounting straight and your business in check, then he might not be your guy. Tax Ninja is a full service shop for people who don't have "typical" taxes. I highly recommend Matt for every entrepreneur, small business and even large business in the Bay Area (I've even moved 300 miles away and still use him). Matt is also THE MAN when it comes to helping you out of a problem you've dug yourself into using those other services :D
Keep up the great work guys! Thanks a lot!
I'm not the kind of post-college working chick who is managing my assets in order to someday fill a condo full of twee designer shit and a husband and a golden retriever and a Schwab advisor. I am a chick with a big nose and a decimated 401k, and the understanding that despite my faithful adherence to paying all my bills on time every time I'll never climb out of this crushing hole of student loan debt and the American Dream is entirely illusory. So, of course because this is the way it happens to girls with big noses, my FICA witholding somehow got fucked up the same year as I also had just slightly too much income to deduct all my student loan interest (which is again, a crushing amount - thanks capitalism!) and I decided that despite being the marvel of self-sufficiency who does her own taxes every year since age 18, that I needed some help.
Tax Ninja came highly recommended by friends, who, despite having actual net worth, are still the kind of people who have laughingsquid stickers on their beater laptops and used to go to the pool parties at the Backflip (know what I'm sayin'?) so I thought, okay. And sure enough, here was a tax dude with a laughingsquid sticker on his laptop and an office that also happens to be kind of a sweet ass apartment I would like to live in. A mere half hour of listening and explaining and typing was all it took for him to reassure me ("nothing is fucked, dude, nothing is fucked") identify a facet of my lifestyle I'd never thought of in a fiscal capacity, save me $400 and send me on my sunny South o' the Slot way. At $225/hour, this came to $112.50. Additionally, my office administrator sensibilities were pleased with the neat, readymade packages he made of my state and federal returns, detailed attached instructions about where and when to mail, neatly clipped W-2's and for good measure, email pdf's of both returns. Relief, wonderment, new perspective! (Also, make an appointment before April if you need to be handheld! Isn't that kind of tax guy 101?)
Also, when you do some bonehead shit like *forget to enclose payment in the envelope as clearly directed* he will promptly email you the proper form to rectify and a kindly note.
Five stars, obviously pending some kind of audit.
I really, really, really wanted this to be a great experience so I could add to the others about how great Matt is blah blah blah. But it wasn't a great experience.
I had a terrific tax guy back east, and another terrific guy when I had the unfortunate experience of living in Fresno for 3 years. The guy in Fresno is very, very nice, and more importantly, very, very good at getting me money back. The problem is he's also super expensive. I felt like $450 for a couple simple W2s was a rip-off. I felt like I needed to find someone else just on principle. So I did the search.
I was totally psyched to find out that there's this awesome tax guy who only charges $225! So I made an appointment.
First, it's a pain in the arse to get to this office. It's in a total ghetto neighborhood under the freeway and easy to miss (I walked right by it-twice!). His office is a small room, and it totally reminded me of some college kid who set up an office in his dorm room. But I digress. I thought Matt was very nice (although CLEARLY young and starting out for himself). He went through my mountains of paperwork and asked a bunch of questions and then a bunch more. Turns out, the best he could do ended costing me almost a grand to the feds and about $600 to the state. Note, I've NEVER owed the government. On top of that, he hands me envelopes to mail my papers in (no stamps, no nothing). Now, I've been paying taxes for a long time. And I've grown up in the internet age. I cannot for the life of me remember the last time I have done taxes "the old fashioned way"--by paper and not electronically. In fact, I don't think I've EVER not filed electronically. I thought that was lame.
Anyways. I'm pissed because I owe so much money, so I call the old, expensive guy in Fresno and ask if he can take a look. He does. I now owe the state $26 and am getting a refund from the feds. It's worth the $225 for Matt plus the $450 for the original guy. Next year, I'll just suck up the $450 to begin with....
For the second year now, Matt has handled my taxes. Both years he made it easy, and this year he even took a second look to ensure that my refund would be maximized. He knows his shiznit and can multi-task looking over deductable information while chatting about other stuff. It's like he has 2 brains running at the same time. I'll be going back again for my 2009 taxes!
I was referred to the Tax Ninja by co-workers. I liked the business name and the website looked informative, so I emailed them to ask about rates and such.
The person I was emailing with was great! She even arranged for Matt to call me to answer one question for free before I had to go into the office and start spending money. I was pretty excited about that!
But then Matt called about twenty minutes late, which I didn't find very professional. As it was during tax season, though, I decided to let that go...the ninja must be very busy, right?
Too bad our phone conversation was a complete bust. I was trying to ask my question and Matt kept interrupting me with answers...but without listening to me, he was answering the wrong questions! If I had been paying him by the hour, I would have been angry that he was wasting my money by not listening to me.
I have no idea how the rest of his service is as I hung up from that phone call convinced that Matt was absolutely never going to get my business.
The Tax Ninja is funnier, smarter, and hates the IRS more than you. I can't recommend his services enough. Best in the biz.
i was pretty happy with my return for '07 that i'm having matt do it again for '08.
he is personable, reliable, and knowledgeable.
did i mention affordable! since im a student and don't have much expenses going on in my life he can do it on the real quick. just don't wait until the last minute, even then, he can probably cover your ass.
Again and again, Matt and his crew of ninjas do a great job with tax preparation. They help find the most deductions, and have a careful eye on saving us all a ton of money!
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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3/26/2007
Matt spent several hours helping me file my taxes, which required us going through all of my bank… Read more »
Another year, but one with a mess of tax stuff. As usual, the Tax Ninja took it all in stride and we had my personal taxes and corporate taxes done quickly and relatively painless. Affordable, efficient, knowledgeable, and just fun to work with, Whatley still has my recommendation!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/10/2008
Wow, after the last couple of years of doing taxes on my own and spending hours and hours battling… Read more »
Matt is the man!! I bought a condo in 2007 in downtown SF and needed some help doing my taxes. I did my 2007 taxes at HR Block, which was not only annoying but a complete rip off. This year I decided to try out the Ninja, and I could not have been happier. He completed both state and federal in a half hour and I've already gotten my money back for both! Not a bad deal when you compare him to others. Also, he's very helpful in getting you more deductions. Definitely recommend Matt to anyone looking for tax help.
I guess I'm going to have to "buck the tide" and post a less than stellar review of the Tax Ninja. I had an appointment with Matt to go over my taxes last week. Actually the first visit is supposed to be a complimentary consultation but I went prepared for him to do my taxes for two reasons:
1. I read so many positive reviews of him on Yelp, and
2. I had everything put together (receipts, excel spreadsheet of all my 2007 expenses, etc.) so why not go for it and get my refund sooner.
First of all, ladies, be forewarned that the Oakland neighborhood where Matt is located is CREEPY. And his "office" is in the corner of a warehouse full of weird machinery, various junk items, etc. Now, this is supposed to be an "artsy" feel, but to me it was just creepy, as was the "decor" in his office, including a variety of beat-up chairs and poster from Burning Man featuring several full-frontal nude (though bodypainted) women.
Matt is a smart guy and I'm sure he knows his stuff. I am not the least bit concerned that my return is accurate. He did it right in front of me, from the paperwork I brought. To his credit, he doesn't engage in "creative" accounting to get you more $, and he DOES include every possible deduction.
When all was input into his software, he printed the IRS and California returns out, stapled them and handed them to me. The top page of each stack (one for CA, one for IRS) had brief instructions for filing (as in, the mailing address for sending them in) and a handwritten note instructing me to tear this page off before mailing the rest. Looked like all was good to go and all I needed was an envelope! HOWEVER.... the first two pages of the California return were missing -- because they were stapled to the Federal return! And BOTH returns had the wrong W-2 copies stapled to them. Also, I asked for direct deposit of the refund, which was done for the Federal return but not done at all for California. Good thing I'm a Virgo and went through everything with a fine-tooth comb first!
In general, Matt's fee was "reasonable" considering I'd moved from one state to another, sold a house, started a new job, etc. and wanted an expert to do my taxes this year. Experts cost money! But $87.50, considering I didn't use his time for a complimentary consult, and how prepared I was (and thus took him less time), the hideous neighborhood/office, and the mistakes, was a little out of line. I won't be using Matt again.
If you want good and cheap, Mat's probably as good as they get -- if you remember you get what you pay for. But if PROFESSIONAL is an element in your criteria, the Tax Ninja will not be for you.
They later sent me the information I was wating for. Overall, the experience was fine. 3 stars.
OMFG where has Matt been for the last 10 years!111!!!!! :(
I did my taxes by myself a couple of times - took me forever and I always owed BIG.
I had the block do my taxes one year. WHAT A MISTAKE! Not only were they overpriced, but the woman doing mine totally didn't care about me ;(
Matt thoroughly explained all of the things I need to do to correctly file the paperwork for my private ventures. I have a lot nonstandard tertiary income type stuff and Matt totally understood the gibberish I was trying to throw at him.
Because Matt is a CPA and a JD, he not only can crunch the numbers but can also interpret the laws for you. Matt totally demonstrated his supreme understanding of business practices and is not scared to share his wealth of knowledge.
If you are a slappo like me and are totally unorganized, Matt will help you figure out exactly what kind of stuff you need to correctly and accurately file. He totally explained to me what past documents he needed, etc and was VERY responsive to my pesky e-mails.
Matt was super flexible with scheduling and was able to meet me the same day I looked him up. If you come at an odd hour or something, please bring a refreshment for for Matt. He also likes the chicken tikka masala from Naan and Chutney down the street with maybe some naan. He totally deserves it.
Not only was Matt really helpful with my taxes, my income, and retirement, he makes great conversation, too. Thanks man, you are the bomb.
I think I totally underpaid him. If I was sitting on the other side of the table, I totally would not have done my taxes and charged what I charged. Well you get the idea. It almost seems like Matt hooks people up just 4 fun.
I'm Asian but I suck at math.
I felt bad because I didn't challenge the ninja's tax knowledge prowess. Somehow he didn't have me on his schedule when I showed up today, but he gladly took my W-2's and converted them into W-2$s all the while chomping on his burrito. Does Matt deserve anything less than five stars? Yes, and let me count the whys:
Because I didn't have to pay the full hourly fee. (Still cheaper than H&R)
Because he showed insightful ingenuity in filling in the blanks of my incomplete 2006 returns.
Because he can do two to four things at once.
Because I'm due for my fattest return ever.
Is that one for each star? Man, I suck at math.
We went to complete our tax return with the tax ninja. The IRS send us a letter stating that the tax return was incomplete and that they were going to withhold our refund and charge us if it was not corrected promptly.
We try to contact Matthew before the deadline with no luck so we ended up completing the return ourselves and hoped for the best. And, of course we found out that we completed the return incorrectly when he send us the corrected one. Now we have to contact the IRS and figure out how to fix that.
It appears that this Ninja adhears to a Samuri-esq. code of ethics.
He has made things right with me, and as such, I have changed my review to five stars.
That and I just like Ninjas, so it's hard to hold a grudge.
Ok, I have been looking for somebody like the tax ninja since I moved to San Francisco a few years ago. Finally, I have found somebody to help me with my independent contractor woes! I was expecting to pay in a few thousand and ended up getting a refund since he helped me to find things I hadn't even thought of that were legitimate business expenses. This might say a lot about my tax stupidity, but let's not digress....
This guy absolutely rules!! I can't even find words adequate to describe how satisfied I am with the help, attention, and service I got from Tax Ninja. He helped me to find all the deductions I hadn't thought of, AND he broke down the what and what nots of my write offs. He also quickly calculated what I should be paying for my estimated tax for next year, what my taxes will look like when I get married, and broke down what I can do to better prepare my expenses for next year. He is the man!
He was quick yet super efficient and really reasonable in his fees. I will go to him for all my tax needs from this point on, and I've already started referring friends to him.
Extra bonus - he is really nice and personable with a great sense of humor, and he is stylish to boot.
go Tax Ninja or go broke!
Matthew T. Whatley, Esq.
A One Stop Super Shop for Law, Tax Law and Tax Planning.
Matt has many, many sharp tools on his belt and makes house calls.
* Practice Areas
Tax Law & Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Probate,
Business Organizations, Criminal Law, Personal Injury
Offshore Tax & Business Planning
Did I mention he makes house calls?
I came in with some skepticism and trepidation at the name, but this quickly washed away into excitement when Matt opened his mouth and started spouting wise about taxes and how I can maximize my return and stick it to the man. I got more $$$ back this year than ever before. It's either because of Matt's 1337 ninja skills or the shitty housing recession, but either way, I will definitely be back next tax season to do business with the tax ninja.
Not like the he's is hurtin' for 5 star reviews, but I felt compelled.
I'm not sure if I can really write a review about the Tax Ninja. I called Matt and we arranged a meetup time and location. I showed up there, this silloute passed over my field of vision, and all of a sudden I had a batch of completed taxes in my hand. I can't truthfully say who or who did not do the taxes, but if it was Matt, damn that was fast.
For real though, I'm a programmer and I type pretty damn fast. This guy is a lawyer by day and he types circles around me. I don't know if hes in copyright writing, but he's fast. His sticker-laden laptop computer just adds to the mystique that is the tax ninja. Maybe if you're lucky he will share his wisdom as to the finer places to dine and get your libation on in the City of San Francsico .. but don't be surprised if he just totally uppercuts you and dissapears in a smoke cloud.
The Tax Ninja was a life saver when we started our small business about a year ago. He answered all of our (sometimes stupid) questions and gave us advice on everything from incorporating to how to track our expenses. In our constant quest for a better understanding of the IRS' mysterious ways, he remains our most knowledgeable sensei. Domo arrigato Tax Ninja!
The Tax Ninja is a very good tax guy. Extremely understanding of anyone within the bay that's a starving artists of sorts. Totally made extra time in his day to see me on short notice. Will be returning for this year.
It's that time of year once again...time to head to H&R, right? FUCK NO!
You need to grab your W-2(s), deductions (if you have any), interest earned/paid forms, and walk your merry little ass over to the Lower Haight to see the Tax Ninja.
Matt's pretty awesome--I ain't gonna lie. This is the first time I've had to file alone, and I didn't know shit. But Matt does. He got it all done in about half an hour. Friendly dude, quaint office, excellent value, and he got me so much $$$ back, I'm considering him an IRS Assassin.
Check out his site, shoot him an email, and see what he can do for you. I'll definitely be back next year.
Please save your money and 1) get turbotax, or 2) hire a real accountant to prepare your taxes. Either option would be more accurate and reliable than this guy. He messed up the deductions on my tax forms twice, misspelled my name, and ADDED wrong. And he used a software to plug in my information and charged me $275 for incomplete and inaccurate forms, after quoting me $150 over email. Beware.
My business, partner and I all trusted this guy after reading 30 yelp reviews that sung his praises. It seems this was a good thing that went bad this year. After turning in our information months ahead of time, I was calling in a panic the night before taxes were due, driving over and begging our completed taxes off of him on tax day. Nothing good came of it, to say the least. I wouldn't wish this ninja on anybody.
If I could give Matt six stars, I surely would. I walked nervously into his subterranean Lower Haight/Alamo Square office with some seriously late back taxes and he immediately put me to ease.
Matt's a people person. That much was obvious in the first five minutes. He was chatty without ever wasting my time (or his), and I felt completely comfortable telling him about my various financial problems.
When I went to pick up my 2005 and 2006 taxes, he had me sign them right there, put the requisite tax forms into envelopes (which he provided), and address them correctly all the while telling me about his experiences at Burning Man, his girlfriend, the great state of Mississippi, and some curry place down the street. I have to say it was all very calming. I knew he was busy--his business is booming after all--but he took the time and I really appreciated it..
I left his office with my California and Federal tax envelopes in hand with a huge sense of relief.
Thanks Matt!
Matt started doing our taxes a couple years ago, and in that time, he's ended up saving us so much money! He helped us find deductions, showed us some ins and outs of how to write stuff off, and has just been really easy to work with. The thought of doing taxes used to be intimidating, but Matt put us at ease, which has been critical for a couple of self-employed people such as ourselves who just recently figured out that we're really a small business!
He even helped out with some other non-tax-related legal advise, such as getting us set up with a trademark, etc. Basically, Matt kicks ass!
Tax Ninja has been doing my taxes for several years now, and the quality is as good as it's ever been.
They've also helped advise me when I was setting up my own LLC.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/15/2007
Everyone needs a ninja at their disposal. Especially when dealing with large government agencies.… Read more »
We had a wonderful experience with the Tax Ninja. He is very
knowledgeable about taxes and many other financial issues. Not only did
he helped us with our taxes in a flash but he also gave us some solid
advice on a difficult financial situation. It was so great to get
straight-forward, nonjudgemental information and advice. We felt that
he was really working to help us in our best interest, not just trying
to make a quick buck. And that feeling of trust was priceless! A
well-deserved 5 stars!
Matt's a master of the multitasking. While steadily whittling down my amount owed to the Feds, fingers flying, he chatted about book agents, the local pub and sausage establishments, the secret tax opportunities in weddings (what?), his affinity for us impoverished arty types.
He was conscientious, thorough and determined to make the small amount paid to him in an hour & a quarter pay off with deductions.
Anything less than five stars would be a travesty.
