Checkmate Tax Service

We worked with Dennis on our taxes for the first time this year. Although our tax situation is not complicated (we really don’t own anything) it’s my first time filing as an independent contractor and an initial run through Turbo Tax showed that we owed over 6K! Dennis helped us find deductions and gave guidance for investment decisions that saved us a lot of money and resulted in a net refund! Dennis and his staff were so friendly, responsive, professional, fairly priced and fast. We will definitely be working with him from now on.

Oh Lordy, this was the worst accounting person I have ever done business with. A lot of people in my profession hire him, he mentioned. Great. The good news was — not only did I not owe any taxes, but I was due a huge tax refund! Awesome, right? Wrong! Well, I didn’t realize until it was too late that this man can not read a simple profit and loss statement. A few random things that were in the expense column he calculated as income. A few random things in the income column were counted as expenses. The whole thing was a big MESS. But it was too late. Everything had been sent electronically to the IRS. Now I was susceptible for an audit since my taxes were suddenly completely different than anything in prior years for the past two decades. (Usually I do my taxes myself, but because of a divorce, there was a complicated part that TurboTax couldn’t do — hence my seeking the services of someone with a more sophisticated program.) I tried to explain to him how a Profit and Loss statement works. «Everything in the RED column is an EXPENSE. Everything in the BLUE column is INCOME. Does that makes sense?» He stared at it for a minute, then looked at me and said: «No.» I swear, the man has the education of a third grader. Sorry, but this was unbelievable. I sat with him for half an hour feeding him the correct numbers to enter into his program. He did it gladly. But I did all the work. And he did NOT give me any refund from the $ 350 I’d paid him to do my taxes. By the way, I had my work double-​checked by a friend who does taxes for people (she was in complete dismay at how badly he messed everything up!). The only reason I can think of for why he’d get such great reviews is because he mixes up the numbers so you’ll get a great tax refund! Ha! I don’t know. but I would never go back. I’m still sorting out this mess with IRS. If you have the most basic of tax returns, he’s probably fine.

I have been going to this company for about 15 years and have been somewhat satisfied with my services. There have been many mistakes made on my taxes over the years and last year was the final straw. Dennis services are very expensive if ur tax filing is not that complicated and ur not overly aggressive about returns. This is how they roll and when then made a major mistake on my taxes last year, instead of acknowledging fault I was blamed.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND CHECKMATE…

I cannot recommend this firm. I have tried, on 3 separate occasions, to make an appointment to do my taxes. Each time I called, Dennis Roberts answers the telephone but he cannot make appointments without the appointment maker/​receptionist so I get put off to call again when the appointment scheduler is available. It seems the appointment maker has ultimate control over making appointments that Dennis cannot function independently to make appointments when the person is away. He leads me to believe he cannot multi-​task and is too busy answering the telephone to take on new clients. I cannot recommend this firm if they do not have reliable help and are not receptive to new clients.

Dennis is amazingly patient and kind. He and his staff are so helpful and take the time to explain everything. We are lucky to have found this team!

I wouldn’t know what I would do without Dennis! He is extremely knowledgeable and helpful for figuring out deductions for academics. I have been going to him for more than 5 years now. He did my taxes when I lived in more than one state (RI and CA). I have since moved to LA from Berkeley but I have found Dennis to be irreplaceable.

Whenever it’s over my head, Dennis and Sharon are set the standards by which I reckon the ship. Been going here as needed since 1996 at least!

A real find. My previous tax preparer decided to quit the business and I talked to a few recommended preparers but just couldn’t get comfortable with any of them. I found Dennis through the Berkeley Parents Network site — and what a find. He is kind, patient, and answers even my sometimes very basic questions with respect. He gave me excellent advice and found some things I should have been claiming as deductions or expenses had I known to do so. He is the best!

I can’t recommend Dennis highly enough. He did my taxes for several years, but I have been on disability for the last couple of years, so I haven’t needed to file. However, he has been extremely helpful even now, when I haven’t been a paying client. I am hoping that I will be working again soon and he can be my accountant once again.

Dennis at Checkmate Tax Services is a lifesaver.
He took the frustration and angst out of filing my taxes, and has continued to provide insight and information that allows me to make the best choices and avoid overpaying or making mistakes.

I have used this tax service for some years (over 12) now, and I pleased at the quality of the service offered by Dennis the owner.
Very knowledgeable about taxes and current laws and makes sure you receive every benefit that you are be entitled to.
I would recommend Checkmate to anyone who needs responsible help with tax filing… this is definitely not one of the tax mills that are prevalent in the tax preparation industry.

I discovered CheckMate Tax Service a few years ago, when I got a letter from the IRS saying I owed them $ 12,000.00. AAAK! I went to Dennis Roberts at CheckMate for help, and it took him about two seconds to realize that this was just a paperwork error, and to tell me how to fix it. What a relief! And he didn’t even charge me for the help. I’ve had Dennis do my taxes since then, and have been really happy with the service. I don’t think it’s very expensive, and it’s definitely worth it. They’re located in a no-​frills office above the Gray Panthers, pretty much in the parking lot of the Andronico’s on University Ave – buzz downstairs to be let in.