Serving San Francisco & the Bay Area hello@bernalhilltax.com
Bernal Hill Accounting & Tax

Accounting & tax for San Francisco households and businesses

Steady books, careful returns, and an accountant who knows your name.

We are an accounting firm serving clients across San Francisco and the Bay Area. We prepare taxes, keep books, run payroll, and sit down with you to plan the year ahead, the way a good family accountant always has.

Services

Everything a household or small business needs from an accounting firm

Most of our clients use us for more than one thing. That is by design: when the same people keep your books and prepare your return, fewer things fall through the cracks.

I.

Individual Tax

Federal and California returns for individuals and families, including equity compensation, rental property, multi-state moves, and estimated payments. We plan before April, not only during it.

II.

Business Tax

Returns for sole proprietors, LLCs, partnerships, S corporations, and C corporations, plus California franchise tax and San Francisco gross receipts filings. We help you choose and revisit the right entity.

III.

Bookkeeping

Monthly reconciliation, clean categories, and financial statements you can actually read. We also take on catch-up work when the books have slipped a year or two behind.

IV.

Payroll

Pay runs, tax deposits, quarterly and year-end filings, W-2s and 1099s, and the local requirements that come with having employees in San Francisco.

V.

CFO & Advisory

Budgets, cash-flow forecasts, pricing questions, and a standing meeting to review the numbers. For owners who need a finance lead but not a full-time hire.

VI.

IRS & FTB Representation

Help with notices, audits, payment plans, and back filings with the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board. We read the letter, explain it plainly, and handle the correspondence.

Our Approach

A local firm, run on long relationships

We are a team of seasoned tax and accounting professionals, and we have been in the industry for many years. We started this firm because we think accounting works best when it is personal. You should be able to write to someone who already knows your situation, who remembers why you made the choice you made last year, and who will tell you plainly when something needs attention.

We are a San Francisco firm, and we know the city's gross receipts tax, the cost of a Bay Area household, the rhythm of a restaurant's slow months, and what a vesting schedule does to a tax bill. That local knowledge shows up in the details of the work.

  • One point of contact. You work with the same person each year, not a rotating queue.
  • Plain language. We explain what we did and why, without jargon.
  • Clear fees. We quote before we start, and we tell you if the scope changes.
  • On your schedule. Meetings at times that suit you, with plenty of notice before deadlines. Many clients like one longer planning call a year.

Who We Serve

Our clients, across the city and around the Bay

San Francisco small businesses

Cafés, shops, studios, contractors, clinics, and professional practices. We handle the books, the payroll, and the filings so you can run the place.

Employees with RSUs, ISOs & ESPP

Equity compensation creates real tax questions: withholding shortfalls, AMT on incentive stock options, cost basis on sold shares. We help you plan sales and avoid surprises.

Families & households

Dual incomes, a first home, a new child, an aging parent, a household employee. We look after the whole picture, year after year.

Nonprofits

Fund accounting, board-ready financial reports, Form 990 preparation, and California filings for community organizations and small foundations.

Working Together

How a new engagement begins

  1. 1

    A first conversation

    Thirty minutes by video call, at no charge. We listen to what you need and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.

  2. 2

    A written proposal

    A short letter describing the scope of work, the schedule, and the fee. Nothing begins until you have agreed to it.

  3. 3

    Gathering and review

    We send a simple checklist, collect documents through a secure portal, and review prior returns and books for anything that needs fixing.

  4. 4

    The work, and a look ahead

    We complete the returns or the books, walk you through the results, and set a date to check in before the next deadline.

Questions

Frequently asked

Something else on your mind? Email us and we will answer directly.

Do you have an office I can visit?

No. We don’t keep a walk-in office; we meet by video and share documents through a secure portal.

Do you work with clients outside San Francisco?

Yes. Most of our clients are in the city, but we also work with people and businesses across the Bay Area, from Oakland and Berkeley to the Peninsula and Marin.

How are your fees set?

Tax returns are quoted per engagement based on complexity. Bookkeeping, payroll, and advisory are usually a fixed monthly fee. You will always receive a written quote before any work begins.

I have RSUs or stock options. Can you help?

Yes. We help with cost basis on sold shares, withholding gaps at vesting, alternative minimum tax on incentive stock options, and planning the timing of sales and estimated payments.

My books are a year or more behind. Is that a problem?

Not at all, and it is more common than you might think. We do catch-up bookkeeping regularly and will get you current before moving to a monthly routine.

I received a letter from the IRS or the FTB. What should I do?

Do not ignore it, and do not panic. Send us a copy. Most notices can be resolved with a clear response, and we will tell you what it means and what the deadline is.

When should I reach out before tax season?

The earlier the better. Planning conversations in the fall or early winter leave time to act before December 31. New individual clients are best started by February.

Contact

Write to us about your situation

Email is the best way to reach us. We meet by video and share documents through a secure portal. Tell us a little about what you need and we will reply within one business day to set up a first video call.

Email us to get started