Jonathan Balter, CPA

I believe Jonathan to be an excellent account once he gets the work done for you. I have had frustrations with the level of service and his ability to meet deadlines, call back and be focused is troublesome.

Jonathan Balter has been my Corporate/​Personal CPA for 5 years now and I have NEVER had an issue with him.
I met Jon through a professional referral I made, years ago, to a «Little Old Lady» client of mine who needed a West Side Accountant. He took great care of her and now takes great care of me.
I find him to be incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and responsive to my needs. He takes care of everything for me (soup to nuts) and I am incredibly pleased with his service.
As a side note: Unilocal can be such an amazing tool for a consumer… but just as there are fake 5-​Star ratings (think friends/​family), Unilocal can also be an effective tool for overly irrational/​vindictive people.
Things are rarely ever 1-​Star in life… Shame on people who lash out on Unilocal and try to hurt good people in the process.
Hire Jonathan… he’s a great CPA!

I met Jonathan in 2011 on Unilocal with a dozen 5 star recommendations (most are hidden now). He is a very nice guy. I called him «The Wizard» because he discovered THOUSANDS of dollars of unclaimed returns over the previous five years of filing taxes. He amended and filed them and I got a big fat check from the IRS with further deductions carrying into future returns. For that he should get five stars.
Then he got distracted by a business endeavor he was working on. He cancelled appointments, never did the work, said he would call and didn’t. I kept giving him another chance. One fall day he came to tell me in person that he never filed my taxes?! Luckily for me I owed nothing.
Last year I contacted him in February with well prepared documents and it took him until May to file them. I had to resend documents numerous times and call and email begging for updates continuously. For this he should get one star.
Here is an unedited letter from him I received this week:
Hi, Lisa.
I hope you both are doing great. I know our relationship soured last year. Wanted to send a quick note that I did not move forward on the business I mentioned to you or any other business. I have been 100% CPA practice focused since April of last year. I am feeling on top of things and, again focused full time on my clients taxes and personal financial well being.
I would be very grateful if you would consider another chance together. I understand how taxes is very unpleasant, anxiety provoking for you. I understand that there is no way at all you would reconsider if I was not prepared to deliver a very quick turnaround.
Thank you for your consideration. Have a wonderful day.
Regards,
Jonathan M. Balter, CPA
CPA, Business Advisor, Personal Financial Planner, Quickbooks ProAdvisor
Post script: I read Jonathan’s response. I was extremely fair and truthful in my review for I have no reason to be otherwise. I used only facts to protect him from unfair criticism.

I had a number of tax related issues that I had put off dealing with for quite a few years. Every single time I would think about those tidbits from my past, I always made every single excuse in the book to not deal with the situation. My amazing partner found Jonathan online and made an appointment for her and I to go and meet with him at his office. Not only was Jonathan’s demeanor and service very helpful, he also inspired a great deal of calm in the situation at hand. Since that time, he has helped me setup a payment arrangement with both the IRS and the State Franchise Tax Board, and he continues to play a critical role in my day to day business dealings.
I so appreciate Jonathan and his work ethic. The one takeaway from working together with Jonathan on resolving said problems, was the calm that he had helped to inspire within me. I’m grateful.

Jonathan is indeed a nice guy!
However, I’m running a business and his chronic slow responses, and habitual lack of follow through has caused me many sleepless nights.
I’m now in the process of reporting his ineptitude to the California Board of Accountancy.
I would not recommend Jon to anyone! Not even my worst enemy.
Jon if you are reading this maybe you will finally get me what i’ve been asking for.
You are FIRED!

Jonathan is friendly, knowledgable, and professional. I feel comfortable discussing my finances with him and trust that he’ll do a thorough job every year. He’s has very good follow through and gives me personal service by sending e-​mail or text reminders throughout the year when a due date is approaching. Jonathan is great at what he does and easy to work with.

Mr. Balter
took time to cater to my every finacial concern. He went above and beyond to make sure I was properly taken care. I he has a five star recommendation in my book. Thanks again.

I sought help from Mr. Balter in preparing my 1040-​X form (revision to previous tax return). He was incredibly helpful and kind, he also thoroughly went through the form with me so that I understood what each section was asking for. With his help, I was able to get the refund I asked for without a hitch! He also states his price upfront, and is very fair. I recommend him highly for any help with taxes!