Empire Tax Professionals

Deceptive Practices Exposed: “All Under One Roof” CFO Promises That Were Never Delivered – Lockouts & Unauthorized Access. Pattern Strongly Suggests Possible Class Action

Review for Rachel Michaelov & Firms Empire Tax Professionals a.k.a Empire Tax Advisors a.k.a Practice Wealth Partners inc

I hired Empire Tax Professionals based on their aggressive public marketing promising "All Under One Roof" comprehensive CFO services -- monthly bookkeeping, payroll management, tax planning, estimated payments, and full tax returns.
They handled basic onboarding but delivered virtually none of the promised services. Payroll was never set up despite repeated confirmations and ongoing billing. My 2025 taxes went completely unfiled. I texted owner Rachel Michaelov multiple times about the total lack of work product and transparency -- with no meaningful response.

The deception escalated in January 2026:

January 5: When I requested a QuickBooks MFA update to regain control of my own books, they sent a screenshot of a minor "Company Info" change instead -- a clear tactic to create the false impression they were helping while keeping me locked out.
January 7: They asked if I needed Q4 tax help (only 48 hours before deadline). I confirmed immediately and they went silent.
January 15 (due date): They sent a baseless $100,000 tax liability estimate with zero supporting documentation or explanation, and went silent again.

I terminated for cause on January 23. Empire then ignored four formal written demands for my records (USPS tracking 6301, 3810, 6318, 6325), kept me locked out of QuickBooks, and -- per audit logs -- continued unauthorized access to my private financial data after termination. I had to forcefully regain access to stop the unauthorized access. This created serious hardship.

I paid a new accountant $2,500+ to reconstruct everything and file correctly (roughly 80% less than Empire's inflated figure). Total direct loss: $11,882+

This is not an isolated incident. Public reviews reveal a clear, consistent pattern of the exact same issues: clients reporting non-delivery of bookkeeping/payroll, sudden lockouts, inaccurate tax estimates, ignored record requests, and post-termination unauthorized access.

Multiple whistleblower employees have publicly described the company's deceptive practices, including the use of phony U.S.-based staff profiles while work is shipped offshore, raising severe concerns about the handling of sensitive data. Furthermore, their public review history shows highly suspicious patterns, including overseas profiles with no connection to New York suddenly leaving five-star ratings.

These practices raise severe concerns about the offshore handling of sensitive financial data and mislead clients about the true nature of their operations. In fact, one former employee called the environment "the epitome of modern slavery" due to the high turnover, micromanagement, and ethical concerns surrounding client data handling under Revital Michaelov.

Given the volume and striking similarity of complaints from numerous other clients, this systemic pattern of deception strongly suggests that a class action may be warranted.

Empire's only response to my complaints was lowball settlement offers of $3,000 then $3,500 (with non-disparagement demands), both of which I rejected.

Due to the clear and ongoing pattern of deceptive practices, I have prepared formal complaints with both the New York State Attorney General's Consumer Frauds & Protection Bureau and North Carolina consumer protection authorities and am pursuing investigation.

If you're a small business owner looking for reliable accounting or CFO services, look elsewhere. The public record shows this is a systemic pattern, not a one-off experience.

via Google

I highly recommend Rachel and her team. They’ve done work for me multiple times, and every single experience has been excellent. They are professional, thorough, and truly know what they’re doing.

I’ve seen a few one-star reviews, and from my experience, those don’t reflect their work at all. Tax preparers and CPAs can’t work based on assumptions — they need full and accurate information from the client. I went through that learning curve myself, and once everything was clearly provided, their work was spot on.

If you’re a business owner looking for a reliable tax team, I’d absolutely say give them a chance.

via Google

The team here is incredible. They helped us navigate a complex process with ease and provided clear tax solutions that actually worked for our situation. The communication was excellent from start to finish. We’re so glad we found them and look forward to working with them for years to come.

via Google

I’ve had a fantastic experience working with Sarah Al Haffar. She’s knowledgeable, responsive, and always willing to answer my questions. I consistently feel informed and confident in the tax preparation process because of her expertise. Highly recommend her services!

via Google

I've worked with Empire for the last 5 years on my personal taxes, although their specialty is really in small business support. The business owner (Rachel) recently offered me a free tax strategy session and it was incredibly helpful to understand the differences in potential tax deductions for income on a W2 vs. 1099. Highly recommend Empire - especially for small business owners.

via Google