*Note: CPAs may specialize in different areas. Be sure to check credentials and service offerings.*
If this is your first time working with a CPA, don’t worry — most professionals offer a free consultation and will walk you through what to expect. You may be asked to complete an intake form, share financial documents, or set clear goals for your session.
*Note: Every CPA operates a bit differently. Don’t hesitate to ask questions before committing.*
*Tip: Organize your documents in advance to save time and ensure accuracy.*
*Note: Preparation helps you make the most of your CPA’s expertise.*
*Note: Every CPA is different — take time to find one who fits your goals and style.*
1511 Ritchie Hwy #304
Arnold, Maryland 21012
My husband and I have used Emerald Financial Partners for years. They are excellent with business and personal financials. They provide us with year around updates so that there is better planning and less surprises. With their assistance tax season has become a no stress time. Emerald's team brings their knowledge and expertise every year to pull everything together. And, knowing the team is on it, my husband and I can focus on our stuff.
For many years we've been lucky getting our taxes done by Emerald Financial Partners which has a high reputation as professionalism, always perfect and on time, NEVER A WORRY!
I have had my taxes done here for many years. The team at Emerald Financial Partners are wonderful! Each year, they work hard at completing my taxes in a short amount of time. They are always very thorough and careful, ensuring an accurate tax return document yearly. I am always confident with the work and care, happy to return year after year.
Valerie and her team have been nothing short of amazing! Prior to this tax year, I always did my own tax returns, but this year as newlyweds we had a more difficult return which I felt required more profession help. My plan was to make this a one-time event, and that I would again return to doing taxes myself - but this experience has changed my mind. From the wonderful woman at the front desk to Valerie... Emerald Financial has been friendly, helpful, responsive, and most importantly extremely proactive
A friend had referred me to QualiTax 8 years ago and I have been using them ever since. The first thing Valerie did was review my prior years tax return and found a few errors/missed items, which were in my favor. When I met my wife I sent her to QualiTax and she too was impressed with the personal service and knowledgeable staff. Ever since then I/we have continued to use QualiTax and have always received excellent personal service.
We have been clients of Emeral Financial Partners since long before it was even Emeral Financial Partners! We have been working with Valerie for over 20 years. She and all her staff are extremely efficient, professional and very nice to work with. I highly recommend using Emeral Financial Partners.
My wife and I have been with Valerie and QualiTax ever since we moved to Maryland, 23 years ago. Valerie and her staff have been nothing but professional and have provided excellent tax preparation service and advice during this time. She is very detailed oriented and is always up to date on the latest tax laws to ensure that all forms are completed properly. She was also able to save us money along the way each year too! I would highly recommend Valerie and QualiTax to anyone out there looking for a pr
They have been doing my taxes for years. Always prompt with returning emails about questions I may have anytime of the year. They are fast with quality service! I sent all my information over on a Friday and it was completed the following Tuesday. Staff is also very helpful in answering questions over the phone.
As a young professional I am very grateful that my grandfather recommended me to Valerie and the team at Emerald Financial Partners. They have prepared my taxes for the last two years and are always very responsive to my many phone calls and questions. Emerald Financial Partners is a top tier firm and I highly recommend them to everyone especially young professionals.
I found Valerie through Dave Ramsey. She has done my taxes now 3 years in a row. It is very easy on my part and I receive great communication about my returns. She also sends out emails with great information throughout the year. Anytime someone asks me about my taxes, I always recommend Valerie and QualiTax.
We have been very, pleased with the service we have gotten from Emerald Financial Partners for the past three tax seasons. Everyone we have dealt with there has been pleasant and helpful. Questions and concerns are responded to promptly and professionally. We feel confident that our taxes are being completed thoughtfully and accurately. We highly recommend Emerald Financial Partners.
I have been a customer of Emerald Financial Partners for 3 years now. I originally sought out there help for a complex tax issue from a prior year tax year. They helped me with that issue and then helped me with the current year return. Val was very helpful in this process and reassured me that things would get better in the subsequent tax years by following her advice. She was right ! This year she applied her vast knowledge of the tax codes and applied them to the changes in the tax codes to make sure I d
Emerald Partners are great tax preparers from the time you call through the completion. Jordan is so friendly and patient on the phone and in person. Every time I walk in their business I feel like I am family, so welcoming , friendly and informative. And of course they are following the CDC guidelines so you feel safe. If you are looking for a great experience and need to get your taxes done or need financial advice- THIS IS THE PLACE!! It is always a pleasure - Thank you ! See you next year !! Penny Sta
This is the second year that I have used Emerald Financial Partners to prepare our federal and state tax returns. The personal attention the staff provides is truly outstanding. Sue, the receptionist, is extremely proficient and ensured that I had all the information I needed to make my appointment go smoothly. Christy is the CPA that prepared our taxes for both 2017 and 2018. Her knowledge of both the federal and state tax codes is impressive. Christy not only answer all my questions but also asked qu
Christina Rawlings and the entire Emerald Financial Partners team handled my company's and my personal taxes with the highest levels of professionalism. Not only did Christina save me tens of thousands of dollars, but she was patient with my overly complicated situation. I would recommend her to anyone.
Emerald Financial Partners has been doing my taxes for a few years. They are thorough and completely understand the tax code. I sleep peacefully at night knowing my taxes were done correctly. The staff is friendly and the office atmosphere is very welcoming.
I was looking for a new CPA years ago.....mine up and closed up shop without so much as a 'thanks for the memories'. That's when I found (what was Quali-Tax back then) Emerald Financial Partners (now). They took me on at the last minute and helped us get our taxes filed on time. They treated us with compassion and dignity eventhough I was all freaked out about what had just happened. We've been with them ever since. Through good years and bad, they are always ready to help. They've evolved into investing,
Christy was professional, fast, and thorough in helping me provide all the necessary paperwork to my new employer. She handles my company's payroll, background check & health insurance forms. She even handles all of my employer's NDA agreements and company policy guidelines. I would strongly recommend Emerald Financial Partners & Christy for any President or CEO who is looking to outsource their companies HR department in order to reduce the massive headache that comes with keeping up with state & federal l
We have used Emerald Financial Partners for several years now to do a moderately complicated tax return. They have demonstrated knowledge and speed in preparing our returns and we have never had an issue. We recommend them to all our friends.
Valerie and Erin prepare my taxes, and both do a wonderful job. They are very efficient, professional, and attentive. The paperwork packet they prepare and send is thorough, and easy to work with. They are a pleasure to work with.
Valerie has been doing our taxes for quite a few years. We have never had a complaint. She also has answered emailed questions at different times of the year. We appreciate her professionalism.
QualiTax has been providing exceptional tax service to me and my family for several years. Despite filing somewhat more complicated returns and dealing with multiple tax entities, I have found their attention to detail and professionalism to far exceed my expectations - and I would strongly recommend their services.
We highly recommend Emerald Financial Partners for your tax, accounting and financial planning needs. Christy helped us to maximize our return and provide insight into our 2019 financial plan. Additionally, we highly recommend the Client Care Package. Through a mid-year evaluation, we were able to gain important insight into what our estimated end-of-year situation would look like and be able to plan for that. Christy was available and responsive throughout the year to help us with several different inqu
We have used Valery and her crew for years and they always steer us in the right direction, the retainer is worth every penny, and saved us the year we moved and had to file in different States and close out an estate inheritance, while retiring at the same time. The advice was valuable, service great, and help wonderful.
Due to lack of attention by my previous accountant to my taxes, I was forced to find another accountant. I thought the transition was going to be awkward and arduous, but it was practically seamless. Christy took care of making sure all of my quarterly taxes were done, the appropriate forms were completed and turned in to meet the deadlines, etc. Absolutely nothing fell through the cracks. This is my first full year with QualiTax and they got me a very healthy return at the end of the year and she gave
Tax time is stressful but Valerie and team remove the anxiety, provide sound advice and not only that but our tax return was done in 1 business day! Highly recommend Emerald Financial Partners!
Have had the best experience (5 stars+) with Val and her team over the years! We have received expert counsel on our taxes, as well as excellent, responsive customer service. Simply outstanding!
This tax year was terrible for so many people and we still walked away with an amazing refund! It was so easy to drop all our documents off and feel confident that a qualified person was handling our file (reason we switched from the pop-up tax stores). We will be back next year.
Due to a tax-filing error by my previous company, I had to go into Qual-I-Tax to amend my 2014 tax return - ugh! To my delight, Valerie saw me early, was prepared and SO polite. After a quick review of the paperwork sent by my previous company, she recalled the issue and showed me how she caught the error before filing in 2014. So what I thought was going to be painful, was in-fact a non-issue due to their attention-to-detail and catching the error 'before!' filing. Thank you Qual-I-Tax!
Valerie and her team at Emerald have been more than accommodating for me and my business tax needs. Their services are invaluable to me. I can't thank them enough.
We?ve been using Christy at Emerald for over 2 years and couldn?t be happier! I have a business so it can be very involved with the ever changing tax laws etc. I am without a doubt, very confident in their understanding of what the new laws mean and how it affects us from a business and a personal standpoint. Finally no more sleepless nights!
This was my first time using Emerald Financial Partners. Valerie McLaughlin, Jordyn Farthing, and Michelle Dodd were absolutely wonderful! I had to learn new skills of scanning documents to PDF files and uploading to their office They were so patient and helpful. I will certainly use them next year. Thank you all!
In this day, it is always reassuring to speak with a representee with Val's group! They always do what they say they will, and do so in a timely fashion! Work is top notch, an honest! Thanks Val and your staff for supporting us in our accounting needs! You and your staff are the best there is!!
Emerald Financial Partners has helped us with our taxes for many years and they are a pleasure to work with and always provide professional service. I highly recommend them!
We have used this company when it has various names for many years and have been very pleased with their attention to detail and care for us as people, not just as clients. While their costs may seem high, their professionalism and personal attention is impressive. We will continue to recommend them to friends and will use them in future years.
Valerie and her team always do a great job and get it done quickly. We appreciate not having to worry about our taxes any more.
For many years we've been using this Tax specialized business and we've been always more than happy with the accuracy ,clarity and speed of delivery of our Taxes! SIX STARS for these friendly, first class people!!
We have used this tax preparation service under various names and location for over 20 years and are very pleased with their professional service and personal attention to us. We have recommended them to many friends over the years.
I love the personalized service we get at Emerald Financial Partners. Our concerns are handled swiftly and always with a friendliness you can feel over the phone!
They were a great help my first year in the area with a short notice, multi-state filing and I?ve continued to use them because everyone there is friendly, their work is accurate, and they provide useful info throughout the year. They really are on top of everything.
We have had Valerie do our taxes for several years and have been well pleased with the service and attention to detail that the entire staff has given us. Thanks
The QualiTax folks are the BEST in every way but especially with communication and Valerie's notes are insightful and inspiring.
We've used Val's services over the last several years and found her attention to detail and responsiveness just amazing
They hit all the marks! Knowledge, experience, customer service excellence, timeliness and follow through. Great company that has served my business and personal need for 30 years.
Excellent service always, Christy is a real pro and checks all the boxes. The whole team keeps everything moving and on time. Highly recommend.
Very knowledgeable and thorough tax preparation. And what?s even better?outstanding customer service! Thanks to Christy and everyone at Emerald!
We've used Valerie and her team for years and always appreciate their help and advice.
Best thing that ever happened to my business and personal taxes..
Awesome service! Everyone is a pleasure to conduct business with!
Excellent customer service, very nice to work with.
Outstanding professionals, personalized services, and intelligent advisors!
Great staff, very friendly and thorough!
Thank you Valerie You are so helpful for us
Quick and friendly customer service!
Like working with trusted family.
Look for a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license, which ensures they’ve passed rigorous exams and meet state requirements. Check for relevant experience in your industry, additional certifications like CFA or CMA, and membership in professional organizations like the AICPA. Verify their credentials through state licensing boards.
Use online directories like the AICPA, CPAverify, or state CPA societies. Search platforms like Yelp or Google for local CPAs with reviews. Ask for referrals from business associates, friends, or financial advisors. Local chambers of commerce can also provide recommendations.
A CPA is a licensed professional who has passed the CPA exam and met state requirements for education and experience. An accountant may lack this certification and could have varying levels of expertise. For complex tasks like tax audits or financial reporting, a CPA is typically more qualified.
Ask about their experience with your specific financial needs, such as tax preparation, small business accounting, or estate planning. Review their website or LinkedIn for case studies or client testimonials. Inquire about their client base to ensure they handle similar financial situations.
Yes, reviews provide insight into a CPA’s reliability, communication, and performance. Check platforms like Google, Yelp, or the Better Business Bureau for client feedback. Look for patterns in reviews, but verify their authenticity, as some may be biased or outdated.
Visit your state’s Board of Accountancy website or use CPAverify.org to check a CPA’s license status. Confirm their license is active and check for any disciplinary actions or complaints. This ensures they’re in good standing and meet professional standards.
Ask about their experience with your financial needs, fee structure, availability, and communication style. Inquire how they handle tax filings, audits, or financial planning. Ask for references or examples of similar work to assess their expertise and fit.
Fees vary based on location, services, and complexity. Basic tax preparation may cost $150-$500, while business accounting or audits can range from $1,000 to $10,000+. Request a detailed fee structure upfront and compare quotes from multiple CPAs.
Yes, many CPAs offer remote services through secure online platforms for document sharing and virtual consultations. Ensure they use encrypted tools for data security. Remote CPAs can be effective if they understand your local tax laws or business regulations.
During consultations, evaluate their ability to explain complex financial concepts clearly. Ask sample questions about taxes or financial strategies and note their responsiveness and clarity. Good communication ensures you understand their advice and fosters a productive relationship.
Beware of CPAs who guarantee specific tax refunds, lack a valid license, or have disciplinary actions on record. Avoid those with poor communication, vague fee structures, or negative reviews highlighting unethical behavior. Always verify their credentials independently.
Large firms offer more resources and specialized teams but may charge higher fees. Solo practitioners often provide personalized service and lower costs but may have limited availability. Choose based on your needs, budget, and preference for personalized attention.
For individuals, annual meetings for tax preparation may suffice. Businesses may need quarterly or monthly check-ins for bookkeeping, tax planning, or financial reporting. Discuss your needs upfront to establish a meeting schedule that aligns with your financial goals.
Yes, many CPAs handle both, but confirm their expertise in both areas. Ask about their experience managing personal taxes and business accounting simultaneously. Ensure they can balance both without compromising attention to your specific financial needs.
Discuss concerns directly with your CPA to resolve issues. If unresolved, check your contract for termination terms. Seek a new CPA by researching reviews, credentials, and referrals. Request your financial records to ensure a smooth transition to a new professional.