About Howe's Tax & Bookkeeping · San Francisco
Howe's Tax & Bookkeeping (also listed as Howes Complete Tax & Bookkeeping Services) is a San Francisco-based tax, bookkeeping, and accounting firm led by Enrolled Agent and Certified Tax Coach Mark B. Howes. The firm provides year-round services to individuals, couples (including same-sex domestic partners), small business owners and independent professionals in a casual, open-minded environment. Their official site lists tax preparation, full bookkeeping, payroll processing, and business formation as core offerings, along with QuickBooks ProAdvisor and Xero Certified support.
Howes Tax & Bookkeeping Services is a small accounting and tax practice headquartered in San Francisco, California. President Mark B. Howes, a Boston native, has spent nearly three decades in accounting after earning his Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Religious Studies from Connecticut College and his Associate's Degree in Accounting Management from Bentley College. He obtained his Enrolled Agent (EA) license in 2003 and launched his own tax and bookkeeping practice, which he still leads more than 20 years later (company profiles also date the firm to 2008). Mark worked for three years inside a small Castro-district financial services firm before returning to his independent practice. In 2021 he relocated personally to Laguna Beach, CA, while continuing to serve the San Francisco client base; the firm's mailing address is now P.O. Box 748, Laguna Beach, CA 92652, with offices still referenced at 3892 26th Street / 650 Chenery St in San Francisco. The practice handles individual returns, small-business bookkeeping and payroll (with QuickBooks ProAdvisor and Xero Certified credentials), corporation formation, and audit representation. Team members named on the site include Mark B. Howes (President, EA, Certified Tax Coach) and Amanda Long-Adams (Bookkeeper and Payroll Specialist), with reviews also referencing 'Mason' and 'Joe' as part of the staff.
- In business
- Practice founded around 2003 when Mark Howes obtained his Enrolled Agent license; Mark's own bio states the practice 'now enters its 20th successful year' (company profiles list founding as 2008).
- Owner
- Mark B. Howes — President, Enrolled Agent (E.A.) and Certified Tax Coach
- Serves
- San Francisco (historically 3892 26th Street and 650 Chenery St in the Castro / Noe Valley area); Mark now resides in Laguna Beach, CA. Services are offered remotely / by consultation; physical address references both San Francisco and Laguna Beach.
- Rating
- 3.0 stars (32 reviews on Yahoo Local, with note 'More reviews on Yelp'); no Google rating pulled in research.
About Howes Tax & Bookkeeping
Howes Tax offers a broad range of services for individuals, couples (traditionally married and same-sex domestic partners), small business owners, and independent professionals in a casual, warm, and open-minded environment. The firm's stated goal is to provide service with patience, professionalism, and accounting dialogue 'that won't leave you scratching your head,' giving clients peace of mind about both their tax and their books. The practice supports clients on a year-round basis, not just at filing time.
- Serves individuals, couples, small businesses, and independent professionals
- Welcomes traditionally married and same-sex domestic partner clients
- Year-round service model, not just tax season
Meet Mark B. Howes, E.A.
Mark is a Boston native who lived in San Francisco for 23 years before relocating to Laguna Beach in 2021, where he lives with his dog Finney and his partner near the ocean. He graduated from Connecticut College with two Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Religious Studies, then earned his Associate's Degree in Accounting Management at Bentley College. After nearly 30 years of accounting work for both small boutique firms and large corporations, Mark obtained his Enrolled Agent license in 2003 and launched his own practice. He later spent three years inside a small Castro financial services firm before returning to his independent practice, which he describes as entering its 20th successful year. Outside of work he enjoys the outdoors, fine wine, walking the beach, family, and friends.
- President & founder
- Enrolled Agent (E.A.) since 2003
- Certified Tax Coach
- Connecticut College (B.A. History; B.A. Religious Studies)
- Bentley College (Associate's, Accounting Management)
- Relocated San Francisco → Laguna Beach in 2021
Tax Services
The firm's tax practice ranges from a streamlined 30-minute 1040-Express option for straightforward returns to full-service individual, couple, and small-business tax preparation. Mark is an Enrolled Agent and Certified Tax Coach, which means he is federally licensed to represent clients before the IRS — useful for audits, identity-theft refund issues, and back-year problems. Client testimonials repeatedly note that Howes takes time to explain what is on the return and offers strategies to maximize deductions and simplify bookkeeping going forward.
- 1040-Express (30 min) for simple returns
- Individual and couple tax returns
- Small business tax preparation
- Tax planning and strategy
- IRS / FTB audit representation (Enrolled Agent)
- Free initial tax consultation
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is offered in many levels — from one-time sorting and catch-up of delinquent years to ongoing monthly, quarterly, or annual service. The team sets up and cleans up books in QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online, and Xero Accounting (they are QuickBooks ProAdvisors and Xero Certified) and provides monthly account reconciliation, sales and use tax reporting, 571L Assessor's reporting, audits and financial analysis. They emphasize unlimited consultations and patience with first-time accounting-software users, plus hands-on training to help clients become more independent.
- Bookkeeping / Payroll Consultation (30 min, free)
- QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online, and Xero setup
- QuickBooks ProAdvisor and Xero Certified staff
- Monthly / quarterly / annual financial reporting
- Sales & use tax reporting; 571L Assessor's reporting
- Monthly account reconciliation
- Cleanup of legacy accounting software
- Audits and financial analysis
- Online bookkeeping software monitoring and training
Payroll Services
Howes Tax positions payroll as a turnkey outsourcing solution: small business owners are cited as spending an average of eight hours per month on payroll functions — roughly 12 full days a year — which the firm says is better spent running the business. Two delivery models are offered. Comprehensive Payroll Services handles full processing, laser-printed checks on blank check stock, free direct deposits, new-hire reporting, and worry-free IRS / State tax reporting with EFTPS deposits. After-the-Fact Payroll Services takes the client's manually-prepared records and posts them into the firm's data files, producing the same monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
- Comprehensive Payroll Service (full processing + direct deposit)
- After-the-Fact Payroll Service (records-based posting)
- Free direct deposits
- W-2, W-3, 1099 and 1096 processing
- Custom payroll reports: workers' comp audits, certified payroll, union reports
- Unemployment Claims, Social Security Audits, Child Support Audits
- EFTPS tax deposits and IRS / State tax reporting
- Detailed vacation / sick / personal accrual reports
Form a Corporation & XERO Accounting
Beyond tax prep and bookkeeping, Howes helps small businesses choose and form the right entity — for example, converting a sole proprietorship into an S-Corporation — and supports the resulting accounting work. They are also a Xero Certified practice, helping clients migrate to or get the most out of Xero Accounting Software for online, cloud-based bookkeeping.
- Form a Corporation / entity selection
- Sole-proprietorship → S-Corp conversions (cited in testimonials)
- XERO Accounting Software setup and support
- Business Service Consultation (30 min, free)
Client Testimonials & Reviews
The firm's own reviews page collects long-time client feedback that consistently highlights Mark's patience, education-oriented style, and long-tenured relationships. Examples include a client helped through a cross-state move plus a new sole-proprietorship conversion, a small-business owner guided from bookkeeping to payroll to entity change, and a victim of Social Security number theft / fraudulent refund guided through IRS and FTB resolution. Public third-party listings (Yahoo Local showing 32 reviews) display a mixed 3.0-star average with both positive and negative entries on professionalism and pricing.
- Long-tenured clients (5, 10+ years referenced)
- Help with entity changes, real-estate transactions, and complex returns
- Identity-theft / fraudulent-refund IRS cases handled
- Yahoo Local: 3.0 stars across 32 reviews; 'More reviews on Yelp'
Contact & Hours
The firm is reachable by phone at 415-796-3639 and by fax at 415-373-4621, with email [email protected]. The mailing address is P.O. Box 748, Laguna Beach, CA 92652; office references point to San Francisco (650 Chenery St and 3892 26th Street, both in the 94131 ZIP). Listed business hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with the office closed on weekends.
- Phone: 415.796.3639
- Fax: 415.373.4621
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing: P.O. Box 748, Laguna Beach, CA 92652
- Office: 650 Chenery St / 3892 26th St, San Francisco, CA 94131
- Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM – 5 PM; Sat/Sun closed