Schram & Associates 15215 Southeast 272nd Street, Covington, WA 98042

"[Update 3: Back to 1 star, having attorney file form 14157] This has been an extremely messy process. So turns out, Turbotax was right all along. They had clearly communicated the amount to expect for this year's return to a T. Per Schram & Associate's mistake, they had checked a box the previous year to apply the return to credit, something they fixed with the IRS, but this year, they included the amount when telling us what the return amount was. I had not been told of the breakdown and it was frankly deceitful of them to report just a final number without a breakdown. The basis of me paying for service and accepting the cost was the refund amount being almost 10k higher. It was all masked in the Math and it took the IRS to resolve the amount. Keep in mind, Turbotax was transparent with this thus we knew exactly how much to expect. They were not wrong, and we were deceived by Schram into paying almost 500$ more for tax filing. This is extremely unfair practice, playing to incomplete information to get more money out of a client. [My tax bill was quoted at 1025$ in the name of extra HSA doc and one more 1099 and some mortgage docs. I sought an explanation as the year before it was at 450$. The year before they had messed up my taxes and I chose to come back as they waived the fee given the error. This year, the explanation I got was, 'Our hourly rates are 450 p, we are an Accounting firm, not a H&R block.' Yeaah, just don't.] The above was my initial review. I left it alongside a 1 star review out of pure anger and pride and went ahead and scheduled a call with an expert on Turbotax, a process i had used before Schram. Now here is the thing, I was in my zone, feeling very justified in my anger not noticing that my inquiries themselves and analogizing to turbotax and such was disrespectful. TLDR, The difference in amounts claimed for refund was 9k. I have no clue what Connie did and have no idea what adjustments she made but whatever the case, they are certainly not H&R Block. Whatever they quote you as the cost, swallow your pride. It is worth the money. This rating serves not just as a public apology but a testament to the expertise of folk on here."

"Do you research before engaging with this firm. They will quote one price and bill you another. The communication is lacking at best."

"Schram & Associates has a very knowledgeable team and has helped us achieve the best outcome on our taxes each year. We both work full time in the corporate world, have a primary residence, rental income/expenses, investments, and a fun little side business. They truly are the experts no matter what you bring to the table. I highly recommend this firm for your tax pros!"

"Second year doing my taxes with Connie, and both times have been satisfactory. She’s very attentive and you can always tell she cares about her clients a lot. Her personality brought to the office makes it not dreadful to do your taxes. Although doing taxes in a professional setting may cause a timid atmosphere for the sake of being professional (which is what I expected, being 18 and not having much experience), everyone there has a lovely and casual attitude, making it hard to not be at ease. Schram & Associates seem to try their best to make you feel welcome, from the coffee in mugs at your disposal to the complimentary candy they insist you have. It makes even my little sister feel super comfortable going to a place to do taxes."

"I had my taxes done by them last year because company stock was getting a little bit more complicated. Fran filed my taxes without even asking me if I had health insurance (TurboTax had just asked me without needing the form in the past so I didn't bring it), and if I didn't catch it after I left it would have cost me $2600. Also, I met with them in their South Seattle location and it was the sketchiest place I've ever been to. The windows were boarded up on the front and there was no signage. I called because I thought I had the wrong address and they told me to go around to the alley and approach from the back. The window had their name printed on paper and taped up. I went up to the door and it was closed with no windows, so I hesitantly opened it - it was the right place. However, it was very unprofessional. Fran was not there when I arrived. It was just a bunch of people sitting/standing around (no desk or anything of that sort) and there was a dog in the office (I like dogs, but seemed odd for the first time I'm meeting a CPA). Because Fran doesn't work there all the time, I was taken into someone else's office. The desk was completely covered in papers and stuff. She said something like "Oh, I knew you were coming, I just didn't get around to cleaning it off." So then she cleaned it off and I waited for Fran to arrive. It was a very impersonal experience, and as I said before, she didn't do anything to get to know me or try to find me more money. Like really, missing the insurance thing is one of the simplest things. I work at Amazon. Shouldn't it be obvious to at least think, "Huh? She works full time at a reputable company. That probably means she had health insurance and forgot the form." In the end I did get a couple hundred back above what TurboTax would have gotten me, but that experience wasn't honestly worth a couple hundred bucks."