The Best CPA Firms in Essex County, NJ (2026): An Honest Local Comparison

Who wrote this — and why you should still trust it. This guide is published by ProAxis Tax & Accounting Services, a licensed CPA firm serving Essex County. Yes, we include ourselves. Here is the deal we make with you: every firm below is real, independently established, and described from public sources — each firm’s own website and its public listings. We tell you who each firm is best for — including when that is not us. No firm paid to be listed. Judge us by the same criteria we apply to everyone else.

Essex County runs from Newark to the Oranges to Montclair, Livingston, and Short Hills. It holds hundreds of CPAs. Picking one is hard because most firms describe themselves the same way.

This guide takes a different approach. We compared established Essex County firms by specialty, service model, and public track record. Then we matched each firm to the client it serves best.

A nonprofit needing a Yellow Book audit, a Short Hills executive with RSUs, and a Montclair freelancer do not need the same accountant. The right question is not “who is the best CPA in Essex County?” It is “who is the best CPA for my situation?”

How we chose

• Specialty depth. Does the firm publish real expertise in a niche, or generic claims?
• Service model fit. Virtual or in-office. A monthly relationship or a once-a-year filing.
• Public track record. Google ratings and review counts, quoted as of August 5, 2026. These change — check current listings.
• Independence. We excluded national-firm branch offices and firms since absorbed into larger organizations.
• Essex County presence. Every firm here serves Essex County clients.

Quick comparison

*Ratings and counts from public Google listings, as of August 5, 2026. They change — always check the current listing. “See listing” means the firm’s public rating was not meaningfully established at the time of writing.

1. AS Tax & Accounting LLC — best for cloud accounting and proactive tax reduction

AS Tax & Accounting operates from John F. Kennedy Parkway in Short Hills. It holds the largest public review footprint of any independent firm we found in Essex County — 4.9 stars across 179 Google reviews as of August 5, 2026.

Publicly emphasized services include cloud accounting, proactive tax planning, bookkeeping, payroll, and CFO services. The firm also states it is federally authorized to represent clients before the IRS.

Choose AS Tax if: you want cloud-based books and a planning relationship, and you value a long public review history.

2. FIRM1040 — best for small business owners, high earners, and tax debt relief

FIRM1040 has operated from Valley Road in Montclair since 2009. The practice is CPA-owned and publicly positions itself around business owners and high-earning individuals.

Publicly emphasized services include tax preparation, tax planning, bookkeeping, payroll, accounting, consulting, LLC formation, and tax debt relief.

Choose FIRM1040 if: you want an established Montclair office with a deep review history, or you are carrying unresolved tax debt. (If your situation involves federal or state collections, also compare our IRS tax resolution service.)

3. Montanari CPA Firm — best for virtual-first individual and small business returns

Montanari CPA Firm is based in Nutley and runs an entirely virtual practice. Publicly emphasized services include income tax returns, business and accounting services, and business consulting.

It is a smaller, owner-led practice. That is a genuine advantage if you want to work directly with the person doing the work.

Choose Montanari if: you want a virtual, owner-led relationship for a straightforward individual or small business return.

4. ProAxis Tax & Accounting Services — best for an integrated virtual firm handling books, tax, and planning together

Our firm. See the disclosure at the top — judge us by the criteria. We placed ourselves here, not first, because the firms above hold Essex County offices and we do not.

ProAxis is a licensed CPA firm (New Jersey and New York). It is built around one idea. Your bookkeeping, tax prep, and tax planning should live in one place, year-round.

The firm is 100% virtual with a secure client portal. It is based in Bergen County and serves Essex County clients throughout Montclair, Livingston, Millburn, and Short Hills. We are not physically located in Essex County — that is the honest trade-off, and for some owners it matters.

Focus areas include NJ BAIT elections and multi-state filings, real estate investors, medical and dental practices, e-commerce sellers, and high-net-worth planning such as NJ exit tax, RSUs, and QSBS. ProAxis also publishes its bookkeeping pricing ranges openly. Most firms do not.

Credentials: AICPA and NJCPA member, Authorized IRS e-File Provider, IRS Tax Resolution Specialist, and Advanced Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor.

Choose ProAxis if: you run a small-to-mid-size business or have complex personal taxes, and you want proactive quarterly planning instead of a once-a-year filing relationship. Look elsewhere if: you want a local office to walk into, or you need audited financial statements. See Kamens & Associates or Bloom and Bloom below.

5. Caroprese & Company — best for advisory and outsourced back-office work

Caroprese & Company works from Forest Street in Montclair and was founded in 2017. It publicly describes a team of roughly 30 professionals.

Publicly emphasized services span advisory, tax, and business process outsourcing. Its stated client base is unusually broad — individuals and families through to nonprofits, government entities, and multinational corporations.

Choose Caroprese if: you want outsourced back-office capacity alongside tax work, or your entity type sits outside the typical small business mold.

6. Kamens & Associates, LLC — best for financial statement audits, estate and entity work

Kamens & Associates operates from Eisenhower Parkway in Livingston and was founded in 2012. It also lists satellite offices in North Arlington and New York City.

Publicly emphasized services include financial statement audits, assurance, business strategy, tax planning, estate planning, and entity formation. The firm lists AICPA membership.

Choose Kamens if: you need assurance work or are structuring entities and estate plans together.

7. Bloom and Bloom, LLP — best for nonprofit, HUD, and Yellow Book audits

Bloom and Bloom has practiced from Millburn Avenue since 1955. It is the most specialized firm on this list.

Publicly emphasized specialties include HUD audits, USDA Rural Development audits, and A-133 Yellow Book nonprofit audits. The firm also publishes commercial and nonprofit auditing, accounting, consulting, and tax work for small and mid-size businesses and high-net-worth individuals. It participates in the AICPA peer review program.

Choose Bloom and Bloom if: you run a nonprofit or housing entity with a federal audit requirement. This is specialized work, and most general practices do not do it.

How to actually decide

Specialties and ratings narrow the list. The final call comes from questions.

Ask each firm: Who will actually work on my account? What is included monthly, and what is billed extra? How do you handle NJ BAIT and multi-state filing?

We published a full vetting framework in How to Choose a CPA in Bergen County NJ: 7 Questions. The questions apply anywhere in North Jersey. Comparing firms in the next county over? See our guide to the best CPA firms in Bergen County. We ran the same comparison for the best CPA firms in Morris County and the best CPA firms in Union County. Looking statewide instead? See the best NJ CPA firms for small and mid-size companies. Weighing a bookkeeper against a CPA-supervised setup? See our bookkeeper vs. CPA-supervised bookkeeping guide. Comparing service models rather than firms? See our service comparison hub.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the best CPA in Essex County, NJ?

There is no single best CPA — it depends on what you need. For cloud accounting and CFO-style support, AS Tax & Accounting in Short Hills focuses there. For nonprofit, HUD, or A-133 Yellow Book audits, Bloom and Bloom in Millburn has decades of specific experience. For an integrated virtual firm handling books, tax, and planning together, ProAxis Tax & Accounting Services is a strong fit. That said, it holds no Essex County office. Match the firm’s specialty to your situation. Disclosure: this guide is published by ProAxis, and the comparison criteria are stated openly on this page.

How much does a CPA cost in Essex County NJ?

Fees vary by service and complexity. Individual returns typically run $400–$1,200. Business returns (S-Corp, LLC, partnership) typically run $800–$3,000+. Monthly bookkeeping typically ranges from $300–$500 for a solo operator up to $1,800–$4,000+ for multi-entity businesses. These are typical published ranges, not an offer — final fees are scoped during an engagement. Prefer firms that quote fixed fees in writing.

Which Essex County towns have the most CPA firms?

Montclair, Livingston, and the Millburn–Short Hills corridor hold the densest concentration of independent CPA firms in Essex County. Livingston’s Eisenhower Parkway office corridor also hosts branch offices of several national firms. Nutley, Verona, and West Orange are served largely by smaller practices and virtual firms. Firm density is not a quality signal — match specialty to your situation instead.

Do I need a CPA with an office in Essex County?

No. A CPA licensed in New Jersey holds the same license and the same obligations regardless of office location. What matters is NJ-specific expertise — BAIT elections, NJ/NY multi-state filing, NJ sales tax — plus responsiveness and industry fit. Many Essex County business owners now work with virtual firms and meet by video. Choose on expertise and service model, not proximity.

How do I verify an Essex County CPA is actually licensed?

Search the CPA’s name in the New Jersey license verification system at newjersey.mylicense.com/verification/ or at CPAverify.org. For New York licenses, use op.nysed.gov/verification-search. Also check the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers at irs.treasury.gov/rpo for credentialed preparers. A firm should also appear in the IRS Authorized e-File Provider directory.

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This guide is general information, not tax, legal, or investment advice, and does not create a CPA-client relationship. All third-party firm information comes from public sources — firm websites and public listings — as of August 5, 2026, and may change. We are not affiliated with, and received no compensation from, any firm listed. All trademarks and firm names belong to their owners. Ratings shown are from public Google listings on the date noted. Verify any firm’s license at CPAverify.org or through the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.