Argus CPA Inc

I have not used John’s services, but he was so helpful and quick to reply via email and phone! Very nice and super helpful. My husband and I will be in touch with him in the future with any further financial needs.

I have been working with John since 2013. He was a Great referral from a Great friend who has also been using his services for several years. John has helped me tremendously for all my taxation needs. Both business and personal. He is extremely efficient and helpful. Not to mention his honesty and genuine concern for each client’s needs. He is VERY timely and I almost feel I cannot keep up with him and his efficiency. Clients come first for him all the time. It all sounds too good to be true but visit him once and see for yourself. Its worth every penny to have a CPA like him backing you up or guiding you,
Sincerely,
Blissful Interiors.

I don’t normally review and this is my first review here. I can not thank you John enough for his advice and guidance for both my personal and business tax.
My previous CPA had been sick for a long time (over a year) and that lead to many issues (missing filings, etc.), John stepped in and help me out in every aspect of the business and now everything is better and smooth then ever.
On top of that, in some occasion, I mistakenly paid for his invoice twice, he notified me right away. I would highly recommend John if any tax/​payroll/​accounting service you may have.

John is wonderful. I went into his office and he spent a great amount of time with me going through the details of my situation. He does the right thing. I highly recommend John.

I didn’t even have the opportunity to meet John, but I am giving him the highest rating because of the valuable guidance he gave me. The fact that he listened to my problem over the phone as opposed to telling me to come to his office and pay for his time; to me, that’s a rarity. John is the epitome of how professionals should act facing different situations. It’s not just money that makes the world go round… character of the people living in it is far more important.
John, count me in as a future client.

Unfortunately the timing wasn’t right to get a full consultation with Mr. Mao. But I had to give 5 stars because I contacted several «high-​end» CPAs in the area and he was the only one to call me back personally and explain important details to me. He was incredibly informative and sounded very meticulous. He is very personable as well. I would get a consultation from Mr. Mao if you are in the area.

I found john through Unilocal,since I’m the owner now of a restaurant that I’ve worked for 17 years, I’m new to all the paper work and stuff that has to be done, correctly. I’m very happy to have found john to be my CPA and also does my payroll. He explains very calm and make sure you understand what he is talking about, For sure I will be a long term customer with john. Thank’s john

Once again, Unilocal comes through. I found John through Unilocal and he’s simply super. Very, very clear and meticulous. It’s actually calming just to go through the tax materials. Instead of raised blood pressure as I try to make sense of the various tax forms and instructions, we had a pleasant time with John and, like magic, it’s all taken care of.
We’ve experienced more than one CPA over the years and John is, for sure and by far, the best.

Had a rough start with John but he came through with flying colors and he provided excellent service to complete our tax return before the October 15 deadline. He was diligent and very proffesional and I highly recommend him to my friends and family.

We decided we needed to take it up a notch and start working with a CPA for 2012 tax returns and general financial/​tax advice as needed, instead of continuing with H&R B. So we did a little homework, made some calls and emails to touch base, interviewed, etc. And we loved John off the bat!
He’s very courteous, punctual, ethical, prompt, methodical, and generally a great CPA. Even my 1-​year old son was beaming and cooing at John (and like a friend of mine says, I trust the judgment of babies and dogs!).
Anyway, we discussed with John a bit about our 2012 financials, plus got a little free advice about certain topics at our first meeting. He quoted a low and a «high» estimate for preparing our returns, and said no matter what – the price wouldn’t go higher than that (and we could quote him on it, he said). Fast forward: upon e-​filing our returns and presenting us with a neat portfolio containing all items, he only charged us the lower estimated price. Very nice!
I would recommend John for anyone in the area looking for a CPA.

Met with John today. I have difficult return for this year. John took the time to explain my options. He’s a terrific CPA that knows his stuff. For tax time, John Mao is the man.

I am not a client of John’s, so I can’t actually attest to his skills as a CPA. However, I can attest to his responsiveness, professionalism and commitment to providing excellent service to his clients. How do I know this despite not being an actual client? Because he declined my attempt to hire him as my CPA.
John was originally referred to me by a trusted financial adviser. The long list of 5 star reviews on Unilocal further boosted my confidence in his services. We soon sat down for a Saturday morning interview meeting at my office, and then a handful of email communications on the subject of hiring him as the new CPA for my company later transpired. Despite my strong desire to move forward with the relationship, he very astutely recognized that he was not going to be able to provide the breadth of CPA services I was seeking.
Only a man with a clear commitment to providing excellent service to each and every one of his clients would turn away a potential new client likely worth thousands of dollars each year. I know this because I too own a service business and I know all too well how a single client that does not quite fit your business model can consume an excessive amount of your time, preventing you from properly servicing your other clients.
It requires an incredible amount of honor and personal dedication to pursue excellent service rather than money. For that reason alone, I have no doubt that Mr. Mao’s services are as good as they get.

I found John Mao on Unilocal.He was great. I emailed him a couple weeks before our appointment and told him what we needed information on. It was very specific information that we needed and I wanted to be sure that he could help us.
When we showed up for our appointment (on a Saturday no less), he had printouts ready for us. He explained each one and waited while we read them.
A few days after our appointment there was a change in the law and John immediately emailed us the change.
I would highly recommend John Mao. He was extremely professional and knowledgeable. We will definitely be going to back to John for all future tax help.

This write up cannot possibly reveal how important John Mao has become to both my family and East Bay Pool Service. He rescued us from a terribly complicated tax audit, and a very messed up company quick book. He also has become a very close friend.
First we were referred to John by someone who had told us that our case was too complicated and that we might find help with John. After our first meeting with John there was no doubt that John was very qualified as well as very willing to help us straighten the mess we found ourselves in. In our case time was limited as he was coming in in the middle of an IRS tax audit of 6 years of business. John worked so hard for us, late nights included. We chipped away at all the items the IRS requested, until eventually we John stood in for us in a face to face negotiation with a small business IRS agent. He represented us with well-​prepared knowledge and integrity. John has saved us a great deal of money.
Secondly, John straightened out our business QuickBooks. We had for years been trying to keep our book with little knowledge of accounting and this became such a difficult mess to repair. Again John spent so many hours making our business book correct. Now John services our company payroll as well as does a monthly bank and business financial statement.
Through countless hours of work, excellent and ongoing communication with me, and dedication, John has become what I would consider a very close friend. He is loyal, trustworthy, hardworking, and really cares about the well-​being of his clients.

I have been doing my own taxes for some years now. In 2009, I converted some IRA to Roth IRA and then recharacterized when the switch didn’t go my way in the same year. The IRS somehow claimed I owed them thousands of dollars in back taxes. I was unable to manage it myself and turned to John for help. He was excellent in his help to get me back even with the IRS owing only a few hundred dollars. He is honest, prompt with his work and always upbeat and helpful. I think I found a new accountant for my future. I would not hesitate to consult him for tax issues.

John Mao is the only person we trust to handle all our personal/​business accounting and book keeping. John has a lot of integrety and won’t do anything he feels is unethical. Saying John Mao gives 100% is an understatement. He goes the extra mile. He has gone above and beyond with helping my husband and I get our business started and has helped us avoid financial pit falls. I would recommend him to any and everyone looking for an honest and thorough CPA.