Biography
Maggie Chen co-founded Washington Accounting & Financial Services in 2014 after 14 years at Deloitte's Seattle office, where she led the Pacific Northwest tax practice for closely held businesses. Her decision to leave a national firm wasn't a step down — it was a step closer to clients.
At Deloitte, she recognized that Pacific Northwest business owners with real assets were often assigned to junior staff while senior partners chased Fortune 500 accounts. She believed that regional mid-market companies and founders deserved the same level of strategic, proactive tax planning that large corporations receive.
Today, Maggie leads WAFS's tax practice and personally handles the firm's most complex engagements, including multi-state taxation, real estate tax structuring, and pre-transaction planning. She is known for finding elegant tax solutions to complex business restructurings and has extensive experience successfully representing clients before the IRS and the Washington State Department of Revenue.
Outside the office, Maggie serves on the board of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and mentors first-generation college students through the UW Foster School alumni network. She lives in Madison Park with her husband and two daughters.
"The highest-impact tax work I do isn't filing returns — it's preventing unnecessary tax bills that most business owners don't even know they're paying. That requires planning in September, not reacting in April."
Focus Areas
- Corporate tax strategy
- M&A tax structuring
- Real estate taxation
- IRS representation
- Cross-border transactions
- Washington State B&O tax
Industry Expertise
Credentials & Affiliations
- Certified Public Accountant (WA, 2003)
- Master of Taxation, UW Foster School of Business
- B.A. Accounting, University of Washington
- American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)
- Washington Society of CPAs (WSCPA)
- Board Member, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber