Samuel B Choi Accountancy Corp

I spoke with David Choi about taxes and planning — he is a smart CPA and gave great tax advice that saved me thousands.

Dear Jina,
I’m sorry but your response is inaccurate. You did file for us and Mr. Choi did speciify that it was a consultation fee. We ended up paying a few thousand dollars of tax dollars that we didn’t have the pay and thankfully our new CPA got that refunded to us.

This guy doesn’t know what he is doing. Ended up paying a lot instead getting money back. Also he charges a lot. This time I did turbo tax and received a lot more then what this guy gets me.

We absolutely love this firm! David Choi has demonstrated a level of expertise that has been of great benefit to our family over the years. They send me a yearly reminder, a tax organizer and specific suggestion on ways that I can save on my taxes. The nature of my job requires that someone be well versed in tax laws. This year I got double the return that I was expecting because David was able to identify areas that we had overlooked! They are professional, punctual and care about you as an individual. Thank you David for all you’ve done for our family!!!

So basically someone from this office replied to my reviews and made it sound like all the problems that transpired were my/​my mother’s fault, and they were just being magnanimous by helping us out even though they didn’t do anything wrong.
I guess all the problematic reviews following mine are also lies? Maybe there really was a lot of miscommunication but the bottom line is I do not believe Samuel Choi collected all the information he needed, nor did he ensure that the information was correct. I stand by my earlier statements (that others have echoed!) saying that Mr. Choi relies too heavily on the tax software — of which, according to other reviews, he is far from being an expert — and that the first copy of the state return form he prepared for us showed a REFUND was due, not a PAYMENT. When I brought it to his attention, he sent me a new PDF the next that magically showed that yes, we indeed owed money. Regardless of who was helping us out before we came to Mr. Choi’s office, a good CPA would do everything he can to have a clear image of their client’s tax situation so as not to make errors, even if it means catching someone else’s mistakes. Even the tax services you hear about on TV advertise this.
Like another reviewer said, if I wanted to hand over some money for someone to just «do my taxes» I would’ve gone to H&R Block. You can’t always expect to receive 5 star reviews, but you should definitely not send me a message that basically blames me and says you wish my reviews weren’t so shitty, under the guise of a gracious reply.

We love this accounting firm. They have always provided exceptional service and have gone out of the way to make sure things look good and we get the best return. We don’t have a straightforward tax return because of the nature of our work, but David Choi made sure he was knowledgeable about what it involves, so we didn’t have to worry about a thing!
As for professional practices: they are good about sending tax year reminders, including a tax organizer, which is super helpful. We just find them very helpful and courteous, and practicing with integrity, which is a priority for us!

This review is for our experience with David Choi, CPA at the firm.
So my wife and I had a pretty hectic year in 2012 with a lot of transactions that was going to make filing our taxes pretty annoying. Along with that, we like to procrastinate and don’t bring all of our required documents at once, so I’m sure most CPAs won’t consider us the ideal clients.
Anyways, we strolled in without an appointment hoping that someone would help us out. Although David was with a client, his assistant greeted us and had us wait, assuring us that he will make time for us. After David was finished with his client, he took time from his lunch to meet with us. Since we didn’t have everything with us, we weren’t able to file then but he did explained to us everything that we need to send him so that he can file our taxes.
That following week, we got a call from our loan broker saying that we needed to get a copy of our 2012 taxes asap. I called up David and explained the situation and he filed our taxes while explaining what was going on over the phone.
Throughout the whole ordeal David and his assistant always showed patience and was continuously understanding. He is very knowledgeable and was able to explain certain tax treatment for different transactions, which will help us plan for this year.
We are extremely satisfied with the service and with the end result (our huge refund). We highly recommend this firm and will definitely continue using their service.

Went to Samuel Choi to have my business and personal taxes done. Was not very impressed for a few reasons:
1. Samuel had to call the tax software company because he did not know how to find something in the tax software, and after explained it as a complained that they (software company) are always changing things in it. So, I had to wait while he called support, was sort of wondering if I had made the right choice at that point, but too late to walk out.
2. Had to schedule payments to the IRS. Someone in his office screwed up and then I had to make 2 payments when I only wanted to allocated money for 1 payment that year.
3. Never really advised me well, told him I was trying to buy a house and they way the taxes were done, meant a 1 year delay. A CPA should counsel, not simple do the taxes and collect a fee, I can go to H&R Block for that!
4. Fees are not super cheap for business and personal taxes, something like $ 600 for both. Completed in 1 hour.
5. They used to send me emails to remind me about tax season approaching, but after the issue, they stopped email marketing me, like go away quietly.
I’m sure he’s great person, but from a CPA standpoint, I was expecting a lot more. Guess I will keep searching for a good CPA.

Super bummed. I went there because of the reviews. Left feeling so angry and frustrated. Over priced and very inexperienced. I dealt with his son, and he was not very knowledgable at all. :(
I would not recommend them at all.

I moved from NY and thought I should get an expert since I was dealing with two states. After reading the glowing reviews, I decided on Samuel B Choi. Initially, I was so impressed especially when they took me so last minute. David Choi was quick. Yep, he plugged in the info into the computer and I was done. I was thrilled that I was going to get a good chunk back in refund. Yeah.
Then a month later I get a letter from the NY state that I owe almost a $ 1000. What!!! I haven’t paid on my return for years. What the heck. I emailed and found that David was off the month of May. Ok. So I forwarded to the contact given. Nothing. I called a few days and was promptly transfer to Samuel Choi. Samuel was able to find the issue. Apparently David didn’t indicate that I was in not a Yonker residence. Samuel explained that I now was getting a little more money back. Nice.
A month later, I get a second notice from the NY IRS. WTF. So I called the NY IRS myself and found that Samuel did not complete a section. Excuse me? Something wasn’t completed again? Seriously.
I contacted the office. David Choi replied and let me know that after they completed the section that I do indeed have to pay and worse yet, have to pay slightly more than what the IRS quoted. David suggested I just pay what IRS asks and not send the revised document. Fine.
David was apologetic. Lucky me — he offered a discount on my next service. Sadly, I won’t be redeeming that ever.

David Choi returned my phone call, acknowledged the firm’s mistake, and so far seems to be on top of this issue. I liked the way he is handling thus far. Up to three stars. I will further update upon final resolution of this tax issue and if any good/​bad updates occur.
*UPDATE handled very well and with a superb resolution.

This review is for my recent experience with David Choi. I have not attempted to write an overall review for Samuel B Choi Accountancy Corp.
This review is pending receipt of my refund from the IRS. Once I receive that refund then my 2011 tax return will be complete and I will revise my review.
First, I’ll explain my grading system. I always start out with 3 stars; if the business or service professional outperforms their peers, then they get 4 stars. If they far outperform their peers then they get 5 stars. If they under-​perform compared with their peers then they get 2 stars, and far under-​perform, then 1 star.
The following review is my attempt to objectively document why this business outperforms or under-​performs its peers.
Note: Many reviewers use a different system. For example, they may give 5 stars if they’re fully satisfied. I may give 3 stars if I’m fully satisfied and the business performs comparably with its peers but without doing something better, cheeper, quicker, etc.
Strengths:
— Reasonably familiar with his tax software. David said he uses H&R Block’s professional tax software; he said they switched over this year, and previously used Intuit’s professional tax software.
— He always maintained a calm and professional disposition during our meetings.
— Willingness to learn new aspects of tax accounting procedures right along with his clients.
Improvement opportunities:
— Adopt best practices utilized by his peers. For example, my previous CPA sent his clients a tax organizer and detailed questionnaire at the beginning of tax season to help them prepare for their appointment.
— Ask clients a set of questions to make sure that he has all the relevant information. Again, my previous CPA asked a set of questions during my appointments based on my situation in case I might have neglected to provide important information.
— Read relevant IRS publications and become familiar with relevant tax accounting procedures before the client’s appointment. At our appointment I had to inform David that Pub 555 required RDPs to split their income ⁵⁰⁄₅₀; he previously thought it was optional. He called the IRS while we were in the office to clarify the accounting requirements behind this publication; afterwards we were all satisfied that we understood. We all learned together, but chewed up much of our appointment time in the process.
— Understand the nuances of how his software works. I had compared David’s returns with my own draft returns prepared with TurboTax. I found a discrepancy with the treatment of capital losses carried forward from the previous year; TurboTax had utilized a more favorable treatment than David’s software (short vs long term capital losses), so he made the change to match what TurboTax had done. He didn’t seem to understand how his software calculated and utilized these losses until this experience; fortunately, he is a quick study and seemed to learn quickly.
Recent update: I have still not received my refund from the IRS for tax year 2012 (July 7, 2012). David has contacted the IRS for status on my behalf at my request. However, I don’t feel that he is holding my hand or taking end-​to-​end responsibility for the return he prepared through completion (i.e. my refund). When I asked for revised status most recently, he invited me to contact the IRS myself. However, when I did they have provided seemingly contradictory information and with enough complexity so that I need follow-​up support by a professional. The jury is still out on how this situation gets resolved and how much of follow-​on support I receive, or whether I’m thrown to the wolves at the IRS.
11 July update: David called the IRS on my behalf while on break from Jury duty. This is going above and beyond the call of duty and I’m very grateful!

David Choi serviced my tax filing for 2010 that included sale & purchase of real estate, refinance, home improvements, multiple lines of income all within the same year, and filed my taxes thoroughly with precision and meticulous attention to details. Verbal explanations and detailed documentations were added bonuses – that most CPA’s omit due to time constraints of scheduling. Not the case for this CPA firm. I highly recommend them for anyone with complex tax filings. Very professional and extremely courteous staff – ample parking validation too.

Mr. Choi continues to be only one of the greatest human beings ever. I may sound like I’m overselling him but I don’t mean to at all. Honestly, Mr. Choi and his son David continue to be the models of utmost professionalism and kind hearts.
He walked me and my fiancé (she was my girlfriend the last time I wrote a review for Mr. Choi, lol) through all the nitty gritty of taxes again this year and managed get everything sorted out quickly and with several refunds from state and federal taxes, for each of us! Even with this secondary property issue I have he never got flustered, actually calming me down a few times with well placed spiritual advice (he’s not just a tax man, he’s a Jedi Master in secret!!).
Mr. Choi’s prices are also extremely reasonable, and given the great help and patience he provides in trying to find you legitimate refunds he’s going above and beyond those fees. I also have to say he and his entire office work EXTREMELY hard– I emailed one of his staff members, Jina, about some questions and not only did she follow up with me on a weekend, but she also had Mr. Choi call me directly to answer them. I mean, WOW that is some serious personal dedication.
It’s for all these reasons– smart, kind, patient, spiritually calming– and more than I will continue to stay with Mr. Choi and his son David for many years to come, as well as keep referring their wonderful help to all my friends and family. Thank you everyone at Mr. Choi’s CPA office, and keep up the great work!

Queen of Procrastination — I didn’t ask to be born this way. Accept me despite my one fault, okay? :)
So… My employer gave me my tax statements way back in January. As always, I like to do my own taxes online — but I never actually file this way. The only reason for doing this is so that I can get a good estimate of what I might receive. I’m of the utter belief that if I can get myself X amount of dollars by preparing myself, surely a studied-​so-​he-​can-​get-​paid-​to-​do-​this-​stuff CPA would be able to find some extras I’d missed, right?
I plugged away for about an hour, until TurboTax informed me that «educators» wouldn’t get their tax returns processed until mid-​February. Well, then… no rush, right? Might as well file at the end of February.
That was the plan, anyway.
February came and went. March came and went. And lo’ and behold, it was already April. Seriously, I needed to get my butt to the accountant’s office!
I’d forgotten the address for my accountant (I’m also directionally-​challenged — so okay, I have two faults), so I Unilocaled her… only to discover that she’s being audited! Oh noes… I’d be stupid to go back to an accountant who’s getting audited.
That discovery led me on a frantic Unilocal search for the perfect replacement. After reading through millions of (obviously and scarily fake) reviews of random CPA firms, I came across this listing. Reading through every last review on this page, I was fairly convinced that this guy would do.
Luckily, I had a hair appointment the next morning in Ktown, so at 9am, while driving to the salon, I gave this place a call. At first, I was told that they were completely booked until Friday. Well, that just wouldn’t do — I’m going out of town from Thursday to Sunday.
I needed my taxes done PRONTO.
Luckily, I’m nothing if not persistent — I was determined that this David person would be my new tax guy. I was DETERMINED!!!
So I called back about four more times, and finally, finally, finally, I was routed through to Jina, David’s assistant, who did me a massive favor. She’s so freaking nice!!!
Despite the fact that he was expecting a client at 12:30pm (at this point, it was already 12:15pm), she gave me the green light to swing by the office. As I was literally one building away, I zoomed by butt over and…
You have to understand. It must’ve been a crazy day for them. On top of being booked solid with appointments (I guess procrastination is not a fault unique to just me), their servers had been down all day — something they were scrambling to fix.
So imagine the chaos and confusion — and now imagine me, breezing in sans appointment, determined to have THIS GUY do my taxes.
Most people would’ve been openly annoyed.
But not David!
Despite the madness, despite the fact that his next client (one who’d actually scheduled an appointment like a normal, nice person should) was only ten minutes out, he still sat down, calmly and patiently took down all my info, played with numbers for me, answered the few questions that I had, gave me a rough estimate of the «minimum» that I would receive, listened to me whine about my crook of an ex-​accountant, and all that jazz.
I also asked about a certain tax situation that I’d been wondering about for the past ten years. I’ve asked a multitude of CPAs in the past, and I’ve always been given really wishy-​washy answers. After awhile, I just wrote it off as «the great mystery that no one can solve». When I asked David, though, he literally rattled off, «You can claim up to three years, but nothing more than that.» Holy cow. A DEFINITIVE ANSWER — one with actual numbers, to boot!
What’s more, there was a question I had that he didn’t have an immediate answer to. Instead of just saying «No» — an answer that I expected — he offered to research it for me later to see if I could include that bit in my deductions.
Honestly, that’s just going above and beyond.
Given that I’ve been a bit freaked out since learning that my ex-​accountant is getting audited, I was feeling a bit nervous about finding a new one — now I had to add «not shady» to the criteria. Well, David appears to go by the books. When I insisted, «I want to get back every last penny that I’m owed,» he shook his head and told me, «You can’t get back all of it…» I like that. Honest and up-​front. Doesn’t promise miracles, but willing to go above and beyond to research what I can legitimately write off and what I can’t.
I really do feel confident that I’ll get back what I’m legitimately owed, without fear of having to look over my shoulders for the big bad IRS to come audit me.
I haven’t actually completed the process — remember, I was actually only in-​office for about 15 – 20 minutes. But… they’ve agreed to handle it, and so now, I’m just… happily waiting.
I’ll update further once the process is complete.
For now though, I am one happy Cat.
Yay!

David helped me out with my tax amendment and did a wonderful job. Before I found David, I consulted H&R Block and would have had to pay $ 150 more for a document I didn’t need to pay for.
Highly recommend. Fairly priced and great service!

I strongly recommend this place for everyone who wants to save money. I was trying to save money by filing my taxes online, and the taxes I owed came out in a ridiculous amount. I seeked advises from few people to make sure the owed amount was correct. After few days of dilemma, I went over to Samuel Choi CPA to get a better estimate. I saved more than $ 1000 on my taxes this year!
Samuel Choi also gave me lots of tips to save on my tax money for next year. I am telling all of my friends and family about this place, and I am 200% satisfied with the overall service!

Mr. Samuel Choi and his son David, who is also a CPA, worked on my taxes. They explained everything to me in layman’s terms so I could understand exactly how they were saving me money. They were patient, knowledgeable and friendly. These are definitely the traits you want in an accountant.
Most people dread doing their taxes as much as going to the dentist. It’s time consuming, painful and feels like you’ve just been hit in the gut when you leave the office. After filing my taxes with the Choi Accounting firm, I am no longer one of those people. In the 22 years that I have been filing taxes, this is by far the best experience I’ve ever had. I will continue to file my taxes with the Choi Accounting firm and wish I had found these guys years ago.

Incredible.
I went to Samuel based on reviews from Unilocalers here and wish I would have found this guy years ago, cause I’d have some serious extra $$ in my pockets!
I had a obscenely complicated and ridiculously convoluted 1099 misc situation based on an working for an employer who lied about what his employees did to save himself $$, so it basically forced us to make up what we did do for our end. Yeah, just trust me, it was a pain in the ass I’ve been dreading sorting out for a while and not just that, I was SURE I was going to owe ridiculous amounts to the IRS based on what I paid them last year for the same job that at that point I’d only been at 3 months.
After taking time on the phone to answer all my questions that he could when I first called, I made and appointment with Samuel. In person, he was very patient, went through everything with me, did everything by the book (as much as possible given the situation anyways!) and explained every step and code that I wasn’t sure about in detail.
In the end not only did I end up owing less than a FIFTH what I was expecting (where was this guy last year when I f’ed that up?!) but he charged me also just a FIFTH of what the previous CPA I’d talked to quoted me!
I STRONGLY recommend Samuel to everyone for anything tax related and will surely tell all my friends about him. If he could sort my situation out, I imagine most other things would be a breeze.

Samuel B Choi, CPA Accountancy Corp. is one of better CPA firms in Koreatown. They handle pretty complex tax issues, business related tax planning and of course the regular run-​of-​the mill income tax filing (cheap too!).
Most people i know use David Choi, CPA CFP®. He’s great with taxes, financial planning and investments/​stock related transactions. Highly recommended!