Durante and Associates

This is my 2^nd year with Jason as my tax geru and I can’t applaud him enough! I started my own business the same time I connected with him — and thank goodness I did! The tax side of owning a business isn’t my super-​power like it is for Jason. It’s a huge burden lifted to have someone to help me navigate my taxes!

I’m not keen on giving a negative review to a local business, but unfortunately my experience with Jason was quite poor (in fact, in never even really started).
My partner and I initially talked with Jason on the phone, then had a pleasant (and free) kickoff meeting on ⁹⁄₆. We agreed that he’d help our small business out with some Quickbooks work, which he estimated would take him half a day and he’d have bandwidth to begin after a ⁹⁄₁₅ tax deadline. He made it clear that he set expectations and always communicates when expectations cannot be met (giving the example of going over the amount of hours that he estimates). We handed off a backup of our books and looked forward to seeing his work.
However, time started to pass by, and we didn’t hear from Jason in the days following ⁹⁄₁₅. Actually, we didn’t hear from him at all until we asked for a status update some two weeks after we expected work to start on ¹⁰⁄₂. He didn’t reply to an initial voicemail, so we followed up with an email the next day, to which he replied:
«I am so sorry. I have been completely slammed since ⁹⁄₁. After finishing the ⁹⁄₁₅ deadline it has been a dead sprint to finish all individuals in preparation for the ¹⁰⁄₁₅ deadline. I am sorry to report I have not even been able to begin… will not have time to start it until after ¹⁰⁄₁₅. I have no time into it so if you would rather I destroy the backup disk you left me and not do any work on it I completely understand»
We sent an email stating that we still hoped to work together but he wasn’t meeting our expectations; on ¹⁰⁄₁₁ we received our CD via mail with apologies for not meeting expectations and terminating the relationship.
Jason didn’t meet his commitments and didn’t communicate even as he fell weeks behind. There’s also evidence in other Unilocal reviews that he was accepting other new accounts during this timeframe (while neglecting our own account). As such, I caution against using Durante and Associates (or minimally protect yourself by keeping tight deadlines and follow up with him frequently in case he does not follow up).

I had my first meeting with Jason last week and feel great about working with him! He was personable on the phone and in the office I felt comfortable talking with him about the books and my business (the present state and a little about where I want to go with it).
His initial remarks and questions were on point and friendly. The recommendations he made are reasonable and I have some confidence in executing them. This is a big deal for an entrepreneur, especially when it comes to keeping the books, and paying the taxes! YEAH!

Would have given 10x more stars if I could. Jason came to our rescue last month when we received a dreaded IRS CP2000 letter re our 2010 tax return. Their figures did not match ours and we were about to be charged many $$$s in tax, fees & fines. Found Jason here on Unilocal and from recommendations on the West Seattle Blog. Called in a panic and Jason calmly peeled me down off the ceiling, patiently and efficiently took charge, solved the misunderstanding and responded to the IRS on our behalf. Cannot thank him enough or recommend him more highly. Of course, we have already had him do this year’s return. No more panic :)

Great guy, great CPA. Extremely knowledgeable. Helps us with our taxes every year and gave me great advice about setting up my small business. Would absolutely recommend him.

Been using Jason & team for 8 years. \ Every year he provides us with easy forms to use and up date our finances.
What I love about Jason is that he’s detail oriented, ethical and works hard to make sure that we are taken care of.

I found Jason to be judgmental of my personal-​financial relationships (ie, not being legally married, helping family members). Because I wasn’t «cookiecutter» or didn’t conform to «his model of life» I apparently wasn’t credible, even though I’ve been a businessperson for 25 years and had a reputable CPA for nearly 20 years until he retired.
In addition to a short list of backup information that I AGREED to provide him — he INSISTED that I waste valuable time re-​listing my business expenses on a new sheet of paper for the illogical reason that he wanted to make sure «I» wrote it. My box of organized documents that I got my totals off of were right there, but he was only interested in forcing me to go through this senseless exercise. I pleaded with him to have mercy, since I too am in a busy time at work. I suggested that I sign the sheet I wrote the figures on. No, only tyranny would work for Jason. We parted ways at that point. I do not recommend anybody to him unless they fall into his perfect model (and sorry, I can’t tell you what that is, only that I apparently don’t fit it). I found him to be cold-​blooded, paranoid, and controlling. I DISrecommend this accountant.

Jason and his staff are great! I have used him for personal and business taxes for years. He also helped me with my incorporation, saw me through an audit (from when I used a bad accountant), and does my payroll. One stop shopping!